83-84 scarab 38 and cig top gun 38 comparable?
 

lets say 87- to 90 gun
in terms of rough water ride?

both were made for offshore performance, right?

or cig is a big notch above?

TG is a better built and performer. The scarab from the late 70's and early 80's flat decks were good hulls but after that they went into production lines.

Yup

actually they got better after 87 or so (Scarabs that is) much better. Early boats may have been heavy resin rich tanks but build quality and rigging was not that great. my 88 Scarab III compared to earlier boats was night and day and if you put them side by side you'd swear they were from two different manufacturers. I think its tough to beat a Gun for ride but that 38 Scarab wont be to far behind thats for sure.

Well there you go you learn something everyday. I agree with whatever glassdave says :D

:thankyouthankyou: as everyone always should lol :D



having had a few of them I've kept a bit of a mental note on Scarabs I've been on and around. Not sure what happened around 88 but the whole program changed.

unless its a larry smith scarab... those were special builds...

Larry Smiths are some bad azz boats. Smokin Joe is a legendary boat

38 Scarab is an awesome riding boat... I know all the Ciggy-humpers will disagree (and yes, I own a cig as well), but I'd say the ride of the 38 Scarab is close to on par with a TG.

These types of threads are really moot when talking about 30+ year old performance boats. When it comes down to it, the best boat isn't the brand but rather the condition of the ones for sale. Both are heavy sleds that need a ton of HP to run 75 mph, then you need a 2500+ diesel truck to pull back and forth to the ramp. Then if you consider how many days does the boat get wet in _________ (insert city, area of the country) now divide by how many of those days will truly be rough enough to notice a difference.....kind of prepping for a snowstorm in Florida! Let's use Canada in the above equation. 5 months of boating season, you get out three times a month (15 outings). 20% of the outings it gets nasty (3 times a year)......now really in those 3 times of rough (4-5ft seas) is the brand really going to make a difference if you stay home or go out? Probably not......if it is 4-5 you probably stay home regardless. Getting stuck in rough conditions is different (seas spool up after a storm) and you need to get home.

In the end, buy the boat that is in the nicest condition for the money and the one that appears to be the one that will give you the most amount of trouble free boating. Any of the 35-38 ft boats from Scarabs, Cigs, Formula of that vintage will have a solid ride so it really comes down to present day condition, price etc. Face it, none of these rigs are going to be running a race anytime soon, they will all need work/parts to keep them going and then you can sell them for 1/4 of what you have invested in them (time/money).