Twin Step vs STD V
 

Hello,

Getting close to purchasing a Cigarette and finally joining the select few that own the Finest V bottom made.

Heres my question: Its coming down to a 42 Tiger with a std V or a TG with a TS. Both are blown but Speed is NOT the most important issue for us. Ride comfort and stability is more of what we are after. I do realize the differences in regards to cabin/cockpit space but I am more interested in feedback from those who had to make the same desision at some point and what ultimately made them buy one or the other.

Thanks for any info....

I would prefer a T/S Gun over a conventional bottom Tiger. Both nice boats, but the twin-step Gun rides very nicely, has a more efficient hull design and probably is easier to sell when you are done with it.

pm203,

Thanks for the response. What is interesting is that when talking to different Cigarette owners in person, the ones that own the TS tell me they wouldnt own anything else yet the conventional bottom owners say its the only way to go. Cant say I have talked to many but those are the comments I have got so far. I have made a long list of pros and cons for each boat and its truly becoming a hard decision to make. The sleepless nights continue........

Welcome to the site. pm203 makes some good points.
Get the TS, the people that rave about the conventional bottoms are either reinforcing there choice or haven't ridden in a TS. There is no comparison.

Plus you say now speed is not the most important thing, but it may be in the future. Finally since the TS is so much more efficient it burns less fuel.

I would go with the T/S Gun. It will be easier to sell.

A tiger with big power and straight hull will run the same speeds as a 38 with stock power and a step bottom. I can't disagree with anything that has been said above. I got my tiger because the deal was right and the previous owner took meticulous care of it. Welcome to the site and have fun.

[QUOTE=offshoredrillin;2553965] I got my tiger because the deal was right and the previous owner took meticulous care of it.
QUOTE]

I always loved the colors and paint on your boat.

I know what has been said about the resale value but I really cant worry about that. If it was about making sense economically I dont think anybody would own a power boat of this caliber. We would all be out sailing. Besides it seems to me that these Cigarettes are amazingly strong in their value compared to other brands.
Both boats are beautiful and truthfully I am trying to get enough reinforcement towards to Tiger because I just like that boat better. Lets put it this way...if it was even close to a tie I would go Tiger. I just dont want to make a mistake that I will regret.
Let me ask this question: If you came across a Tiger, conventional hull, good power, great condition, good value, honest boat all throughout......would there be any reason not to jump on it ?

t/s t/s t/s t/s t/s

Twin Step=Free Speed. Cig doesn't make straight bottoms anymore for a reason.

if its a straight bottom tiger i wouldn't buy it unless it had six's on it other wise i would get the top gun just my opinion

Without 6's not a good choice.

I've spent a lot of time behind the wheel and in the passenger seat of both boats. They are both aweseome in the rough.

Here's some things to consider:

Rough water ride...4 more feet is 4 more feet. A straight bottom Tiger with 6's is a rough water killer!

Like already stated; If the Tiger doesn't have 6's I wouldn't personally bother. However, if it does have 6's, that means it has big power which also means high maintnence.

The T/S Gun should be less maintnence, more fuel effecient, easier to tow/dock, etc.

If you could afford to buy a newer version of something, why wouldn't you?

If you love the Tiger, then buy it. Tigers are awesome boats and depending on the package you won't be disappointed.

Of course if you dont care about re-sale, fuel efficiency, cost of maintenence, then you can prob just do yourself a favor and go buy a new 39 with 700's and nxt's!
that's just my .02

If you really like the Tiger, then that is the boat you should go for. When paying good money for a 38-42 foot boat with an 8 foot beam that you can't sleep or chit on, you better really like it!! Go with the boat that excites you the most. It's your $$$$$.

All Excellent points from all....

Comes down to what you want.

Since I have owned a boat with #6's there is no going back however in performance boats.... With or without steps.

Proof is 28 seconds into this vid....

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3USdHMl4xFM[/YOUTUBE]


http://www.limestonedev.com/tiger/000Cig2.jpg

That vid is nasty. I would go TSG with 525's if it was my choice.

If you like the tiger then go for it. Mine is a 2000 straight hull, 500 efis and xrs. I use my boat and dont baby it. I do my best when running to not rip things apart. last year top speed was around 74-75, with a little engine work done. this year 100+ more hp and more tQ as well. I have xrs and have never had a failure. although the tiger is bigger than a TG, they weight colse to the same, I'm moving more size, not weight. What power is in the tiger you are looking at?

this statement makes the most sense^^^^^

C/B Tiger will EAT Bravos.

