Just the facts....
 

Fellow boating enthusiasts,

After a 12 year absence (its amazing how life gets in the way of having fun) I am doing my homework to purchase my next go fast. Previously I owned a ‘00 32’ Sunsation and the only complaint I had was the sun pad was to small. I have always admired Cigarettes (TG), Fountains (light and EX) and Outerlimits (Quattro and legacy) which I am looking at either a 38’ or 42’ in said models.
I am hoping to hear the pro’s and con’s of cabin head room, ride/performance, amenities etc...no detail to small. I could answer my own question if I had all 3 makes sitting in the water and test drives were an option. I am assuming 2x 525’s or better for power. I am asking for your knowledge and opinions. I thank you in advance and it feels good to be back on Offshore Only!

Of those choices, 42 OL is top dog. Ride, cabin and cockpit space, cabin amenities.

I enjoy these thread, fun to see how people promote their own favorites and (occasionally) have a dig at the opposition. :)

They're all beautiful boats, if it were me, I wouldn't need to ride any of them, I'd just crawl over a couple of each and see which one suits me best. Then I'd probably buy the one that looks nicest on the water!

:popcorn:

RR

I agree Dock but that is the also the most expensive, lol. Just making sure OL isn’t over rated and I’m not missing something in other makes n models. They say “pics don’t do it justice” but if OL is half of what the pics show I’m sure it’s worth the money.

I am a little biased, but when it comes to quality and build materials, layup, rigging o/l is far and above the others. Epoxy resin, foam core, no wood (2004 and newer). Cigarette builds a great boat also, but the current market prices seem a bit inflated to me.

39 Quattro just came up for sale in the classifieds. Good price . And you can’t go wrong with a 42 legacy.

So much subjectivity, but for me I just can't get over the look of the CIG's.....

In the $200k range you can buy a nice 42 OL that will run 100mph with full cabin. The one listed on here for $189k is a deal. Or, you can buy a Cig with a couple lounges and 525's for the same money. The 42 will ride better and is faster but will require more maintenance. Both are out of my price range and both are awesome boats.

That info is exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

Cig and OL are both awesome boats and with same power will run close in speed. A 42x with 700's will run 100 and a 42 lagacy with 700's will run 105.
Anything bigger than 700's and you better have a fat checkbook for maintenance. I love my 42 Tiger but the cabin in the legacy is way nicer.

A comparable 42x is another 100k more than a legacy and still a very basic cabin. The cockpit of a tiger is pretty tight compared to the Legacy also. It really all comes down to your budget and needs/wants.

I have heard a few people report on things in person with the OL that are conflicting to what you read online.

1. OL chine walk, higher speeds
2. OL ride not as "solid" as a comparable model Cig. All the OL owners claim they ride like a beast, all Cig owners who have ridden in one complain the ride is not as good. (Chalk it up to brand loyalty? I don't know)
3. Materials not holding up on the OL (i.e.: epoxy finishes "bubbling" or becoming unbonded). This may be older boats that show these issues.

I am curious on the "facts" on this one as I do not typically believe anything until I see it. Yes, I may own a Cig, but I am really interested in a 42 OL or 46 OL, sometime down the road. Hard to get any real life feedback unless you have a friend with one so you can make your own observations.

I doubt it's even possible to get an unbiased evaluation on this board for those that are potential buyers of these used boats down the road. Not looking to start an argument, I love both boats & brands equally.

:food-smiley-007:

I probably shouldn't have done that.....

There’s a handful of o/l’s I’ve worked on over the past few years, 37, 39, 42, 46, 52. Never seen any epoxy bubbling. And most of these were not pampered climate controlled stored lake boats.
In fact I’ve yet to see a stress crack in an epoxy boat.
I have seen some delamination on the bottom, but from what I could see, and the guys that fixed it and said it looked like there was damage from a lift or fork lift that was left unattended and water kept getting into the laminate.
I’m sure plenty will have other things to say but I saw the damage, and have seen tons of these boats, and ridden in plenty.
As far as the chine walk, well if you actually know how to run the boat it’s non existent. Just like a top gun always porpoises.... again if you know how to run the boat it’s very easy to keep it flat.

Thanks for the input, that's actually really helpful and real world first hand experience, appreciate it.

As for the ride I remember years ago one board member talked about the OL compared to a Nortech. His reasoning was that the OL felt a little more harsh, he thought it may have been that a epoxy carbon boat doesn't flex like a fiberglass boat.

Seems to me that would make sense but I have not ridden in a OL.
Maybe someone else with a lot of ride time in the boats can have some input, still think the canopy SV's? are bad ass looking.

I have seen my share of delams, this is very correct the damage from rack stored fork lifted boats is substantial. I've seen it over and over, if you have a not so careful or inexperienced lift op they can be doing major damage over time. Its the point loading at the ends of the forks that basically blisters the laminate right off the core and it will compound over time. Once the blistered area gets big enough its just a matter of when it gonna let go, it may be a small sq ft or so area but when it goes it goes big and can sheet the bottom right off. Moral of the story watch your lift op and make sure its coming up level or perpendicular to the forks and no point loading. I will say this its certainly not a manufacturer issue, its just one of those things owners need to know. Nature of the beast when owning a thin high performance laminated boat. Foam cores are dynamic and so the surface can be compromised if your not careful.

