pretty sure it's a fake add, randy at cobra performance has had it for sale for a while now.

Need to run that hose on the deck for a few days to soften up the baked in crud... poor ol' whatever it is!

Where is that thing docked? A sewer treatment plant. Gross......

This thread was a good trip down memory lane - 15 years ago on OSO. Lots of old names. Kind of sad to look at some of the profiles and see that lots of them haven't been on in 5, 7, 10 years.

Kind of a shame to think that so many of these members have moved on from talking about #6 powered BB IO boats to center consoles. Time marches on...... Can't wait to put my header back on this weekend and light them off for the first time this year!!!!!

Not sure about fake add. I saw the boat on the side of the road for sale in Annapolis Md.

Mines not a Top Gun so I can`t join the thread :(

Bills family/daughter still lives in the Annapolis area.

Red Bull Flug Tag Australia '08

Any takers on what it is??? Bolsters are stitched with the written "Cigarette" logo... Mid 1980's 35 Cig/ Charles Down Boats??
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I wonder what a real number is to buy THE SPIDER Top Gun. Cool boat for sure.

Not sure, it really is an amazing boat. I was talking with Bill once and he was telling me he had a doubter riding with him once, he looked over at about 118 and the guy was silent and kept scooting lower in the bolster. love the detail of the paint, but I would have to change it.

agree on the paint. Gonna take a special buyer.

Broker now is asking $135K and they think it is a Mistress - lol. Randy at Cobra was at $199K a year or so ago. I think the purchase price on this is just the initiation fee :)

135 is realistic. But you’re right, the asking price gets it home. Then comes the real spending! 🤪😂

Still in the OSO classifieds by Randy at $189,000
Paint sure would have to be to one taste.
If anyone changes the paint I hope they leave the flame arrestors alone. That's just so cool.

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it doesn't come with ignition keys - they're grenade pins on floating key chains

is the cabin interior stained like it's had water or are they just bad pics?

The White 89 T/G with colored graphics and 6’s is still for sale. They dropped the price on it as well, 114,977. That includes a trailer. If that boat is as clean as they say, with big power dry sump motors it is a fair price.
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While normally I would agree, But Bill and Randy were friends and Randy did the engines in all of his boats and the 46 as well. I never saw them with the hatches up as they took great care of them. but these have been sitting for a long time. no idea when they were fired last.

Seen this one on Facebook and was going to add it to the thread but couldn't find it again. That is a lot of hardware for the money.

Kind of looks like an old 39 Squadron (with custom windscreen etc) with that long engine hatch.

at LOTO?

I do not think so. It is listed with a broker.

The Rat is still around and I'm finally going to put it back together. In 2018 I tried a set of high rake 5 blade props, they lugged the motors hard and when that happened it put me in a part of my timing map on my Daytona Ignition boxes I never tuned, and there was probably 6 degrees more timing then there should have been. I dropped an exhaust valve on the port engine and destroyed a lot of parts. Pulled the boat out of the water and when I spun the drives by hand I heard a knock in the starboard drive. I'm sure I did that leaving the water when it was hopping, the porpoise is real in this thing.

Fast forward to 2020, I rebuilt the engine I blew up and rigged both motors for Holley EFI. I got them both up and running on the ground. I sent the drive to Colabellas and had that rebuilt. I installed 2" spacers to lower the drives since the boat is no longer on boxes, I am hoping this helps the porpoise issue as the drives are just simply too high without boxes. I was getting ready to put it all back together and then a divorce hit. 3 and a half years later I am finally back at it trying to put this thing back together and see if I can finally enjoy it a little bit. If it is still an ill mannered hopping machine I am going to give up and part it out, somebody smarter than me can figure it out. But maybe, just maybe it will be worth the work and aggravation this boat has caused me since 2016. Time will tell I guess.

man! That is some story! Glad to hear you’re back at it. I always heard the porpoise problem on the rat was due to the 1,000’s of lbs in stereo equipment in the boat.

our #6 gun doesn’t porpoise too bad. Not any worse than our 3a gun did. Not any worse than our cafe with bravos did either. I’ve been running it with a bit of tabs down always though and drives just under or at neutral. But the boat has enough power to run through a little tab drag to keep it planted. Also, run it at
usually 60-75mph, not hard.

you running your props in or out?

i tried both in and out, no better spinning in but docking suffered. This is way, way worse than a standard TG hop, I have been on several and know that feeling. My drives without boxes are 2” above the bottom of the boat, which I think is just too high. When you try to run this boat hard it starts to porpoise, then the props lose bite, it comes crashing down, and it keeps going, getting way worse the longer you go. You can launch the boat completely out of the water just from the way it rides, no cruiser wakes needed. You have to run it extremely wet to keep it at bay, but it’s horribly inefficient, slow, hard on fuel, and hard on engines. I’ve talked to a couple people who knew the boat in the original configuration and everybody said it was brutal fast and handled like it was on rails. I don’t need brutal fast, but to get this thing in the 90’s without blowing up every season would be lovely.

