hotjava66

May be in the market soon and need some info. In general, what years were there changes made either in interior design/layout or any changes in the bottom?

Which years have the best cabin layout for staying over on the boat?

How much HP to achieve certain speeds?

I see a few with 3 or 3a drives, other than obviously being stronger than a Bravo is there any other pros cons either way?

Kevlar hull vs glass, what if any do you gain?

Any years better than others quality wise due to layup changes or factory issues?

Any water/rot issues to look out for in these years?

Any other info that may be helpful when looking?

Thanks for any input!

frickstyle

Buy one that someone has re-done, restored, re-fit, upgraded, etc. Preferably one with a new transom. As stated before, you can probably buy for .50-.60cents on the dollar for what they invested in parts and labor.

A ton of nice deals out there, especially if you can purchase with cash.

36Envision

My 1995 TG is a redone low hour 525 EFI boat w/XR's. Runs low 70's top end. You need big power to move a straight bottom to the 80+ Mark. All in all a great boat. I run 60 MPH in nasty water in comfort. Turn the key & go. Cabin layout is nice but sleeping more than 2-3 isn't ideal.

I recommend buying one that has been updated with a fairly reliable power package. Spend the $$ up front. If you buy one that needs updating your end result will be more $$ than expected.

seafordguy

New cabin layout came in ~1990.

If you kill yourself to find a Kevlar they are going to be so far between that you'll have to sacrifice something else (paint/power/etc). And all for what? A couple extra mph.

I believe the guns of that era were made for transmissions - I think I recall the 3 & 3A boats are less likely to porpoise the. The bravo boats which changed the center of gravity.

I'm going to say that on average 75 MPH will come with 575/side

thisistank

Changes in designs:

Top gun introduced in 87. From 87 to 90/91 the had the flat bolsters, round lifeline/grab handles, twin facing benches and bed in the Cabin with enclosed head. Most had TRS drives. In 90/91 the bolsters were changed to the high backs, the lifelines were changed to the flat style and the cabin was completely changed to one of, if not the best, cabin in an offshore boat that had the table with facing seats on the port side, lounge on the stbd, bed up front and enclosed head and a a cooler big enough to put a body in!

It was the early 90's they started replacing TRS with bravo drives. Also some had SSM 3 (just a beefed up version of the TRS and 3As (which is sometimes referred to as baby 6's) were great drives. 3a is Pretty much a #6 drive with out the twin vertical shafts of a 6. Downside to 3/3as is they haven't made them in a while so parts can be scarce for that reason and the fact they were fairly rare even when they did make them. Parts are also pretty much the same price as # 6 parts (3k for prop shaft I was quoted on mine for example).

You'll get people on both sides of the coin regarding top guns and drives. Some swear top guns eat bravos and others swear they're no worse than any other boat on them. One fact is that the top gun was designed to have drives that required transmissions so the CG was set as such.

Somewhere in the 600 HP range will get you 74ish. 1000HP will get you mid 90's.

The whole Kevlar thing to me was kindve silly. According to Craig Barrie (CEO of cogarette in the 80's and 90's) the Kevlar boats only used it in the engine compartments to strengthen the stringers.

Regarding layup, they were built and looked pretty much the same from 87 to 98/99 when they started vacuum bagging the hulls. Then in 99 they built a few single stepped hulls (nightmare handling) and then in late 2000 the twin steps were introduced with a new mold. Guns STILL externally looked the same until the late 2000's.

Regarding water rot issues - with any boat up to 25 years old you'll want to check the transom. Specifically the early 90's models. Supposidly cafés and guns had an issue with the trim tabs being drilled into the stringers this couldn't be sealed and through bolted correctly. Just remember, all boats this age are going to most likely have a little water in the transom. It's what happens after a quarter century of use.

I agree with buying something that's done. You got a lot of people that have dumped near to or over the amount of money the boats actually worth into updating the boat, just to sell it for market value. The allure of a gun with original power/drives/interior etc with a price range half of what others are going for will be super tempting. But trust me, you'll be way better off benefitting from someone else that soent all that money to update for the extra cash a redone gun will cost.

frickstyle

Yes, buy redone.

If you can spend, say $80K, you will have a boat that has probably $120 into it.

F-2 Speedy

buy mine, turn key and ready to go


http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/c...onna-move.html

Unlimited jd

Tank, 3's and 3a's have twin vertical shafts just like a six. Smaller parts but same design.

thisistank

My bad. I was thinking of the TRS.

thisistank

That's the buy right there!!!