That last sentence is a great nugget of knowledge! Totally makes sense.

the carbon boats are stiffer, I don’t notice a big difference in just the epoxy. But that’s just me.

there will be more flex in a vinylester laid up boat I doubt there’s much difference between epoxy and carbon

Epoxy is the resin, carbon is the laminate. Carbon would be in addition to or instead of e glass, s glass etc, epoxy would replace the vinylester. My boat is epoxy, carbon deck.
my buddies 42 is epoxy, all (mostly) carbon and it is noticeably stiffer

My 42 Tiger might be available.. whole thread on it in the cig section.. just had something pop up that may make me want to move up.

Got a few notes on the Quattro from when we were looking at them;
04-08 28 made, 4 with a finished v-berth.
600’s run 101mph
700’s 108-110mph Bravos get loose, nxt’s run much smoother.
-From Dan at OL

Heard through the grape vine the blue one with flames, with 600’s gets really loose above 90ish mph. Which is a bravo boat.

Whatever one you decide on put a moisture meter and mallet to the hull. Lots of talk regarding build quality but water always wins. Check the thread Division1 has in the cigarette section.

Some worthwhile feedback I did receive (more knowledgeable OL people can correct me), Re: the 42ft models - pre-2004 Legacy; wood transom construction = better riding and handling rough waters (Due to a heavier layup?). After 2004 mostly all composite, probably lighter and may not necessarily ride or handle rougher water as well. As far as general handling (top end stability, turning, etc) I have no idea but I assume that's more up to the bottom design which I have very little knowledge of.

I'm just trying to learn here through this thread. Would be nice if the real knowledgeable people would chime in here (owners, dealers, builders, etc), but I understand if they don't.

Some feedback from a few that have ridden in the OL and owned other high end models, comments similar to they handle much like a Hustler, chine walking and questionable top end stability (is that more of a setup issue? People messing with higher drive positioning trying to squeeze out 2-3 mph, props, etc?). I find that hard to swallow as almost all models run over 100mph.... May be attributed to the light but strong layups using the new laminate tech/schedule?

I'm a big fan of the OL models, I would like to have some more understanding of which models/years excel at rougher water stability and handling.

who was running it? I’ve been 96 in mine no issues. I will say I trim up before going full throttle not the other way around. Combats transom lift

some of it is setup, and late 04 or 05 starting with Paul’s triple 525 they made some step changes that changed the low speed handling for the better, top end seems the same.

Nobody talking about Fountains yet??? :poopoo:

I was wondering myself......
Theres a couple of nice looking 42's in the classifieds at the moment

https://www.offshoreonly.com/classif...es-o76763.html

https://www.offshoreonly.com/classif...ng-o76791.html

Tiger for sale in MI.

2001 lipship
850 Richie zuls
Imco SCX drives
150hrs on new drives and motors and exhaust
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f546350ab.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8e6817b8f.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...57ee45d3b.jpeg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...586ed280b.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...aa854eeed.jpeg

List price on that Tiger? That's a very nice rig, full cabin or covergirl? Bet it's pretty fast too!

Full cabin with benches and berth no dining room table
140k
great running clean sharp boat!

I hope it comes back to New England.
That boat is gorgeous!!

Thanks to EVERYONE who took the time to respond to my post, it is greatly appreciated!! I personally think I can’t go wrong with Cig, Fountain or O.L. (Hey All_In. I also noticed zero responses about Fountains, which I am a fan of), they are all great boats and I would be proud to own the keys to any of them! I’m just the guy next door who saved up a little money (by no means do I have a padded bank account) and was looking for your opinions overall on the boats to help in my decision. I will keep everyone posted and will state reasons to my decision when finalized in order to help anyone else who is looking for just the facts. Thanks again and if your in the Charlotte (LKN) area or visiting the area, send a message, I’m always up for boat talk or getting out on the water.

My advice: you're probably going to be looking at older boats? Do thorough investigation(s) (Survey?) of the structurals and big tickets items. There can be a lot of gremlins with these older boats that will turn your $80K purchase into $125K+ purchase very quickly. (Wet wood, stringers, fuel tanks, systems in general, engines, trans, outdrives). You probably already know this, but look for an expert to investigate, pay a little extra to avoid getting burned. Can be very typical with these older Cigs, and older vintage boats. Remember, a 2000 boat may sound new but that's 20 boating seasons! These could be things the owner never even knew were present.

Also, if you're looking at a boat with "upgrades" or one that has been "resto'd", look past all the shiny stuff to make sure it was done right, and they didn't gloss over things like rotted stringers, bad transoms, etc. On the flip side, you can buy some of these project boats for $.40 / $1.00 - IF DONE RIGHT.

Yes - Fountains are good boats too.

That Tiger looks like a nice boat, probably a good buy, and Twin Step with the nice outdrives.

Thanks for the advice. I couldn’t agree more! I’m looking at 2005-2008. Found a nice 42 Fountain EX. People are telling me to get a lightning and not the Ex but it’s the same boat from the rub rail down (in the model years I’m looking at) so seems like a question of aesthetic from the rail up.

I prefer the traditional style of the Executioner. A few variations but generally, the Ex got an ice box in the cain where the Lightning got a fridge. The later Lightnings, around 08, got the new cabin interior, Ex retained the older style. Not sure about an anchor locker on the Ex, anyone? One of them, I think it's the Ex has a little bit better deck walk around access to the bow but a fraction less cockpit width.

Good advice on surveying/expert inspections, better to spend a bit more up front for the knowledge of what you're buying, it'll save you in the long run.

Happy shopping!

RR

The Lightning has a walk around to get to the deck. To me, that is a 'must have' feature on the Fountains.