Project: Cigarette 46 Rider Revival

Long gone from the Cigarette Racing Team line-up, the 46 Rider—originally dubbed the 46 Rough Rider until company owner Skip Braver decided that name was less than appealing—was a beast of a big-water boat. There aren’t many left on the water, much less any with a contemporary look. But for a Canadian performance-boat lover who purchased a 2007 model from a private owner in Michigan last year, that’s about to change.

The 46-footer will be the first paintjob Stephen Miles Design has created (above) and applied.

The owner found the 46-footer through Tres Martin, a marine industry veteran who started and operates the Performance Boat School. Martin spearheaded the boat’s power swap from tired Mercury Racing 1075 SCi engines to new 1,100-hp turbocharged mills from the Fond du Lac, Wis., company. The repower project began in late 2019 and finished in early 2020, at which point the client headed south and ran the boat in the Florida Keys.

Now, it’s back with Martin at his home and workshop, which he built for his own automobile restorations, in Asheville, N.C. From there, it’s heading to Chad Shutter of BRP Marine Custom in Denver, N.C., for interior restoration.

“Chad and his group are doing a completely new Alcantara interior for it,” said Martin. “Then it’s going to Stephen Miles Design for paint. It should be there in mid-June.”

Miles has already created a fresh look (see the rendering above) for the boat. Though he has designed graphics for one Cigarette, a new 42X owned by Gary Seeds of Cincinnati, he’s never applied them himself. That will change this summer at his Owensboro, Ky., shop if the current plan holds.

“I have always wanted to paint a Cigarette,” he said, then laughed. “OK, I have always wanted to paint every boat from every builder because I just love fast boats, but there isn’t enough time. It’s going to be a big job, because this one has already been painted twice and we need to remove all of that old paint, right down to the gelcoat, before we start. But I know it’s going to be a fun project.”

Editor’s Note: Look for updates on this Cigarette 46 Rider restoration on speedonthewater.com as they become available.

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