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A "go-fast" is a preferred boat for smugglers

A go-fast boat is a small, fast powerboat designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull. Depending on definitions used, it is either a speedboat (synonymously) or a certain type of speedboat.

During the United States alcohol prohibition era, these boats were used in "rum-running", transferring illegal liquor from larger vessels waiting outside US territorial waters to the mainland. Their high speed enabled them to avoid interception by the law enforcement. The present conception of such boats is based largely on designs by Donald Aronow for offshore powerboat racing in the 1960s. During this period, these boats were also used by drug smugglers to transfer drugs across the Caribbean to the United States.

Name

Go-fast boats are also called cigarette boats or cigar boats—references to their hull shape, to the items that they are (archetypally) used to smuggle (see Illicit cigarette trade and Cuban cigar), or both.

The term "cigarette boat" is especially popular because it is a brand name for a line of go-fast boats that popularized and largely defined the class in the 1960s, made by Don Aronow's Cigarette Racing Team. "Cigar boat" is often preferred because it avoids confusion with that brand.

Although modern go-fast boats postdate the fleet that was used for rum-running during the Great Depression, some of those boats were small and extremely fast, a theme that is shared with later smuggling (such as drug smuggling); thus, go-fast boats are sometimes informally (jocularly) called rum-runners.

Construction

A typical go-fast is laid-up using a combination of fibreglass, kevlar and carbon fibre, using a deep "V" style offshore racing hull ranging from 6.1 to 15.2 metres (20 to 50 ft) long, narrow in beam, and equipped with two or more powerful engines, often totalling more than 750 kilowatts (1,000 hp). The boats can typically travel at speeds over 80 knots (150 km/h; 92 mph) in calm waters, over 50 knots (93 km/h) in choppy waters, and maintain 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) in the average 1.5-to-2.1-metre (5 to 7 ft) Caribbean seas. They are heavy enough to cut through higher waves, although slower.

Use

Reflecting their racing heritage, accommodations on these five-or-fewer-passenger boats are minimal. A small low cabin under the foredeck is typical, much smaller than a typical motor yacht of similar size. In addition to racing, most buyers buy these boats for their mystique, immense power, high top speeds, and sleek shape.^[tone]

Illegal use

These boats are difficult to detect by radar except on flat calm seas or at close range. The United States Coast Guard and the DEA found them to be stealthy, fast, seaworthy, and very difficult to intercept using conventional craft. Due to this, Coast Guards have developed their own high-speed craft and use helicopters equipped with anti-materiel rifles used to disable engines of fleeing boats. The US Coast Guard go-fast boat is a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) equipped with radar and powerful engines. The RHIB is armed with several types of non-lethal weapons and an M240 GPMG.

Media portrayal

In the 2006 film Miami Vice, go-fast boats are used to smuggle drugs for cartels.^[1]

References

^ Miami Vice (2006) - Plot - IMDb, retrieved 2024-01-13

External links

Congressional testimony on technologies for detecting go-fast boats

[1] Miami Vice (2006) - Plot - IMDb, retrieved 2024-01-13

[1]

