dan188

Hi everyone,

My dad and I are thinking about buying a 38 flat deck as a nice winter project, but I have a few questions that I hope you can help with. This forum has been a great resource over the last few months, as I've tried to read every thread I can find that has info about flat decks. My dad and I are typical back yard mechanics with a decent amount of experience with performance boats, but we've never touched a Cigarette before. My questions are...

1. How good/bad is the hull construction of the 1980's flat decks? I've heard that they are strong and heavy, but are there any typical weak spots to look for, or can anyone point me to a web site or link that explains the hull construction? For example, was there a lot of wood/core used or are they mostly fiberglass?

2. Did Cigarette ever make a top gun flat deck? I thought the top gun was different than the flat deck, but this classified link looks like a flat deck but it's labeled as an 86 TG..
http://www.offshoreonly.com/classifi...o44742-en.html

3. I would like to find a flat deck that has the optional #3's, but am I wasting my time looking for one? I've read that people have less problems with the #3's compared to Bravo or TRS drives, but are the standard #3's (not 3A's) really any better?

thanks for your help!

Dan

dan188

One more question about the hull construction to help put things in perspective for me... are the 1980's flat decks, or top guns, built with the same or similar strength as the 41 Apaches? Or are they considerably different? thanks,

Dan

kennyd

iTrader: (1)

i just bought a 38 flatdeck also , from what i found out a " top gun " did not start till 87 .
i can tell you they are heavy , heavy if you did not catch the first one . takes alot of power to go
above 70 mph . mine has the TRS drives that i have been told that they will hold up to about 700 hp
if you dont abuse them .

dan188

Thx for the input Kenny. how do you like yours? I don't mind a heavy boat since I would really prefer a good ride in the rough rather than the best top speed.

Full Force

iTrader: (5)

I would have to think the 38 flat deck is built very similar to the mistress, if thats the case go for it, either way I say go for it they are gonna ber built stronger then most other boats of that period...

Takes lots of power to hit 70 in one, I run 63 with my mistress with approx 480hp at best...
trs 700 hp in a old Cig... nah... I would start to worry around 550-600 hp unless your real good on the throttles..I personally think TRS is underrated but thats still about where I would be cautious..3's are harder to find and a lot more to fix, but last way better...

To me though, I love the flat deck of the mistress and 38 flat deck Cigs.. classic look
good luck with whatever one you get, great boats all around

tcelano

Yes, go for it, but check for moisture and rot. If you can find a #III boat, you are way ahead of the game, because more than likely you can just have them inspected/freshened and get good life out of them. You can also easily upgrade to IIIA's, IV or V's without doing anything. RPMRam on here is supplying new gearsets for IIIa and V's, which should extend the useful life of these drives.

Like FullForce says, these boats are power hogs. Bravos will not live on them unless they are aftermarket, and then still maybe not.

If you pick up a TRS boat, you could look at the Konrad conversion, or if you are going to keep it around 500-550 hp, just run them till they let go, then convert.

dan188

thanks for all of the input guys! I will keep an eye out for a #3 boat. Also, I am definitely not opposed to a 35 Mistress. I love the lines of the 35 and the 38 flat decks. They are a classic, timeless look that reminds me of offshore racing from the early 90's. Did any Mistress's come with #3's? I saw one for sale that was totally restored with lab finished #3's but I wasn't sure if the drives were stock... tcelano, that's a really good point about being able to upgrade the drives if the boat is already set up for #3's. thanks again for the input... Please let me know if you guys have any links or resources that you have found helpful for flat decks.

dan188

I forgot to ask in my last post, how difficult is it to work on the motors in these older boats? Is it impossible to get to the spark plugs etc? I had a hell of a time servicing my old boat. Having the motors stuffed in there together isn't a deal killer for me since I am pretty set on an old Cig, but I just want to know what I'm getting myself into

tcelano

#III's was an option. Others may have been redone. For instance I have a 1979 hull, and the IIISSM was not introduced until '82. So, either it was originally rigged with III clubfoots, or TRS's then converted at some point.

As far as engine access, it's a side-by-side. With transmissions, at least you can get around the back. Mine is set up with a race hatch, and I cut the existing deck way back around the engines, which significantly improves things. As it is now in mine, it's tolerable.

Full Force

iTrader: (5)

My engine compartment is huge since someone redid it....either way....cig has lots of room in front of engines that most boats dont......!! I wluldnt rule out a mistress....and don said it was the best boat he designed