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CIGARETTE RACING TEAM KEEPS EUROPEAN SHIPPING CHANNELS BUSY
The factory floor at Cigarette Racing has a lineup of powerboats readying to ship from the Port of Everglades—destined for Germany, Spain and the Middle East. Each is a different model, showing the diversity of the markets and customers which Cigarette has groomed for years.
“When we bought this company in 2002, the Cigarette brand already had a great reputation in Europe and was maybe even better known there than here,” says Skip Braver, President and CEO, “We continued to develop the overseas dealer network and international customer base and it has paid off for us.”
A 39’ Top Fish with triple Mercury 300 Verado engines just sailed off for Barcelona to meet up with its “mother ship,” a Ferretti CRN 128. To match the Ferretti, the Cigarette powerboat was built with Oyster white gelcoat, majestic blue sides, metallic silver boot stripes and stainless trim. This Top Fish is going “Top Shelf” and will be towed along for the family’s side fishing and fun trips while cruising the Med and other islands on summer holiday. The owner also has a 46 Cigarette Rider--too much of a good thing—is a good thing!
Next out will be a new 39 Top Gun Unlimited which earned the prestigious Powerboat Magazine “Offshore V-Bottom of the Year Award” and is among the most popular Cigarette models both overseas and at home. Its hot orange and black paint scheme hints that a Harley Davidson fan might be the buyer, but this boat, complete with Mercury EU certified 662’s is headed to the showroom floor of Cigarette’s German dealer in Cologne to replace a recently purchased inventory boat.
The 49 Grand Sport will be off for Kuwait. The Middle East remains a solid performance boat market for Cigarette with many repeat customers. Though the Sport Cruiser model is offered with diesel engines, the customer requested gasoline-powered Mercury 850 engines with #6 drives and a bright red and white trim paint scheme. The hull of the Grand Sport is differently configured than other Cigarettes as it has a 10’ beam, 6’ of headroom and fully decorated luxury cabin with enclosed head and V-berth. The extended transom is diagonally cut from the aft to incorporate an integral billet swim platform, designed for easy entry from the water for those who enjoy using their Cigarettes for swimming and water sports.
The 50’ Marauder with triple 1075’s is headed for Ibiza and shows that big power and big boats are still in demand in the international performance boat market. The first 50’ Cigarette was built on request for long-time Cigarette San Tropez, France dealer, Marcel Biales, over two and a half years ago; to date, Cigarette has built nine of these giants for the European market. Cigarette customers who want to trade up or try something new have been delighted with the model which is at the top of Cigarette’s current size and price range. The silver paint with a touch of orange trim shows the “quiet” fashion sense of this customer—who will still be the center of attention on the water and at the docks!
“Almost all of our boats are for existing Cigarette customers,” says Hector Rodriguez who manages the international dealer network and sales as part of his responsibilities at Cigarette. He is aware of the subtle differences between the various overseas and domestic performance boat markets and has been instrumental in many of the modifications that Cigarette made to accommodate the varied tastes in colors, models, features and options. “It is all about the Cigarette brand to most owners,” he explains, “They identify with the name, the style and performance, but they still want the boat to be ‘theirs’ so we are constantly tweaking little things to keep each Cigarette true to the brand yet individually styled—and that is why people keep coming back to Cigarette.”
