Seeds Of The Cigarette Difference, Part II: Paint Time

As times to visit Cigarette Racing Team to catch a new build in process go, anything within a few weeks before, during or immediately after the Miami International Boat Show, which opened last Thursday and closed Monday, is particularly challenging. Skip Braver, the owner and chief executive officer of the Opa-locka, Fla., high-performance sportboat and center console company devotes himself and his team to Cigarette’s annual Miami event exhibit, and that was especially true this year given that the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary and introduced the largest model in the history of the company.

Gary Seeds’ new Cigarette 42X is headed into paint this week (click image to enlarge).

But Gary Seeds and his wife, Traci, were in town from Cincinnati, Ohio, for the show and wanted to check out the progress of the new 42X sportboat they ordered. So although he couldn’t be there for it, Braver arranged a factory visit last Thursday for the Seeds and a couple of their friends.

“We got there about noon and met with David Hunter, who is painting the boat, and a skeleton crew,” said Seeds. “We made a few changes to the graphics and finalized a few details on the interior. The boat is going into paint this week.

“Skip and Cigarette’s Bud Lorow—he’s been a rock star—went out of their way to make sure our group was accommodated last week. That’s one of the things that continues to impress me about Cigarette and why I keep buying a new one every three years. It’s a really fun process.”

Seeds said he plans to visit the facility one more time after its dual calibration Mercury Racing 1350/1100 engines are installed in late March or early April.

“Everything is on schedule for an early May delivery,” he said. “And then we can take the 42X into the Florida Keys for our traditional boys weekend.”

Editor’s note: Speedonthewater.com will continue to follow this build as it develops.

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