Like most go-faster boaters, Silvio Sardi was intrigued by the life of legendary powerboat builder Don Aronow. While doing research for the documentary “Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story,” Sardi found an even more interesting character—Ben Kramer.

Kramer allegedly hired the hit man to kill Aronow near his office on 188th Street in Miami back in 1987. In the documentary, which was released on DVD, casts doubt whether Kramer had any direct involvement. Kramer pleaded no contest charges related to the murder and is currently serving life in prison for that and other crimes.

Sardi acquired the rights to Kramer’s biography and is currently producing a documentary about Kramer. The Italian-born producer provided some insight about the “Thunder Man” film. 

To accompany its lineup of Fountain and Baja performance boats, Shogren Performance Marine announced it will be selling models from Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats starting in 2010. The Waukegan, Ill.,-based dealership also introduced a fresh look with a new logo that reflects its broader product offerings.

“Nor-Tech is a premier boat brand known for its craftsmanship,” said Shogren Performance Marine owner Scott Sjogren, who expects the addition to expand his customer base. “(The company) also has a reputation for integrity—a quality our customers have come to expect from us and is a priority at Shogren Performance Marine.”

Sjogren, whose dealership has earned the honor of World’s Larger Fountain Dealership the past five years, is excited to offer Nor-Tech’s performance catamarans and add a third V-bottom brand to its pool. He also plans to sell the 80 Performance Yacht and isn’t ruling out adding other performance brands in the future.

Mercedes-AMG and Cigarette Racing announced Wednesday that they have joined forces to create a custom offshore V-bottom that will be unveiled at the Miami International Boat Show in February.

The boat and the all-new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG super sports car will be on display during the five-day boat show. Cigarette Racing’s owner Skip Braver and Mercedes-AMG started working on the high-profile partnership more than two years ago.

According to a press release, the new Cigarette AMG offshore racer takes direct inspiration from the sports car. The V-bottom will reportedly feature more than 100 innovations, including design, development and rigging of the boat.

Cigarette Racing was releasing few details about the V-bottom except that it would be longer than 42 feet and have twin staggered engines. (The boat will likely have Mercury Racing power plants, as do a majority of the boats the Miami-based company builds.) Top speed is expected to be more than 120 mph.