Story and photos by DinaRella / Aerials from FLIBS Media, IYC, MTI & CRT
The best news about the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show surfaced weeks before it started. The city escaped untouched from back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton… meaning the world’s largest in-water show welcoming 1,300 watercrafts would proceed as planned.
Of those thousand-plus – Booby Trap and King Benji – a Cigarette Racing Team 52’ center console and a Dunya 154’ explorer yacht, blew our minds the most. For one simple reason! They blew everyone else’s minds. The first went UNDER with the tide, and the second was so OVER the top, banners flew promoting show tours.
There was a constant echo of, “Hey did you see the speedboat that sank?” or “OMG, did you go on that big blue $45 million megayacht named after a dog?” Booby and Benji stole attendees’ attention. Two others caught hold of ours: one for its OUTER allure, the other for its INNER stern drives – possibly the only pair at the three million square feet affair.
Under and Over
1. Booby Trap
The first mind-blower was not so celebratory. Cigarette was singing the blues when a client’s 52 Thunder Booby Trap (not to be confused with its bigger sibling 59 Tirranna Marlboro Man) was found partly submerged prior to the opening. The boat maker was NOT at fault, but all it took was the viral spread of one photo from the ironically named Booby Trap (Party Boob spelled backwards), for online detectives to “determine” it was a drain plug slip-up, sabotage or an AI image.
Laci Goldner of Cigarette Midwest squashed that nonsense with a statement explaining, “A temporary dock the boat was tied to shifted with the tides and pushed the corner of the boat down. Electric wasn’t on the dock yet, so the bilge pumps ran until the batteries died. Dock issue, not boat issue!” For a good look at the all-dried-out 52-footer which will be rehabbed by its Destin-based owner, you needed to enter the roped-off booth, an area many boaters have mentioned has lost its inviting vibe.
The funniest part was the constant stream of showgoers stopping to take pictures of Marlboro Man, all of whom confused the Tirranna for the Thunder, due to an apparent oil boom coming off the hullside. After never-ending debate about this by all in Key West, kudos goes out to Mrs. War Party Brittany Dunn Chrisco for solving the riddle determining it was probably just there for added security on the temporary dock.
One-of-a-kind features like the custom hot tub-cum-cold plunge pool changing temps with a drop slide panel and a Teppanyaki bar and grill generated notable crowd chatter. So did the $250,000 weekly charter fee. Our pièce de résistance on the Turkish-built Dunya was something else. A mighty 10-ton crane that’s not only capable of lifting and lowering the four Jet-Skis, but also the Nor-Tech 400 Supersport tender. (Note: Photos lifting the Nor-Tech are not from FLIBS.)
“Hailed as the HydraFoam Edition, this hull also comes to market with a new form of marine matting. One of our customers started the company, so we put it on this boat as a trial. He does a great job with the cutting. It’s very precise and the colors are super.” Also super is the Stage 3 custom paint. The dark to light fade on the deck and carbon-fiber air brushing on the cowlings make for some gorgeous eyeball candy.
Returning to Cigarette for a happy ending, our last boat, the 41 Nighthawk SD Edition, was equally sweet and for good reason. The designated SD stands for Stern Drive, which means the focal point was found within the engine bay bulging with 2,200 horsepower.
The Nighthawk center console was originally available in only quad or quint outboard packages with 400Rs or 500Rs. Today twin Mercury Racing 1,100s or 1,350s serve as other powering options for boaters who “want the true Cigarette experience and have their two worlds collide,” as the legendary brand founded by Don Aronow puts it on their promo materials.
The best news about the 2024 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show surfaced weeks before it started. The city escaped untouched from back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton… meaning the world’s largest in-water show welcoming 1,300 watercrafts would proceed as planned.
Of those thousand-plus – Booby Trap and King Benji – a Cigarette Racing Team 52’ center console and a Dunya 154’ explorer yacht, blew our minds the most. For one simple reason! They blew everyone else’s minds. The first went UNDER with the tide, and the second was so OVER the top, banners flew promoting show tours.
