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'{{redirect|cigarette boat|the 2012 rap album|Cigarette Boats}} {{Refimprove|date=November 2009}} [[Image:gofast.jpg|right|thumb|A "go-fast" is the preferred boat of many smugglers.]] A '''go-fast boat''' is a small, fast [[boat]] designed with a long narrow platform and a [[planing (boat)|planing]] hull to enable it to reach high speeds. 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'''". 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. ==History== [[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". 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=22 Dec 2009|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0972847] ==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]] 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. ==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. ==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]] 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]]. ==See also== * [[Narco submarine]] *[[Poker run|Poker Run]] *[[Supercavitation propeller|Surface Drives]] *[[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}} [[Category:Smuggling]] [[Category:Motorboats]]'