cigarette racing boat

cults3d

As it has been for so many years, Cigarette's 38 Top Gun is one of the first names in offshore go-fast boats, and the model we tested at the Fort Myers, Fla., stop of our Performance Trials gave us no reason to think otherwise. Equipped with a pair of Mercury Racing HP525EFI engines with 1.5:1 Bravo One drives with 2-inch "shorty" Sport Master gear cases, the Top Gun could hold its own in any open ocean. Slathered with a mesmerizing paint job and fitted with top-shelf hardware, the 38 Top Gun certainly demonstrated its namesake. Performance The Top Guns hull featured two steps, the first of which was located even with the fairing and the second was about 6 feet aft of the first. The keel remained sharp through all three running surfaces. The 4-inch-wide chine also continued through all steps. Of the four strakes, only the outside continued after the first step. At the transom, the boat was fitted with a 10-inch-wide notch. The configuration created sure-footed handling. Since it's a stepped-bottom, it turned best with the drives set at neutral or just a bit above, but the boat earned high marks when put through slalom turns at 30, 40 and 50 mph. Sweeping turns at high speeds were just as assured. The precise mold work on the boat's bottom, meaning the sharp keel and laser-straight strakes contributed to the boat's manners offshore. In 3- and 4-footers the boat knifed through swells with aplomb. Inlets on Florida's east coast—where Cigarettes are built—are almost always rough and confused, and this boat will get you through any of them in a hurry. Just add throttle and a little negative tab and break on through.