Mr and Mrs. Dawg,
Get the non step with 500s so I can be faster than you again.:D

Todd, you'd like that, wouldn't you?

Driven both:

How fast do you want to go with stock power?
That is the question. They do run very different. A straight hull will give a drag azz feel in anything under 3ft chop. they will out turn a step, and provide a more stable feel (Especially in quartering rear seas.)
However,
A stepped hull is more efficient for speed and fuel consumption. They get a bit squarely in some sea conditions.

Do you want a cabin?
The full pleasure cabin is a great setup. Roomy and well laid out. As for a covergirl or extended covergirl you may be a little cramped.

If you are in Havasu this weekend look for the "Mikayla Hunter" Top Gun. The owners name is Dave. He has a straight hull with 500EFIs and Pro Chargers (715BHP) and XR drives. 82MPH salt 1/4 tanks 3 people. Very nice boat. He can answer any questions about performance.

Hope that helped.

MD

Steps are much better, you just need to be aware of the turning limitations of these boats. The days of just cranking on the wheel are gone for step hull boats.

Big power staright hulls are good boats but keep this in mind....... Straight hull with 750hp will go 82-84mph, twin step with 750hp will get you about 105mph..... does that answer your question!!!!

Bottom line is that if you are going to be running at speeds over 80 in any boat you should be wearing a impact vest and lanyard, period.

Get the little turn fins like Dlaw has on the race boat. They go on the outside of the tabs and act like rudders to avoid sliding around in the rear.

The problem is that when a step boat is trimmed down, it has two turning points, rather than one as on a non step bottom. If the front turning point grabs too hard, the back can come around and create a roll over. Been there done that and got it on video.

Chris,

Have you seen Kevin's yet?

It ought to help you decide! :D

-Al

Well the my Gladiator has seen its share of spins and rolls but this brings me back to the original point..... Tres and Todd ran that boat without a problem on the ragged edge for a season and never experienced handling issues, the next guy that bought the boat promptly spun and rolled her, and then dave Edelstein ran a whole season without problems (atlantic city notwithstanding!). If you respect the boat, are aware of the limitations, wear the appropriate safety equiptment when pushing the limits, then chances are you will be fine. The notion that these baots are going to just eject you out of the blue is non-sense.

Look at Daves, then look at Kevins this weekend. They are similar in HP.

How fast do you really want to go anyway?

Been There Done That
 

I've had the experience of owning all three iterations of the Top gun.
1. Traditional Straight Bottom
2. Cigarette Designed Single Step
3. Michael Peters Designed Twin Step

Beyond the comments regarding the handling and power requirements. The only other thing that I'd like to add is that I feel that the Ride Attitude of the step bottom boats is far superior to the Straight Bottom ones.
The Step Boats ride much flatter and while it takes some getting used to when going from traditional to Stepped. I think that it is far superior in every aspect.
The Straight bottom boats ride noticeably nose high in all conditions except turning.
One other thing to consider. I am really not sure that you can have a traditional "Full Cabin" in a Twin Step and have it really run right. I am sure Tres or Phil can really answer that question. But I think that because of balance issues the Extended Cover Girl Cabin is the extent of things. So if space is an issue you may want to factor that into your shopping equation.
Although I think that I have only ever seen one full cabin Twin Stepped Top Gun. anyway.
Now that your really confused happy hunting.
Best,
Robert Shin
a.k.a. Rice Hauler