2012 38 Top Gun with 8.2 MAG HO
 

Talked with my friend John Kray at Sportboats Marine in Ft Myers today and he is delivering a presold 2012 TopGun with just good old Mercruiser power 430HP.

I have been a big fan of CC boats and the trend away from the expensive power and fuel. But this got me thinking for similar money you can get a new TopGun that runs 80mpg and can warranty for 7 years on 87 octane.

CC boats are 9-10 ft wide and I know here in Florida the cops are enforcing wideload permits way more that in previous years.

3-4 engines VS just 2.....

Thoughts....

Classic looks and very reliable power. It won't be the fastest boat out there but if turn key is what you're looking for you can't beat it.

Works for me!

Looks great, I would be proud to own it!

80 MPH? really?

+1..... Id own it in a heartbeat. Lot to be said for turn key reliability. :drink:

Great looking boat! I'd be all about it, still would be a great running boat and 6-8 MPH faster than my 525 EFI straight bottom! However, probably a whole lot more coin too! :party-smiley-004:

Love it! I do/don't understand the recent CC craze. Yeah, you can bring more people, less costs in fuel and maintenance with the OB's but with a boat that big I want a cabin.....

Yep!

[QUOTE=tomtbone1993;3572013]80 MPH? really?[/QUOT

I can't believe that boat does 80, but then again, my buddies 2011 Sunsation has seen 91ish

thats all good...w/reliable power...:coolcowboy:

Is that the warranty on the complete powertrain? Is it limited by anything? And how much cheaper if any is that than a 525 rigged boat?

What was the selling price of that rig?

Hope the guy likes it. Can't imagine how bad the resale will be.

Call john at sportboats marine. 239-466-6117

After you figure in the cheaper insurance, long warranty span, lack of 525 header problems and the cheaper up front costs I bet the guy will be even money with a guy that buys a new 525 boat.

Besides, the power can always be swapped out for the next owner, 525's aren't exactly rare.

Phil built a 496 HO TG a few years ago in pink, I think the paint was more detrimental to resale than the power.

That boat is perfect, the power is great if you want to use the boat all the time and cruise with it. You can run that anywhere and not worry about gas or anything - if I could I'd buy a stock boat like that before I ever brought something with big power - then again diesels are always my first choice!:drink:

x2

have said it before more than once and been bashed
the days of having any chance of having the fastest boat in your nieghborhood without INSANELY deep pockets are over
so is the exclusivity of blue motors
so screw it!
keep it reasonable, long-term reliable and warranteeable
just go boating!

I think it's less and less about big power and big speed anymore recreationally for any number of reasons, costs not being the least of them...downtime potential is greater, ect.
I feel, and felt in '03 the new trend for the masses is/was going to eventually be about the boat itself, how it is kept, comfort and convenience mods, and how it shows...
with the hatch closed!

I felt this was the way to go when I bought my 353 in '03
No headers to buy
No head rebuilds (or worse) every xxx hours
nothing but oil changes, impellers, and the occassional external part failure or sensor
NO multiple thousands of dollars at a time in engine repairs!
relatively easy on drives too!
I think I was ahead of my time!! :drink:

I mean really, if it's something you're going to keep and run for 7-10 years and 1000 hours, what's the real cost of ownership vs. other bigger HP routes?
favorable. very favorable
and at that age for sale, the (big) power's always a question mark anyway or has cost a fortune to freshen for sale.
So this talk of "loosing your azz" on a configuration such as this in comparison is pure poopy
no more, and maybe depending on length of ownership, less lost azz!

These motors with lower specific HP output per cube can and have run thousands of hours in hard-working commercial applications and never been opened...

try that with HP over 1 per cube...

Not to mention- look what these modern hulls will run on this kind of power!
Have we lost all perspective?

Damn nice boat.Be proud as a peacock to sport that!

Awesome rig. :)

Sweet!!!!!!

I like it. You could do a LOT of boating with that package!:drink:

I'm very curious of the price. Anyone know?

Kurt

Beautiful boat....

Sweet.

That there is a guy that wants to boat everyday and not pop the engine hatch. I respect what he built. 80mph is no slouch either.

My 39 foot "squadron" 1981 cigarette with 800hp blower motors and #4's ran 82mph. Or should I say the times it would actually not break getting there.

Nice boat, he can put on 700+ hours and never have to worry about the engines. 80's a good number.

You could always paint the 502's blue. Just saying.

I think this guy is on to something. I wish I had the coin for something like that.

This is a reasonable idea for an older TS TG redo also! Buy a boat that needs power and put these motors in it, you know it will go 80 out of the box. You might be dollar for dollar even on blue motor rebuilds w/headers vs new 8.2's with warranty.

I thought the 8.2s cost just as much as blue motors out of the crate?

Whats a reasonable price to pay for new 8.2s?

Really nice setep. It's funny though as other 38ish foot boats have been bashed for similar power, as mentioned. The GPS recall looks like 79mph, not 80.

The engines are a little tricky to rig. The cats make the tails mate point at a new and a bit more difficult position, especially when you want switchable exhaust. The cats also make for a hot engine compartment.

Do they offer them without the emissions stuff? and does it void the warranty if you take it off?

I bet those catalaytic converters don't last 7 years......... wonder what happends when one of those fails. No thanks.....

You'd of thought cigarette could of rigged a boat were the exhaust elbows aren't leaning up against the bilge deck...........looks like they used a piece of plastic to guard the fiberglass from the exhaust elbow.

Are those bravo 1 outdrives?

Anything under 500hp requires a cat. Lets hope that will spur more motors over 500hp :D.

Why wouldnt the cats last seven years? The ones in my 93 Bronco are OEM and like new. I have B1's behind 525SC's with no probs and that was the factory set up.



I really like this boat, awesome blend of performance and practicality. This thing is cool.

+1
I just had to look at that thing again.Damn it's nice!

We might not think it is so cool if we find out how much it cost.

If it isnt any cheaper than a 525 boat, then why bother?

Didnt Merc fix the header problems on the new engines?

I do not like the way that white half round piece of plastic looks by the exhaust.

So.........how much?

No, and yes.

They are cheaper than 525EFIs.

if you lean way over to the left it looks like 80 :D

One thing that you need to know is that if you run a boat with catalaytic converters is that if you run out of gas, the catalaytic converters will serverly overheat and become junk and will need to be replaced.

I must be ahead of the times when I optioned my 35 Fountain with 496's six years ago. It was considered heresy by most Fountain folk. But I roughly saved $35K at the time over the 525 option.

All the years later and hundreds of trouble free hours I couldn't be happier. Cheap to run, insure, and peace of mind when out on the ocean. Where most of the time my WOT of 80mph is plenty fast for us.

Many 525 35's of my vintage are already on their first or second valve train service, if they even made that many hours before headers got them best of them.