OL40SVX

Exactly what other people have said. Any incidents have been caused by driver error/ plain stupidity. What the point of turning the boat hard at 70+ MPH?? None whats so ever. Like 2112 said respect the boat and know its limits and you will not have any problems. I have never felt uneasy or unsafe in our Gladiator. Back to the storage question. There is plenty of storage up front if you want to soft pack things or anything like that. In ours there are 4 fender holders, an anchor holder, and a box that you can store stuff like the cover and things of that sort. If you need any more info just let me know.

bblythe

I looked at your profile you have a slingshot and glad pro and cons of both am looking to move up to a bigger boat it seems i can go up about 3 year if i go with a 36 vs. tg (have looked @ sonic hustlers cig active thunders

Lucky Strike Jr

We thought about a Gladiator before we bought our Gun and there were a few things that bothered us. Lack of freeboard, no rub rail, and no enterence to the cabin from the cockpit. Although we don't use a cabin it's nice to throw a day bag in there without climbing on the deck.

I love the Top Gun. Our Top Gun has 3 storage compartments behind the back bolsters for storage too in addition to the empty cabin you can walk into. As Blee said, "It's a supercharged SUV that will run through anything." There have been times we've been out and I was glad I wasn't sitting down becuase I know my back would be sore (like the 2006 Fort Lauderdale Poker Run) They also are not making the Gladiator anymore....it's something you may want to take into consideration for re-sale.

Both nice boats though

bblythe

Are they going to replace that model

Lucky Strike Jr

No. They only built approx. 45-50 of them from the start in 2002.

bblythe

whats your opinion is the extra$ for the new cig stepped hull worth it I am thinking it cost @ least 50 large from 1999 to 2000

Lucky Strike Jr

There is a big spread $$$ wise in the straight bottom and Twin Step bottom and it will always be there. You can pay it now or you can pay it later. A lot of difference is fuel economy and power to speed ratio. We run 93mph on 525EFI's (87 octane) and burn 40/gph per motor. To run 90+mph in a straight bottom you will need 850hp and you will have a rediculous fuel bill. Once you ride in a twin step boat you will never go back a straight bottom. They fly much more level and there is no porpoise. We had a 1991 Top Gun and it's a totally different boat than the 2000 T/S we have now. Feel free to call me 954 328 2022.

Bobby

OL40SVX

bblythe,
The Hustler and the Glad are two totally different boats. The Hustler is a great boat if your looking for a nice cabin, big cockpit, and a decent ride in ruff water. They run 83-85 mph with stock 500's which is pretty respectable. The Hustler feels a lot bigger than the Cig. The Glad is a sports car. You get in sit down and run. I personally like sitting down. You feel like you part of the boat and you dont get bounced around like in a stand up. The Hustler is side by side and the Glad is Staggered. Both boats have exceptional quality in all areas. To me the ride is very similar in that they weigh almost the same, the Cig being a little lighter. Neither of them are tanks nor will crush ruff water. The point of the Gladiator is to be able to sit down and go fast with stock power. Our Cig runs 93 mph with 525's and the Hustler runs over 95 with Whippled 500 efi's. Both are great boats and would buy them both again.

Hope some of this helps

pm203

The Gladiator is still in production. It is not finished just yet.

lucky strike

I was told by a person who is a big shot at cig that the molds have been put outside, & the Glad is finished............ Thats just what I was told.