Wow, some beautiful cigs!

I didn't have any cigs in my past, but did have two 28 Sabers! :D :D

1989 Saber 28 w/ twin 454 mags.
1995 Saber 28 w/ twin 540 (625hp)

Now have a 1999 38 Top Gun which had Bravo XR's and 700's and now has #6's and 950 Chiefs..

Wow, so if you don't mind me asking, how and who did the Bravo to 6 conversion? That had to be a lot of work?

Von Bongo,

Saber did the glass work and some of the rigging and my company Great Lakes Performance did the rest...yea it was a ton of work! :crazy:

It has been a very fun project and we are extremely happy with the results...the personality of the boat really changed with the bigger drives and engines...tremendous amount of torque is great for wave bashing... :p

first cig for us

Marc,

Looks like you learned quick to "Drive it like ya stole it"!! :cool:

See ya in a couple of weeks bro!

Hey O.C. Barry, Did that '94 come from National Liquidators? It looks just like a boat that was a little stripped that they were selling?

Greg

Nice lookin' Cigs guys, keep the pics coming

LS JR.

Cash Bar -

Yes, it did come from National. It was VERY stripped, no motors, no drives, no tabs, no guages. We recut the transom and installed 3A SSM's.

First Cig (so far). It's heading to the paint shop Friday morning, so it won't look like this for long..

Here`s my '89 Gun, we`ve had it two full seasons and looking forward to a third.

come on spring!!!!

:D

Biggus,That's an awesome looking Top Gun.
Speed,drives,power ???
Where in Maine and how long is the season?
How close to Eliot,Maine?

Thanks ocrob,

I`m a little over an hour north of Eliot, Sebago lake region.

The Gun is an '89 that was totally redone, paint and graphics, a new interior, bolsters from Cig in 2001 I had the cabin upgraded last winter. Motors are 671/Superchiller 468`s Huber trannies and TRS drives. It`s a lot of fun and we have the only Cig on the lake :D ...although the noise patrol up here is getting to be a pain

The season up here can run as early as April and we usually end the middle of October.

Been a strange winter so far, today it`s 50 degrees!

Can`t wait 'til spring!!!!

My first Cigarette was a 2000 Carbon Fiber TS Top Gun. I kept that for a little over a year and then traded it to Lip-Ship to build the 2003 Gladiator. I am now considering selling the Gladiator because I have decided to completely sit out of racing for a few years. The other option, instead of selling it, would be to make the Gladiator a hardcore poker run boat. A pair of Whipples, some air conditioning and a nice stereo would be pretty cool. We'll see.

We are on our first Cigarette. We got it in September of this year and absolutely love it!!! It's a '88 Bullet that has been totally redone over the last two years. New engines, new drives, new interior, steering, dash, exhaust....etc. The trailer is a 2001 Manning. We plan on keeping this one for 5-8 years and then move up to a TG:cool:

Mild 502's All show...No go:cool: :cool:

HD-
Which one did you like better and why?

LS JR.

For racing, I like the Gladiator better just because of the canopy, but I would say that the Top Gun was my favorite overall because we could load up friends and use it between race trips. The Top Gun had no cabin or back seat, so to take riders along we had to remove a piece on the front of the engine hatch that normally covered the area from the engine hatch to the rear of the front bolsters. This left the area from the engine hatch to the front bolsters completely empty and open. Friends had plenty of room to stand there and hold on to the grab handles. In the Gladiator, you can get one or two people in the back behind the seats, but there is not as much room as there was in the Top Gun.

As far as ride and handling, I would have to say that the Top Gun and Gladiator are pretty much the same. The hulls appear to be nearly identical. To me, the Gladiator seems to be a cut down Top Gun. I think that if you lowered the deck on the Top Gun and removed the rub rail, you would have a Gladiator. So, if you are trying to choose between the two, I would say to just concentrate on the differences between the two and decide what fits you best. For example, do you prefer to sit or stand while running? Do you need a cabin? Since there is no rub rail on the Gladiator, do you mind using bumpers everywhere you go? These are just a few of the things to consider.

