aronow 39 blue thunder hull and aluminum trailer
09-26-2010, 02:24 PM
#21
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Funny how overtime a discussion comes up about a 39 aronow cat, someone chimes in about how crappy they were. I have yet to see anyone who owned one, or spent real time on one offshore refer to them as a blunder, joke, piece of junk, etc. These boats were built in a era when there were some fast catamarans were racing. Don and the boys knew what they were doing when they built these boats. It wasn't intended to be a race boat. They were wide, heavy, stable, and could fit a us customs crew and their artillery. The hulls took many years of service in offshore waters. If don wanted to build a fast light cat, he could have. It was business.
I spent a great deal of time in the 39's and thought they were incredibly seaworthy and made for a great boarding platform. As an offshore interdiction vessel, they were perfect. At the time, the govt. didn't want their agents going over 60 for liability/ safety reasons... the USA 39 was the perfect fit. Of all the Customs/ boating related injuries, the USA had the safest record.
T.
Last edited by MidOcean; 09-26-2010 at 02:28 PM.
09-26-2010, 03:30 PM
#23
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09-26-2010, 03:30 PM
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Todd, wasn't the smaller USA cat a 27' - like the one that Vanilla Ice had? I thought it was a split 27' Magnum, not shortened. There was also the 24' Aronow cat that Gary Garbrecht built after Don's death . . . had outboards, looked similar to a 24' Skater and was a true cat. Right?
09-26-2010, 04:25 PM
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Todd, wasn't the smaller USA cat a 27' - like the one that Vanilla Ice had? I thought it was a split 27' Magnum, not shortened. There was also the 24' Aronow cat that Gary Garbrecht built after Don's death . . . had outboards, looked similar to a 24' Skater and was a true cat. Right?
Last edited by MidOcean; 09-26-2010 at 04:27 PM.
09-26-2010, 04:41 PM
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I'm seriously considering the 39' that the OP has listed here for sale. My thoughts are 440 Yanmars and Arnesons. Similar in setup to Don's [Soffer] "None of Your Business" - which I hear is still kicking and totally restored in Key West! Andrew Corn praised that boat so much, that I've always wanted one setup that way.
09-26-2010, 06:14 PM
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I'm seriously considering the 39' that the OP has listed here for sale. My thoughts are 440 Yanmars and Arnesons. Similar in setup to Don's [Soffer] "None of Your Business" - which I hear is still kicking and totally restored in Key West! Andrew Corn praised that boat so much, that I've always wanted one setup that way.
09-27-2010, 02:41 AM
#28
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Agreed! Sorry I didn't buy it back then, when Chuck Muchnick had it for sale at Bobby Moore's . . . and then again when it popped up on eBay about a year or so ago in Key West. It had half sunk at one point due to a broken hydrohoist and absentee owner. I've been told its been completely restored and is up and running again.
