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Boating Business

New Owner of Cigarette Racing Team Has Big Plans

Cigarette Racing Team’s 515 is the company’s flagship of the offshore performance line.

After purchasing Cigarette Racing Team in late May, new company CEO John Ruiz said he will be a hands-on investor. “I’ll be involved day in and day out until things stabilize,” said Ruiz. “I want to make sure the quality of the product stays as it should and we’re excited about adding safety features and technological improvements.”

Ruiz said that the company will have new models for the 2022 model year that he hopes to unveil before the upcoming Miami International Boat Show. “Cigarette has embarked upon a state-of-the-art campaign to revolutionize the boating industry, we have already begun our quest,” he said. “As I like to say, grass will not grow under our feet. From current Cigarette owners that will refurbish their boat to new products, we will adhere to the latest in safety while maintaining the quality of the brand. The best is yet to come.”

Brand Loyalty

Ruiz has owned more Cigarettes than most people have had cars. Now 54, he started out in performance boats at the age of 15 with a 28’ Pantera powered by a pair of Evinrude outboards. “I’ve had a lot of boats from Intrepids to Contenders to SeaVees to Hustlers, Wellcraft, but ever since I started with Cigarette, I stuck with that brand because it was head and shoulders above every other boat,” said Ruiz.

His current Cigarette fleet includes 41’ and 42’ center-consoles, plus a 50’ Marauder and a 59’ Tirranna. He had a Top Gun powered by twin Mercury Racing HP575 SCis for 11 years. Ruiz explained that most of his boating is done in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Bahamas.

The new owners want to bring back boats like the legendary Cigarette Top Gun.

Rich History

Ruiz made his fortune in the tech world, creating data platforms for Medicare and Medicaid among other clients. He wants to restore the aura of Cigarette as a builder of high-performance offshore boats. “Lifestyle is great, but the most important thing to me in boating is when you cross the Gulfstream and the wind starts blowing you need to have a good performing boat so you feel safe,” he said. “I’ve always felt super safe in my Cigarette.”

Cigarette Racing Team founder Don Aronow and his legendary raceboat, The Cigarette, started the legend.

Ruiz added that a factory-backed offshore racing team is in the works and he wants to build 10 limited edition 28’ Cigarettes that harken back to Don Aronow’s original raceboat. “I want to bring back the history,” Ruiz said. “Skip has maintained the quality and the name of the brand. That’s why I’m so excited about making this deal work.”