Faux Cigarette Boat Brings Mystery to the Team Speed Forums
Docked in Louisville, Kentucky, a boat bedecked in Cigarette decals has its new owner wondering what they’ve bought.
We’re reaching peak boating season here on the docks of the S.S. Team Speed Performance Boats forums, which means it’s the best time yet to leave your Bentleys, McLarens, and Maseratis at the marina for a day of high speed on the high seas. We’ve got 22 pages worth of threads going back over a decade, with plenty of room for new threads featuring your seaworthy boats and inquiries.
Speaking of seaworthiness, we happened upon a thread the other day featuring a boat that will need a ton of work before it’s ready for the open water once more. The first item on the checklist of things to do: find out if it’s a Cigarette Racing boat.
“I recently purchased this boat,” says forum member Batmans, who at the time of the inquiry called Louisville her old Kentucky home. “I was told this is a Cigarette 28SS. I’ve also heard this is a Cigarette Awesome/Mistress. I have no idea what year it is as I have to apply for a title. It appears to have twin 360 engines and TRS drives. Can someone tell me if this is a true Cigarette SS and if so, what year?”
The owner says she paid $1,200 for the mystery boat from a local dealer, who was in possession of the boat after its original owner died and their estate abandoned ship. Though the hull should have had a VIN somewhere on it, all she found was a sanded spot with a stamped metal plate in its place. Thus, the mystery of the boat’s heritage remained hidden in the murky depths beneath the waves. At least, until one forum member shined a light upon the truth.
“[One hundred percent] positive this is not a Cigarette Racing Team boat,” said T2x. “They never used those engines and outdrives on the 28s. They never displayed the hull identification number (HIN) in that way. The 28s had a very distinct raised knuckle-line in the upper edge of the hull sides, which this boat does not have.”
He goes on to mention the Cigarette 28 “was one of the most common hull pops” made in the Seventies and Eighties, with at least 40 companies making knockoffs. The engines, meanwhile, were ID’d by GoFastKindaGuy as Chrysler marine engines from the mid- to late Sixties.
It’s been about four years since this thread was posted. As it didn’t go very far, we’re curious to know if the mystery of this boat’s maker was ever solved, and if the boat is back out on the Ohio River or Lake Cumberland.
Until then, if you have a high-performance boat you’d like to show off, or have some questions on getting the most out of it, why not post in our Team Speed Performance Boat forums? You’ll never know who just might be reading!
Photos: Team Speed Performance Boat Forums
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