Offshoreonly.com - Found a Top Gun on a tropical island!

Offshoreonly.com (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/)

- Cigarette (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/cigarette-32/)

- - Found a Top Gun on a tropical island! (https://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/cigarette/362079-found-top-gun-tropical-island.html)

Found a Top Gun on a tropical island!

I´m currently living in Malaysia and am looking for a fast boat. I have searched everywhere including neighbor countries without success. Power boats are extremely rare here. There are some smaller bow riders and some outboards, that´s it.
By some kind of coincidence I was contacted on FB by a guy who works for the owner and he told me there´s a Cigarette for sale on a nearby island.

First tel contact with the owner was strange because he didn´t know much about the boat and couldn´t tell me the HIN.
Usually you would just walk away and look for for another one, right? Well, this is the only Cigarette around, probably the only in the country and one of only a handful in the whole region.

So I flew over and had a look. The owner got her as part of a business deal and hasn´t used her since. Which explains why he doesn´t know the boat. He is busy with his sailboat and not really interested.
I had a look at the transom which looks like it was sanded and painted over, found traces of the HIN which ends with a 7. Judging by the interior it´s probably a 1987 model.

Actually the missing HIN doesn´t surprise me. Local laws don´t require a serial number and most boats don´t have one. There is no s/n in any official paper, in the registry or insurance forms, nobody cares about it.
Labor is cheap and unskilled here, so the locals probably didn´t worry about some meaningless numbers when they made the transom.

Overall condition is ok, interior still original, one engine rebuilt, both are bored and stroked with Edelbrocks, cant´t say if the transom has rotten plywood. Noticed a strong fuel smell incockpit. I could´t test anything as the batteries were dead. Seller promised to have her ready in the water for a test drive next week. If so, I will go again.
Anyway there is work to do, interior, cockpit and dash needs freshened up, not a fan of the paintjob, the arch has to go and the platform replaced. And there´s the fuel leak.

Asking price is USD32K including the Airberth, no trailer.

Question:
- Is the second HIN location under the port rubrail about five feet forward of the transom? How difficult is it to lift the rubrail to have a look at the HIN?

Photos are coming...

I'm in Thailand and I feel your pain shopping for a boat. There's almost nothing here. I know of 1 Top Gun in Thailand, 1 old mistress (in pieces, a full restoration or chainsaw) and a couple of other interesting boats, Fountain, Formula, Baja and 1 Apache. Not much else.

Biggest problem here is probably going to be a problem for you too, lack of performance engine knowledge. No big engines here so nobody knows anything about them and no,parts available.

Wish you the best of luck, hope you can overcome the obstacles, nothing's impossible if you really want it. :)

Cheers neighbor!
RR

P.S. If you want to build a brand new 'knock off' Top Gun straight bottom I know someone who may be able to help.

certainly looks like an 87 Gun to me. there were some subtle differances with the 87 gun dash that did not make it to 88 and later, i can see them in the pics.. Its also a non notched transom, also unique to 87. Price seems fair but i would try to beat it down below thirty. Good luck and hope you find something over there

the first three letters in the hin should be CRT

Hi rak rua,

I came across that Mistress two years ago when it was for sale on Craigslist. 20k for a wreck with engine parts in the dirt. Not for me. There is an abandoned 27” Fountain here but it’s beyond saving. I didn’t see any other famous brand around except the Top Gun Looks like in Thailand it’s still a little bit better than here.
And you are right, I will be on my own here and almost everything has to be imported. My concern is, if something brakes, and might it be the tiniest thing, the boat will be on the hard for months.
Anything big will cost a fortune and the money is basically gone as I guess selling this kind of boat here is as difficult as finding one.

An alternative to this one would be importing a boat from the States, I think a Cigarette fits into a container, on a cradle in an angle. Or sideways, isn’t it? (I read your thread)

You are not by coincidence in Phuket? I will go there end of August to meet the former owner of the Top Gun who moved there. He babied her for 20 years and should know everything about her.

cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by glassdave (Post 4699287)

As I understand the HIN, the last two digits are the model year, so could it even be a 1986? Anyway it must be a very early one following the first flat decks or 35” TGs. I’m dying to see the HIN which I hope to find under the rub rail.
Must ask again, can anybody confirm that the second location is under the rubrail on port side?

Interior is not factory, poor boat been wet a lot be careful... I cannot believe how hacked the wiring is... that's gonna need attention and many other things

No notch 87...........is my guess

Quote:

Originally Posted by Full Force (Post 4699354)

Interior is not factory, poor boat been wet a lot be careful... I cannot believe how hacked the wiring is... that's gonna need attention and many other things

you mean this table or bar on port? Maybe a factory option? Doesn’t look custom made to me.

And yes, no ventilation in tropical climate after torrential rain, must have been at least 100 degrees and 100% humidity inside, actually dropping from the ceiling. I immediately wanted to save her and take care of her.