There was a constant echo of, “Hey did you see the speedboat that sank?” or “OMG, did you go on that big blue $45 million megayacht named after a dog?” Booby and Benji stole attendees’ attention. Two others caught hold of ours: one for its OUTER allure, the other for its INNER stern drives – possibly the only pair at the three million square feet affair.
Under and Over
1. Booby Trap
The first mind-blower was not so celebratory. Cigarette was singing the blues when a client’s 52 Thunder Booby Trap (not to be confused with its bigger sibling 59 Tirranna Marlboro Man) was found partly submerged prior to the opening. The boat maker was NOT at fault, but all it took was the viral spread of one photo from the ironically named Booby Trap (Party Boob spelled backwards), for online detectives to “determine” it was a drain plug slip-up, sabotage or an AI image.
Laci Goldner of Cigarette Midwest squashed that nonsense with a statement explaining, “A temporary dock the boat was tied to shifted with the tides and pushed the corner of the boat down. Electric wasn’t on the dock yet, so the bilge pumps ran until the batteries died. Dock issue, not boat issue!” For a good look at the all-dried-out 52-footer which will be rehabbed by its Destin-based owner, you needed to enter the roped-off booth, an area many boaters have mentioned has lost its inviting vibe.
The funniest part was the constant stream of showgoers stopping to take pictures of Marlboro Man, all of whom confused the Tirranna for the Thunder, due to an apparent oil boom coming off the hullside. After never-ending debate about this by all in Key West, kudos goes out to Mrs. War Party Brittany Dunn Chrisco for solving the riddle determining it was probably just there for added security on the temporary dock.
2. King Benji
Extra safety measures weren’t needed and nobody was going overboard on 154-foot King Benji – named after owner Josh Golder’s mixed breed rescue dog – the $45 million adventure-ready yacht itself was overboard. Designed by Gregory C. Marshall and Design Unlimited, the pair partnered to create a playful, tropical interior including bamboo ceilings and black-crocodile-print leather sole tiles along with a distinctively rugged exterior.
One-of-a-kind features like the custom hot tub-cum-cold plunge pool changing temps with a drop slide panel and a Teppanyaki bar and grill generated notable crowd chatter. So did the $250,000 weekly charter fee. Our pièce de résistance on the Turkish-built Dunya was something else. A mighty 10-ton crane that’s not only capable of lifting and lowering the four Jet-Skis, but also the Nor-Tech 400 Supersport tender. (Note: Photos lifting the Nor-Tech are not from FLIBS.)
Outer and Inner Revelations
3. MTI 440X
Back to “reality” on the high-performance pier, the visual explosion of blue hardware extended into the Marine Technology Incorporated tent, where Tom Stuart, head of sales and marketing, invited us on the 440X. Pointing out what’s new on the $1.2 mil cat with a 14-month waiting period, Stuart shares, “We repositioned the middle-two, rear seats and pushed them forward. It helps getting in and out, plus you’re better protected from the wind and can be part of the conversation with those in front.”3. MTI 440X
“Hailed as the HydraFoam Edition, this hull also comes to market with a new form of marine matting. One of our customers started the company, so we put it on this boat as a trial. He does a great job with the cutting. It’s very precise and the colors are super.” Also super is the Stage 3 custom paint. The dark to light fade on the deck and carbon-fiber air brushing on the cowlings make for some gorgeous eyeball candy.
4. 41’ Nighthawk SD Edition
Returning to Cigarette for a happy ending, our last boat, the 41 Nighthawk SD Edition, was equally sweet and for good reason. The designated SD stands for Stern Drive, which means the focal point was found within the engine bay bulging with 2,200 horsepower.
The Nighthawk center console was originally available in only quad or quint outboard packages with 400Rs or 500Rs. Today twin Mercury Racing 1,100s or 1,350s serve as other powering options for boaters who “want the true Cigarette experience and have their two worlds collide,” as the legendary brand founded by Don Aronow puts it on their promo materials.