Comparing the two for pleasure use, I personally would go with a Top Gun. I like having cabin space even if it is only used for storage. I also prefer standing up while running rather than sitting down. This is just my opinion, but I honestly believe that both are great boats and you certainly could not go wrong with either one.

1989 35 caferacer. My first cigarette and loving it.

89 31 Bullet
94 38 Topgun 600sc
97 38 Topgun 600sc
2000 38 Topgun t/s 500 efi

nice rides, let's see some pics

LS JR.

hey biggus, you ever sell that pig you better let me know. love your rig man.....here is my little old cafe racer. i love it!

We had an 89 Cafe Racer Anniversary. What a great boat!!

LS JR.

im not saying a cafe racer is cheap, but if you want to step up into a cigarette, you get a feel of what its all about. for 100,000 or less great way to role with the big dogs. biggus's gun is going to look sweet next to the cafe racer. yes indeed.............

Jack - I talked to you about Long Shot, but was in the midst of putting our Top Gun together and recovering from cancer, so it was a little too much of a project at the time. Our Top Gun is done and I too would entertain an old Cig race boat. I don't want to bid against you, but if you pass on something, please let me know, I may have interest. I know you run across a lot of cool stuff. I'm still kicking myself for not buying Long Shot from you and just covering it for 9 months. If your buddy ever tires of the project, please let me know.

Nice. :cool:

It is a piece of history. I looked at it when it was down here.

LS JR.

Cash,

I believe that there was 1 "Long Shot" 39 Cigarette. Originally it was white. Then they painted it black. The boat Bill had before "Long Shot" was a 36' Performer called "Evil Ways" or "Night Moves." Before that boat he had a 28' Magnum called "Evil Ways." Just my $.02

LS JR.

Here is a picture of "Long Shot."

LS JR.

Cash,

Here is the boat pre "Long Shot" a 36' Performer.

LS JR.

Cash,

Here is the boat pre "Night Moves" a 28' Magnum, "Evil Ways."

LS JR.

Cashbrain,

If you look close enough you can see the 39' Cigarette "Long Shot" in white. 1979.

LS JR.

Well since you asked here goes.

My first Cigarette was a 1991 Top Gun
GT-1 edition (whatever that was.)
Hurricane Paint Scheme (a factory design of the time)
Teal and Berry colors.
(Hey, It was still the eighties in a lotta ways)
Hawk 525 supercharged engines w/TRS drives
It was a 70-73 mph boat.
I haven't found the pics yet but I'll post em when I do.
This was when the Flat Black dash was popular and the 525 supercharged Hawk was a little hotter than average. (During this time period all the "Hot" Cigarettes had Hawk Racing Engines it seemed to me.)
Gaffrig Throttles no trim on Throttles then just on the dash.
Full Cabin with enclosed Head
Fondly named Rice Hauler II
More to follow
Best,
Robert Shin
a.k.a. Rice Hauler

Moving right along....

The next Rice Hauler was a 1990/1999 Top Gun
This one was equipped with Normally Aspirated Hawk 600's and TRS Drives.
This was a boat that Phil had completely redone.
White Dash. Gaffrig Throttles again but trim on the throttles (Thumb Button)
The boat ran an honest 70 and could be pushed to 75 tops.
Full cabin again with enclosed head and v-berth.
Take a look.

The engines....
They were real Gas Hogs but better than the 525's in Rice Hauler II Wide Open consumption on these was around 100gph or so.

Last pic of Rice Hauler III

Heck I'll give Robert a hand, although I have no clue what number it is!

.2

The next one....

Rice Hauler IV was a real treat.
This was one of the first "step bottom" boats that cigarette tried. They designed the bottom in house and did a very short run of boats to try it out. (maybe 5-6 I really don't know)
This boat ran much flatter than the previous two and the ride improved dramaticaly. a flatter attitude and a much stiffer hull.
When I questioned Phil on this he told me that this was the beginning of vacuum bagging and that was the reason why.
The boat ran 75-78 anytime and could exceed 80 on the GPS.
This one was equipped with an extended covergirl cabin and no more enclosed head.
take a look.....