 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2023) |
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(January 2022) |
 | |
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorboat |
| Founded | Miami, Florida, United States (1962) |
| Founder | Don Aronow |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | FormulaBoats.com |
Formula Boats is a brand of pleasure boats produced in the United States and sold globally. Thunderbird Products owns and operates the Formula brand.
In 1956, John "Woody" Woodson began experimenting with fiberglass technology to create 14- and 16-foot runabout boats called the Thunderbird with Richard C. Cole as his principal designer. Cole pioneered the use of the cathedral hull, making the first successful sterndrive crossing from Miami to Nassau in a Thunderbird in 1959. [1] [2] In 1961, Merrick Lewis bought Thunderbird. Merrick Lewis did not know much about boats, so he hired Richard "Dick" Genth as a salesman. Dick and Merrick believed the best way to promote Thunderbird was to participate in the new sport of offshore racing. Dick began racing and earned a name for himself and Thunderbird boats. [3]
In 1964, Alliance Machine purchased Thunderbird and changed the name to Thunderbird/Formula, hoping this addition to their offshore racing team would also be successful. The racing scene soon proved expensive, and Fuqua Industries bought Thunderbird/Formula in 1969.
A competitive and athletic World War 2 merchant marine veteran, powerboat racer Don Aronow would found the first of several boat companies on NE 188th Street in North Miami Beach, Formula Marine, in 1963. [4]
Racing his first Miami-Nassau race in 1962, Aronow was instantly hooked on powerboat racing, and saw a winning formula with partners Dave Stirrat, Jim Wynne, Walt Walters, Buddy Smith, and Jake Trotter, naming his company Formula after this partnership. [4]
The original 233 deep-V hull design was the first successful model, and its influence is present in today's models.
Aronow would sell Formula and all but one of his molds to Alliance Machine Company in 1964 in what would become a pattern, whereupon he would sign a non-compete clause, walk out the door, and start Donzi Marine right next door. [5]
Vic Porter was an entrepreneur who experienced great success in mobile home sales, real estate, and boat sales. After a few years as a salesman, Porter believed he could build better models of boats than he was currently selling.
In 1958, Vic Porter founded Duo Incorporated and started his career as a boat builder with his first 14-foot twin outboard-powered catamaran. Porter's boats became popular, and in 1963 Duo Incorporated was crafting 20 boats per week. In 1966, his sales revenue was over one million dollars.
After much success, Vic Porter sold Duo Incorporated to Bangor Punta in 1967. In 1970, Porter stepped away from his role as President of Duo Incorporated to begin Signa Corporation in Decatur, Indiana. Signa Corporation began producing sterndrive and outboard-powered tri-hull runabouts. Thanks to Porter's reputation, Signa quickly became successful as it marketed boats in the Midwest and East.
Signa's success attracted the attention of Fuqua Industries, which owned Thunderbird/Formula. Fuqua Industries purchased Signa in 1973, and Vic Porter became the president of Thunderbird/Formula/Signa.
After a few years as President of both companies, Vic Porter started Porter Inc. and purchased Thunderbird/Formula/Signa. Then in 1979, the company canceled the Signa lineup, and the brand became Thunderbird/Formula. Porter developed the Formula deep-V series of caddies and the Formula 302 LS high-performance offshore model during this same year. The Formula name continued to grow in popularity among the boating community due to many innovative designs.
Formula's main headquarters are in Decatur, Indiana, and manufactures 16 models of fast boats.
Formula Boats has won many construction and performance awards through its many years in business. In 2001 and 2002, Formula won the Mercury Constructor's Cup. The 370 Super Sport and the Formula 400 Super Sport won Powerboat Sport Cruiser of the Year in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, the Formula 240 Bowrider won Powerboat Magazine's "Boat of the Year."
Formula Boats are also renowned for their racing history. In 1985, Scott Porter raced the 302 SR-1 "Secret Formula" to win the Southeast Divisional Championship. Boats from the Formula catalog won the World Championships for the American Power Boat Association in 2003. A Formula-sponsored Unlimited Hydroplane won first place in the American Boat Racing Association's National High Points race in 2006.
Offshore powerboat racing is a type of racing by ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing.