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+{{short description|Type of boat}}
+{{redirect|Cigarette boat|the 2012 rap album|Cigarette Boats}}
+{{redirect|GOFAST|the UFO video|Pentagon UFO videos}}
 {{Refimprove|date=November 2009}}
-[[Image:gofast.jpg|right|thumb|A "go-fast" is the preferred boat of many smugglers.]]
+[[Image:gofast.jpg|right|thumb|A "go-fast" is a preferred boat for smugglers]]
-A '''go-fast boat''', is a small, fast [[boat]] designed with a long narrow platform and a planing hull to enable it to reach high speeds.
+A '''go-fast boat''' is a small, fast [[motorboat|powerboat]] designed with a long narrow platform and a [[planing (boat)|planing]] hull. Depending on definitions used, it is either a speedboat (synonymously) or a certain type of speedboat<!--hyponymously-->.
-During the era of [[Prohibition in the United States]], these boats were called "[[Rum-running|rum-runners]]" because they were used to transfer rum from larger vessels waiting outside the [[territorial waters]] of the United States. The high speed of the rum-runners enabled them to avoid interception by the [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]]. More recently the term "'''cigarette boat'''" has replaced the term "rum-runner" when similar boats were used to smuggle cigarettes between Canada and the United States.{{Citation needed|date=December 2011}} The present era of cigarette boats, dating from the 1960s, owes much of their design to boats designed for [[offshore powerboat racing]], particularly by designer and builder [[Donald Aronow]]. During this period, these boats were used by drug smugglers to transfer drugs across the [[Caribbean]] to the United States.
+During the [[Prohibition in the United States|United States alcohol prohibition]] era, these boats were used in "[[rum-running]]", transferring illegal liquor from larger vessels waiting outside US [[territorial waters]] to the mainland. Their high speed enabled them to avoid interception by the [[United States Coast Guard|law enforcement]]. The present conception of such boats is based largely on designs by [[Donald Aronow]] for [[offshore powerboat racing]] in the 1960s. During this period, these boats were also used by drug smugglers to transfer drugs across the [[Caribbean]] to the United States.
-==History==
+==Name==
-[[Don Aronow]] became involved in powerboat endurance racing in the early 1960s.  He founded Formula Marine, Donzi Marine, Magnum Marine, Cigarette Racing Team, Squadron XII and USA Racing.  Aronow formed the Cigarette Racing Team in 1969 with Nick Beauchamp.  He had a World Championship win in an unusual 32' Cary race boat called "The Cigarette".
+Go-fast boats are also called cigarette boats or cigar boats—references to their hull shape, to the items that they are (archetypally) used to smuggle (see ''[[Illicit cigarette trade]]'' and ''[[Cuban_cigar#Effects_of_the_United_States_embargo_on_Cuban_tobacco_products|Cuban cigar]]''), or both.
-The story behind Aronow's development of go-fast boats is documented in ''Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story'' (2009).  The film, directed and produced by Silvio Sardi and narrated by [[Andy Garcia]], won Best Documentary at the [[Beverly Hills Film Festival]] after a premiere at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite journal|work=Motorboating|url=http://www.motorboating.com/news/don-aronow-movie-preview|title=News: Don Aronow Movie Preview:  Award-winning Don Aronow movie to preview at Miami boat show|author=Peter A. Janssen|date=Tue, 22 Dec 2009|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0972847]
+The term "cigarette boat" is especially popular because it is a brand name for a line of go-fast boats that popularized and largely defined the class in the 1960s, made by Don Aronow's Cigarette Racing Team.  "Cigar boat" is often preferred because it avoids confusion with that brand.
+Although modern go-fast boats postdate [[rum-running#The ships|the fleet that was used for rum-running during the Great Depression]], some of those boats were small and extremely fast, a theme that is shared with later smuggling (such as [[illegal drug trade|drug smuggling]]); thus, go-fast boats are sometimes informally (jocularly) called rum-runners.
 ==Construction==
-[[File:USN sailors run a suped-up modified cigarette boat at full speed through narrow river channels.jpg|right|thumb|[[US Navy SEALs]] train with a modified go-fast boat during a training exercise in Mississippi]]
+[[File:USN sailors run a suped-up modified cigarette boat at full speed through narrow river channels.jpg|right|thumb|[[United States Navy|US Navy]] [[Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen|SWCCs]] train with a modified go-fast boat during a training exercise in Mississippi]]
-A typical go-fast is built of [[fiberglass]], with a deep "<tt>V</tt>" offshore racing hull from usually 30 to 50 feet (10 to 15 m) long, narrow in beam, and equipped with two or more powerful engines, often with more than 1000 combined [[horsepower]].  The boats can typically travel at speeds over 80 [[knot (unit)|knots]] (150&nbsp;km/h) in calm waters, over 50 knots (90&nbsp;km/h) in choppy waters, and maintain 25 knots (47&nbsp;km/h) in the average five to seven foot (1.5 to 2 m) [[Caribbean]] seas. They are heavy enough to cut through higher waves, although at a slower pace.