Also, the props that were on it when I lunched the motor were 5 blade Rolla’s, after I hurt it I sent them to ICDEDPPL and he had them worked. He put them on Carpe Diem when he was still on #5’s and had the same lugging issue, in fact I think he might have hurt a motor with those props on his boat if I remember correctly.

Matt - was that originally a #5 boat? Do you have any knowledge of where the drives were set when it had that setup? Height wise?

I have a side x side boat (originally a TRS) - converted over to #5s on 12" boxes. When the drives were set highest with no spacers (even with bottom), and if you trimmed up past neutral and were tying to cruise around 55mph - it would porpoise, a little worse than what I would guess is "standard" on a Top Gun. I tried 5 blade Herring sand they were terrible, couldn't really even plane, and when I got it up after at least a mile, slippage was to the moon. I've tried 0", 1" spacer. 2" spacer, 4 blade, 5 blade, spin in, spin out, etc. Lots of setup f'ing around. I found my best setup is (hoping) Spinning in, 1" below surface, 18" diameter prop 4 blade 30pitch will get me right into 95+ mph with great cruise characteristics. I don't have any fancy raked props or newer CNC tech. Just old Merc stainless 4 blades and run it. These boats will never be fast like newer tech, so I just stopped fooling myself.

I stopped trying to chase the 100mph mark and just enjoy the boat - too much downtime.

I have thought about a #6 conversion, keeping them on boxes, but am fearful of the added weight and then negative results. Your thinking may be correct on a deeper setting. Look at Tank's setup - I think he is w/o boxes? And slightly set lower than bottom of hull?

My boat was originally a #6 boat, but it was a #6 on boxes originally with 1200 Cobras. Allegedly it ran well over 100 with all the stereo equipment, generator, and cabin A/C. The generator, A/C and some of the A/V stuff is gone, the boxes are gone, and the engines dyno'd a shade over 1000 when I originally built them. I would be tickled if it ran mid 90's, or frankly any number that starts with a 9. I got 89 out of it hopping around, and my slip numbers were atrocious back then. I'm hoping some cleaner water and the ability to actually lift the hull out of the water a bit will get me what I am looking for.

It definitely sounds like the high x is your issue. We ran with the rat for a little while on the 05ish key west poker run. Didn’t notice any porpoise. Ran smooth at 80ish.

our 99 gun is vacuum bagged. Dry 6’s, 1,000 hp power, running 17.50x30 / 15 rake mercury 5 blades turning in. Runs 105+ (I haven’t personally seen that or tried but that’s what I’ve been told by prior owners) I ran it up to 95 last time out and it had a lot left. It’s a factory 6 boat and like frick said I heard the x is conservative because it was built to run in the Pacific Ocean in rough water. I’ve eye balled the shafts and they look like they’re even with the bottom of the hull but I need to actually measure it. It pops up on plane pretty easily and has crazy torque, props turning in takes some time getting used to around the dock for sure.

I think you drop that x it’s gonna be the fix you’re looking for.

photo for property sakes lol

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Love that boat !

mine? Thanks. Gonna go run it this weekend in havasu then drag it back to California for some summer ocean running.

can’t wait to see yours all back together. Such a nice restore and beautiful job!!

Yea I always loved running with the devil such a clean boat well put together. Hoping one day to run mine lol. Enjoy that thing !!

We'll be out, not waiting for the invite. Can help clean, gas, dock, etc. !!!

The other thing I found when spinning in - the boat (Especially Top Gun), flies a lot more level when out of the water, seems to fly true and straight. The docking absolutely stinks, so it's a trade off. BUT - if that was ever an issue, may want to consider. It also reduced my porpoise. When I install 2" spacers, a lot of the porpoise goes away also - so Tank is correct, if you drop those drives it will help a lot. It's gonna kill your top end, but the boat will be more usable and enjoyable.

I'm thinking it will help my top end in my case, it was literally impossible to hold this boat WOT and keep the props in the water. With the 2" spacers my propshafts are now inline with the bottom of the boat, which I think should be about right. I hope it's right, because I can't go any lower without switching back to boxes.

You will probably want to be running 18" diameter props also. Even with the bottom was my highest setting (no spacers - as rigged), I've been a full 2" below - I believe the 1" spacers and spinning in will be my sweet spot (1" below surface). I think you'll be better off without boxes in that setup. :drink:

I have a set of 18" props to run this time around, pitch should be close but it escapes me right now what they are. They came from Carpe Diem, Dan traded me for those Rolla 5 blades that blew up both of our engines, lol.

Im sure the bottom of the boat has been checked for any deformation that might induce the hop ? Didn't Tim own this this boat at one time

Yes, the bottom is straight on the boat with no hook, I put a 6 foot level on it and verified that. Tim did own the boat but it never went in the water when he had it to the best of my knowledge, he bought it in pieces from Delsol up in Canada.

bring it brother!!! We’ll go run when you guys are out!

those were 4 blades right Matt?
I sent you a text I got a pair which worked awesome on my boat , 5 blades is the only way to go.. plus 18* rake