81Cigarette33

What makes the Top Gun better. 2-3 MPH is not significant for me since I will not be racing the boat. What details, quality, options make the Top Gun better?

TomZ

Personally, I love the Cafe especially with the newer cabin. I came close to buying Seafordguy’s back a few years ago. They can crush a sea well and are just a cool looking boat. And you don’t see them as often as you do a Top Gun - if much at all. The three I knew of all left Hampton Roads years ago now.

Regarding the notch… I believe the later Cafe Racers had it but still equal in speed to the Top Gun with like power.

I wouldn’t walk away from a nice Cafe.

thisistank

The cafe racer is nearly 36' in length. The Top gun is just over 37 feet.

The 90's gun / Cafe share a very similar cockpit and cabin.

The top gun hull is more efficient and yes, will be faster power to power. I'd say 3-5mph. The two boats weigh almost the same. The notched transom helps but the CG is just better on a gun. There were only 3 cafes that had a notched transom as I recall and it didn't work well, again due to the CG.

In my experience from a LOT of seat time in Cafe Racers, Tigers, Top Guns and having owned two Top Guns and a Cafe, the Gun is a better boat all around. Specifically, it's faster, more efficient and in my experience, handles rough water better. Smaller benifits are the added space in the cockpit is slight but noticable, especially if you want to sit down in the boslter seats. Your knees will hit on a Cafe, they do not on a gun. And while the cabin is very similar on the two, the Guns two facing lounge chairs at the table on the port side and true L loung on the starboard are much more comfortable when making cocktails or stepping out of the sun compared to the Cafes Fold up forward seat at the table and L lounge. The Step at the bottom of the cabin floor when entering the cabin actually makes a big difference for ease of access to the cabin on the gun as do the foot rests on the top gun to the front of the bolsters that "most" cafes didn't come with. Also, the drink holder on the port side of the dash are nice and, with that design it makes it easier to stop up onto the dash to gain access to the bow. Theres other stuff but thats off the top of my head. Also, even though the true length difference isn't much, as stated, size matters in rough water. Ask anyone that's owned a 35 and 38, even stepped boats. The 38's run better in the rough. Even though the two are close in size and weight, the 38's have a little more bow that makes them run better.

I too wouldn't walk away from a killer deal on a Cafe and I'm not knocking them. I actually enjoyed the crap out of our cafe but if I had X amount of cash to spend and I could pick up a clean Top Gun over a Clean Cafe at that said price point...Top Gun aaaaaaaaall day long.