Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[FUJIMO]

here's the deck of Betty's Cigarette KAAMA, which she owned before her Scarab KAAMA...

[FUJIMO]

Anyone ever wonder where all the "original" California Scarab hulls came from? They were all Aronow hull derivatives.

[jackiewilson]

Look back through the history of boats Fuji and you can see everyone copied everyone else with the slightest of variations—- some made it better—- some missed the mark—- nothings original except maybe the Vikings!

[jackiewilson]

here's the deck of Betty's Cigarette KAAMA, which she owned before her Scarab KAAMA...

You would have to be a smart asse to differentiate between the two —— must ask Stevie where they got the idea of the cougar cat ?i

[Bob V]

36' Cigarette

38' Scarab

38' Cougar

38' Formula

The 36-foot Cigarette was like many boat designs that followed, the origin of countless offshore victories.
e 36-foot Cigarette was like many boat designs that followed, the origin of countless offshore victories

[GENE LANHAM]

Not that it much matters, but the beam on the old 36 Cigarettes was 9' 4'', without the rubrail. You would not believe how the 8' beam Cigarette's (no matter the length)came to be. Nobody really knows this, or would believe this, but you would have to be "in the business" of boat tooling, to appreciate this, but here goes... You know the distinctive full-length hullside "crease" that runs down the center of the hullsides of the 8' beam Cigarettes? That was "created" by Don's tooling shop by taking a 9' 4" Cigarette hull, and cutting the hullside down the center with a Skil-Saw, and then bending in the top halfs equally to an 8' total beam midship. From the chine down, the two boats are the same. Many, many "new" offshore boat design ideas became tooled into a new boat length and/or beam this way in the business.

Back in the early OPC days--even before the MMS there was a little guy from 'up nawth'---building some great wooden boats. I never thought NICKY (or HARRY) ever got the credit that he deserved--his son continues today---

[jackiewilson]

36' Cigarette

38' Scarab

38' Cougar

38' Formula

The 36-foot Cigarette was like many boat designs that followed, the origin of countless offshore victories.
e 36-foot Cigarette was like many boat designs that followed, the origin of countless offshore victories

You got to admit the rub rail on the Cougar is a tad higher !
What do they say about two peas in a pod or maybe “out of the same mould”
Remember what I said about the frontal view of any offshore raceboat?
Might apply to back , bottom and sides don’tcha think.?

[jackiewilson]

Anyone ever wonder where all the "original" California Scarab hulls came from? They were all Aronow hull derivatives.

Er’. No I didn’t Fuji —- but it does make me wonder where Aronow got his first Cigarette from????

[jackiewilson]

Back in the early OPC days--even before the MMS there was a little guy from 'up nawth'---building some great wooden boats. I never thought NICKY (or HARRY) ever got the credit that he deserved--his son continues today---

Gene, in the early days ALL boats were made out of wood—— especially the tunnels.
Doesnt matter who was building them——- Molinari, Scottie, Abbatte, Shakespeare, Cougar, Burgess, Stippitch, Jones, Seebold, Velden, they all had one thing in common—— WOOD.

[Bob V]

Gene, in the early days ALL boats were made out of wood—— especially the tunnels.
Doesnt matter who was building them——- Molinari, Scottie, Abbatte, Shakespeare, Cougar, Burgess, Stippitch, Jones, Seebold, Velden, they all had one thing in common—— WOOD.

...And they were beautiful....

[John Schubert]

Back in the early OPC days--even before the MMS there was a little guy from 'up nawth'---building some great wooden boats. I never thought NICKY (or HARRY) ever got the credit that he deserved--his son continues today---

Yup, Nicky Chapman. Raced against him a lot on Long Island. 460-N ":Rowdy" is Nick at the 1953 SO nationals on Oakland, CA won by Ron Zuback in 68-J with a Sid-Craft

[2us70]

I ran the first race boat Nick built down here in South Florida. I believe it was also the last flat-bottom boat he built. He offered me his first v-bottom boat a little while later but I declined. BIGEST MISTAKE of my racing career! Johnny Reed got it and did very well with it. I got the chance to race that v-bottom Curtis Craft once and I have kicked myself ever since for that decision. The first 2 pictures are of my Curtis Craft. The third shot is from a race in 1966. Nick is the guy in the black jacket standing next to my Uncle Bill.

[GENE LANHAM]

Anyone ever wonder where all the "original" California Scarab hulls came from? They were all Aronow hull derivatives.

You DO mean HARRY??

[FUJIMO]

Er’. No I didn’t Fuji —- but it does make me wonder where Aronow got his first Cigarette from????

...Well Jackie, believe it or not it was from a "girl". No, I wont' tell you her name. I promised.

[GENE LANHAM]

Gene, in the early days ALL boats were made out of wood—— especially the tunnels.
Doesnt matter who was building them——- Molinari, Scottie, Abbatte, Shakespeare, Cougar, Burgess, Stippitch, Jones, Seebold, Velden, they all had one thing in common—— WOOD.

Most of Nicky's boats never went in the water.

They were the PLUGS for famous raceboats

He built the 45' Cigartte PLUG---it was so big Aronow used it as a shed---