+A typical go-fast is [[Fiberglass#Construction methods |laid-up]] using a combination of [[fibreglass]], [[kevlar]] and [[carbon fibre]], using a deep "{{mono|V}}" style offshore racing hull ranging from {{convert|20|to|50|ft|m|order=flip}} long, narrow in beam, and equipped with two or more powerful engines, often totalling more than {{convert|1000|hp|order=flip}}. The boats can typically travel at speeds over {{convert|80|kn|km/h mph|lk=on}} in calm waters, over {{convert|50|kn|km/h}} in [[choppy waves|choppy waters]], and maintain {{convert|25|kn|km/h mph}} in the average {{convert|5|to|7|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} [[Caribbean]] seas. They are heavy enough to cut through higher waves, although slower.
 ==Use==
-In accordance with their pure racing heritage, the accommodations on these boats are minimal, and they are built to hold 5 or fewer passengers.  While most do have some cabin under the foredeck, it is low and much smaller than a typical motor yacht of similar size.  Apart from the racing market, most buyers of these boats purchase them for the [[charisma|mystique]]; the combination of the racing and smuggling connections, plus the immense power, high top speeds, and sleek shape make these boats popular.
+Reflecting their racing heritage, accommodations on these five-or-fewer-passenger boats are minimal. A small low cabin under the foredeck is typical, much smaller than a typical motor yacht of similar size. In addition to racing, most buyers buy these boats for their mystique, immense power, high top speeds, and sleek shape.{{Tone inline|date=March 2021}}
 ==Illegal use==
-[[Image:USCG pursuing gofast boat.jpg|thumb|A helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard's [[Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron]] pursues a go-fast boat during training]]
+[[Image:USCG pursuing gofast boat.jpg|thumb|A helicopter from the US Coast Guard's [[Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron]] pursues a go-fast boat during training]]
-These boats are difficult to detect by [[radar]] except on flat calm seas or at close range. The [[United States Coast Guard]] and the DEA found them to be [[Stealth technology|stealthy]], fast, seaworthy, and very difficult to intercept using conventional craft. Because of this, Coast Guards have developed their own high-speed craft and also use [[helicopter]]s. The helicopters are equipped with [[anti-materiel rifle]]s which can be used to disable the engines of the go-fast boat. The U.S. Coast Guard go-fast boat is a [[rigid-hulled inflatable boat]] (RHIB) equipped with radar and powerful engines. The RHIB is armed with several types of [[non-lethal weapon]]s and an [[M240 machine gun|M240]] [[General purpose machine gun|GPMG]].
+These boats are difficult to detect by [[radar]] except on flat calm seas or at close range. The United States Coast Guard and the DEA found them to be [[Stealth technology|stealthy]], fast, seaworthy, and very difficult to intercept using conventional craft. Due to this, Coast Guards have developed their own high-speed craft and use [[helicopter]]s equipped with [[anti-materiel rifle]]s used to disable engines of fleeing boats. The US Coast Guard go-fast boat is a [[rigid-hulled inflatable boat]] (RHIB) equipped with radar and powerful engines. The RHIB is armed with several types of [[non-lethal weapon]]s and an [[M240 machine gun|M240]] [[General purpose machine gun|GPMG]].
+==Media portrayal==
+In the 2006 film ''[[Miami Vice (film)|Miami Vice]]'', go-fast boats are used to smuggle drugs for cartels.<ref>{{Citation |title=Miami Vice (2006) - Plot - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430357/plotsummary/ |access-date=2024-01-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ==See also==
-* [[Narco submarine]]
+*[[Jersey Skiff]]
-*[[Poker run|Poker Run]]
+*[[Narco-submarine]]
+*[[Night Train seizure|''Night Train'' seizure]], one of the largest drug seizures in history.
-*[[Supercavitation propeller|Surface Drives]]
+*[[Supercavitating propeller]]
-*[[Tunnel hull|Tunnel Hull]]
+*[[Tunnel hull]]
-*[[The_Night_Train_Seizure|Night Train Drug Seizure]], one of the largest drug seizures in history.
-==External links==
-*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/1998_h/h980610-raff.htm Congressional testimony on technologies for detecting go-fast boats]
-==Books==
-*''Don Aronow: The King of Thunderboat Row''. (1994), by Michael Aronow.  Write Stuff Enterprises. ISBN 0945903227, ISBN 978-0945903222.
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==Further reading==
+*''Don Aronow: The King of Thunderboat Row''. (1994), by Michael Aronow.  Write Stuff Enterprises. {{ISBN|0945903227}}, {{ISBN|978-0945903222}}.
+*''Secrets of Tunnel Boat Design'', JD Russell, P. Eng. {{ISBN|1-894933-30-3}}
+==External links==
+*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/congress/1998_h/h980610-raff.htm Congressional testimony on technologies for detecting go-fast boats]
 [[Category:Smuggling]]
 [[Category:Motorboats]]
-[[fr:Go fast (bateau)]]