And like said above,,, T/S is free ( ok,, not free ) efficiancy,

Thanks for all the repsonse. Many good points.
Thisistank: Its not that I dont care about the costs of running and owning it. I just think that you shouldnt let that influence you to much as it more imortant what you get out of the experience. We are living in a place where we have a boating season that starts Memorial day and ends Labor day, so its short. If I boated 365 I would put more into the costs of operating the boat. Besides I believe that fuel economy is directly related to the Throttles. If we were in a position to get into a 39 with 700's....belive me...we would. I am hoping thats the one that we get next.
The Tiger does not have 6's and has honest 700 hp engines in it.
pm203: The advice you give is great....When we write that check for the payment in January when its snowing outside, it better be something we like.
Not sleep on it ????. It looks like plenty of room for a couple of people to get comfortable.
Again...Thanks for all the feeback.
M

mine has never eaten a bravo

what is the stability like on the t/s compared to standard V when turning?

From my experience.

There is a good speed gain with a stepped hull, but that gain be it about 7-8mph on a TG with 525's compared to a straight hull with same power comes with that ball bearing ride in the mph gained.

My guess is in the rough, you ride slower so both boats will be running the same speeds and performing the same since if your running 60 mph in 5 footers the straight hull will be working a little harder but still will keep up.

A Stepped hull boat is a tad trickier to turn at higher speeds also, from the many "wet" adventures experienced here by many members.

The debate is mute since Cig does not produce straight hulled boats anymore, going rightfully to the faster more efficient stepped hull. You can get a straight hull for less money then since those rides are getting older and cheaper.

As for me it is irrelevant which hull you have as long as it is the boat you love. Top speed is one thing but the most fun I have had in those boats has always come in 60-70 mph rides in big water so top speed is not the primary reason in my decisions.

My take on it from my experience.

you are very wise grasshopper

Never broken a bravo. Buy mine, priced right, low fuel consumption, low hours, reliable as all get out.

http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o19063-en.html

Well, Cig puts a sticker on the new boats that you shouldn't initiate a turn over 40 MPH if that's any help.:party-smiley-004:

On the up side it does reminde you to be trimmed up which is a must:cool-smiley-026:

In their defense, when the strait hulls were built, if there was a warning sticker it probably would have said something like, "make sure you put down your beer when initiating a turn as to not get it stuck in the wheel"

Times are different now than the were in the 90's.

Don't forget, the twin-step Gun ride is alot smoother than a regular bottom Gun.

lmao, now THAT'S funny..

Yes that is funny and true i had to pay extra to get a drivers side cup holder installed. Seems to me it would be safer to at least keep one hand on the wheel when reaching for a cold one rather than have to go over to the port side of the boat but hell what do i know.

GLH,
That makes a whole lot of sense. Many seem to be stuck in the 'speed' mode. All about how fast the boat will go yet when it comes down to it, the actual time spent at full throttle is minimal. Ride quality is for many equally important, and if a hull is more stable and controlled, even if it is considered old technology, that could be a benefit. Especially if the price is lower because of the type of hull. It seems to me that it all comes down to priorities and how the boat will be used.

If ride quality is important to you, go with the twin-step. I had what was probably one of the nicest straight bottom Guns out there. It was a 2000, but was vacuum bagged and built to the same specs the newer ones are. As nice as it was, the ride just couldn't compare to a twin-step.

P.S. I still mis that boat!!

I've owned a straight bottom 39 cig with 900's and a 38 LS Race Boat with twin 1000's. As far as ride quality the t/s is hands down the best ride. Exit and reentry is much more foregiving. I will never own anything but a stepped bottom again.

pm203,

If you compared the ride in a straight bottom TG and straight bottom Tiger...what would be different ?

I have never been in a straight bottom Tiger (only T/S) , so I cannot help you. Maybe someone else can comment.
(Straight bottom Guns porpoise, so I would imagine Tigers are the same?)

My full cabin SSM TG does not.

Let me rephrase. Bravo, non-step Guns have a tendency to porpoise. It can be corrected with alot of trim and tab. So much, in fact that it really hurts the effiency of the hull dramatically.

Which is exactly why I am so pleased with my straight bottom. I heard all the stories of full cabin Bravo Guns and their porpoising issues. I can honestly set my drives at 3 to 3.5 with no tabs @ 3500 rpms and run an honest 50 - 52 mph without a bit of porpoising. However, I'm sure the balance of the race boats was considerably "massaged" over what a production Gun would be. And, being about 1500lbs lighter doesn't hurt either.