A runabout is any small motorboat holding between four and eight people, well suited to moving about on the water. Characteristically between 20' and 35' in length, runabouts are used for pleasure activities like boating, fishing, and water skiing, as a ship's tender for larger vessels, or in racing. Some common runabout types are bow rider, center console, cuddy boat and walkaround. The world's largest runabout, Pardon Me, is 48 feet long and owned by the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, New York.
Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams race when sponsored by the Italian company Martini & Rossi, a distillery that produces Martini vermouth in Turin. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1958 as Martini International Club, founded by Count Metello Rossi di Montelera of Martini & Rossi. The race cars were marked with the distinctive dark blue, light blue and red stripes mostly on white or silver background body cars, but also red or green ones.
Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes, rivers, and bays. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.
A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine.
Mercury Marine is a marine engine division of Brunswick Corporation headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The main product line is outboard engines. It also produces the MerCruiser line of sterndrives and inboard engines. As well as an all new lineup of electric outboard motors utilizing 48V lithium-ion modular and portable designed batteries. Implementing an industry-first transverse flux motor technology, yielding high torque with optimum efficiency. Some manufacturing is in Fond du Lac, while 40-60 HP engines are made in China. Smaller engines are Tohatsus that have been rebadged.
A sterndrive or inboard/outboard drive (I/O) is a form of marine propulsion which combines inboard power with outboard drive. The engine sits just forward of the transom while the drive unit lies outside the hull.
Donald Joel Aronow was an American designer, builder, and racer of Formula, Donzi, Magnum Marine, Cary, and Cigarette Racing Team speedboats. Aronow built speedboats for the Shah of Iran, Charles Keating, Robert Vesco, Malcolm Forbes, George H. W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship is an international motorboat racing competition for powerboats organised by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) and promoted by H2O Racing, hence it often being referred to as F1H2O. It is the highest class of inshore powerboat racing in the world, and as such, with it sharing the title of F1, is similar to Formula One car racing. Each race lasts approximately 45 minutes following a circuit marked out in a selected stretch of water, usually a lake, river, dock, or sheltered bay.
Daniel Osvaldo Scioli is an Argentine politician, sportsman, and businessman. He currently serves as the Secretary of Tourism, Environment and Sports since January 2024. He was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and Governor of Buenos Aires Province from 2007 to 2015. From September 2022 to January 2024 he was Argentina's ambassador to Brazil.
Fairey Marine Ltd, latterly known as FBM Marine, was a boat building company based on the River Hamble, Southampton, England. The company was created in the late 1940s by Sir Charles Richard Fairey and Fairey Aviation's managing director, Mr. Chichester-Smith. Both were avid sailing enthusiasts along with Chichester-Smith's good friend and former Olympic yachtsman, Charles Currey.
Chris-Craft Corporation is an American manufacturer of recreational powerboats that is based in Sarasota, Florida. Since June 4, 2018, the company has been owned by Winnebago Industries, an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles.
The Magnum Marine Corporation is an American builder of performance and luxury yachts based in Miami, Florida.
Steve Curtis is a British eight time offshore powerboat racing World Champion.
Hacker-Craft is the name given to boats built by The Hacker Boat Co. It is an American company, founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1908 by John Ludwig Hacker and is one of the oldest constructors of wooden motor boats in the world. The company moved operations to New York State in the 1970s and continues to produce hand-built boats.
The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship is an international motorboat racing competition for powerboats organized by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). It is the premier class of offshore powerboat racing in the world.
Guido Cappellini is an Italian motorboat racer and the most successful driver of all time in the F1 Powerboat World Championship, with ten world titles. He has also raced in other classes of boat racing, notably the Class 1 offshore championship, since his retirement from Formula 1 at the end of 2009.
Inshore powerboat racing is a form of water-based motorsport using powerboats in sheltered or inland stretches of water, including lakes, rivers, docks and sheltered bays. It is often referred to as circuit powerboat racing because of the frequency of inshore races to use the format of a circuit loop, around which boats race for a number of predetermined laps.
Cobalt Boats is an American manufacturer of recreational motorboats. It was founded in 1968 and operated independently until its acquisition by Malibu Boats in 2017.
James "Jim" Wynne (1929–1990) was an American businessperson.