GLADIATOR How much room?
 

I'm kicking around the idea of a Glad or ZRC. I'm going to keep the GTS CC. I've never been on either one, but looking at pictures, the drivers area looks tight. I'm 6'4", will I be comfortable?

The Glad had a few different cockpit options. There was a wide or narrow and the staggered or side-by-side versions or combinations of these. Look in the Can We Find All the Gladiators" thread and you will see the variety.

The ZRC is just bigger all around.

The Glad to me is one of the sexiest boats to ever hit the water. The staggered configuration handles better in bigger water but make the cockpit smaller. Its the hot rod of the water when it comes to V's.

why did did you decide to sell the Sonic with 1100's? That seemed like a bad boat

i agree, nothing looks better on the water than a gladiator

At 6'4", its going to be tight. Do-able, but tight.

I wouldn't consider either boat to have a roomy cockpit but there is definitely more space in a ZRC. as far as being comfortable in the drivers seat I think either boat can be adjusted to suit your needs height wise. The gladiator (especially a narrow cockpit one) could be tight if you have very broad shoulders. Can't go wrong with either boat so if you get a chance go sit/ride in both of them.

Just enough room to-
get In- Sit Down- Shut Up - Hold On!!

I absolutely loved the Sonic, but wanted to try the Center Console route. I ended up with a Cig 39 GTS, with trip 350's. The CC is a blast, and we had a great season with it, but I do miss the Hot Rod aspect of a Go Fast. I always loved the look of a sit down, but it wouldn't have worked for my type of boating. Beach, Lunch, etc. With the two, the CC and the Glad, it would be a perfect combination. The Glad would stay covered on my lift and get used sparingly. Plus much easier to trailer if we wanted to do Key West again.

Thanks for the responses on the room of the Glad, but to clarify, I'm not really concerned with the roominess of the whole cockpit, more the drivers seat. In pictures, the seat to dash to steering wheel, looks like it's small. I'll have to try and sit in one before I put a lot of time into looking for one.
Thanks

That is not an issue at all. You can always move them back to make it suit your comfort. It's done all the time on sit down boats. If you have the GTS, it's a no brainer to go with Glad and keep it in the family. :champs:

The seat can be moved back and you can recess the floor where your feet would rest, several inches more.

I move the footrest about 4 inches and also shortened the steeringhub almost 2 inch.
And i am as long as you are

And i LOVE my Glad!

Let me preface this by saying I have always loved Cigarettes (Gladiators and Maximus in particular) and at some point may get one.
That said, here is the ZrComp side of things. The footwell is very deep with adjustable footrests. I have run with my friend Adam who is 6'6 350 lbs and he was perfectly comfortable. I usually run with my friend Pete (5' 9") or my wife (5' 5") up front and they too are perfectly comfortable with the footrest moved up. I am a big guy 350 lbs and the seats are snug but form fitting. The back seats are just as comfortable as the front seats and (I'll probably get blasted for this) far more comfortable then the Gladiator bench. The cockpit is bigger than the biggest Glad. cockpit and the boat overall is almost 2' longer with taller hull sides. The canopies are love or hate preference for most people when it comes to their looks, but they are amazing at blocking the wind for both the front and rear passengers. I have an intercom system that I never use because I can talk to my co-pilot at any speed. There is a little lip spoiler between that canopies that helps deflect the wind from the center seat in the rear.

Tom, I laughed reading your Donzi post! It felt to me as you were tip toeing around ANY CIGARETTE insults! LOL... Ive heard many folks say the Glad has nothing for the ZRC, That means room,handling,and top speed. I'm a huge Cigarette lover, just tryin to keep this real. I think the Glad is a sexier boat....but if it doesnt handle as well, not as fast with comparable power, and not as roomy, if anyone can say that, its you! Again, ive had 3 Cigarettes, loved them all !

Plenty of room in mine, I know it's a little different layout but I had to move my foot rest rearward....guess I'm short lol! We have a cooler, fenders, Kristy's purse, cloths and towels, life jackets, anchor, tool bag, etc. Stored in the cockpit. Then we store more stuff down the bow hatch. I really think there's a misconception on how much room is needed in the cockpit of a sit-down boat. But there's nothing better to drive on the water! People don't go around wishing their corvette had the space of a suburban on the road course...wishing they could stand up while driving.

The gladiator runs amazing, you won't be disappointed. I really can't say enough good stuff about these boats!

Another thing to remember is you can always customize a boat to your liking.

No matter what boat the perfect setup would be a wrap around windshield conversion! I don't enjoy riding in boats without them anymore.