Hi all

[installman]

Stan here from Tampa not a cs owner yet, but plan on being one real soon.

[mbfishing]

Welcome aboard, you have found a sight with very good cs info on every model and option.

[Gunnar]

Welcome Stan,
Lots of info here and people willing to help with questions. 012
Gregg

[Big Will]

Welcome aboard! Fishin skiffin', and good natured fun, you'll find 'em all here.

[Redfish]

Good to meet you installman. This is a good site with lots of helpful folks. Good luck on finding your Skiff. You will benefit from the information here.

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Stan,welcome aboard, lots of good stuff in here.

[FLboy3]

Welcome stan, What do you install?

[TooTall]

thumbsup thumbsup thumbsup
yay yay yay
waving waving waving
Welcome aboard Mate!!!
You are going to love this site !
Sit awhile, Open a tall one and do some reading... there is a lot of great info Here

Harry... is there roadside billboards with this website down in Florida?

[Willie]

The guys from Florida are joining like crazy. Welcom to ya Stan........Willie waving

[Redfish]

Keep in mind, you Yanks, ;D that it's gittin warm down here--actually has been off and on for a few weeks. People are shopping for boats like crazy (what recession?) and want good info. The site is catching on because it is informative and easy to use (thanks Harry!). We all know why CS is a great boat and lots of Florida Crackers have been using 'em for years.

Cheers!

[Big Will]

The site is catching on because it is informative and easy to use (thanks Harry!). We all know why CS is a great boat and lots of Florida Crackers have been using 'em for years.

Cheers!


Ditto,

Will

[installman]

Wow
Thanks for all the hellos/welcomes. I install warehouse equipment such as dock levelers, pallet rack, shelving, mezzanines, in plant offices, and anything else I can make a few bucks on.
I currently own a 1990 15' sea lion skiff with a 70 horse johnson. I have had this boat for 10 years now and am in need of a larger boat. When I bought the sea lion the wife and I had 1 daughter, now we have 5 + a dog. I am looking at getting a 218 DLV so the whole family can enjoy the boat together, instead of just 2 at a time. I saw a 218 dlv at the boat show a few weeks ago and was impressed with how much boat you can get for the money. I have since been reading/searching for info on pricing and options to try to make an informed buying decision. I tried to negotiate with the dealer who was at the boat show, what a waste of time that was. I then called some of the dealers listed here and on the carolina skiff website and found better pricing is available. I have a sea trial scheduled for 3 pm monday with a dealer in Palmetto, Fl whose prices seem to be pretty decent in a 218 dlv with a 115 E-tec. I will keep you updated as to what happens. I am so glad I found this site. Thanks Stan

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Good luck with the sea trial and hope you'll become a CS owner. thumbsup

[al_e._gator]

218 dlv with a 115 E-tec.



Great combination, I think you'll be impressed. Oh yeah, Welcome to the site

[Big Will]

5 daughters??? I just passed out...

[Redfish]

Install: check your dealers carefully and shop around. You will find a good price. Try Dusky in Dania just across the peninsula from you. They were very competitive when I was looking a few weeks back. At one time, they had on-line pricing, but all the dealerships have since taken down their prices. I think CS put a stop to it in order to let the smaller dearship be more competitive. Also, keep in mind that you are shopping at the wrong time of year (sorry, but it is true). Dealerships have no real incentive now--especially in Florida where it is already springtime--to deal. You may want to check some of the dealers in NC. I had a couple give me great pricing that was well worth what I spent in gas to drive. Good luck.

[FLboy3]

Hi Stan, If the boat show you were at was the Frank Sargent Expo then the dealer that wasn't very helpfull was Sunray marine. They were the only CS dealer there. They have had mostly bad plublicity on here, but have made a few people happy also. My brother stopped by their Newport Richey store to inquire about service on his motor and they said to bring it in but there was about a 2 week backup. He ask for an appointment to bring it in when they were ready to check it and they said he would have to leave it so they could work on it when they had time. We won't be going there for service in the future and from recent post not sure I want to anyway......Shop around, Chatlees, Sams, Bay Racer, The sport center, Eds, and for florida dealers check Advantage marine in dade city and Duskys down south by miami.....Good luck....Darell
Also every time I walked by the CS's at the boat show and saw people looking at them, I told them about our site here and told them they could save a lot of money by checking out the site. Maybe I told you. LOL.

[Dave]

Welcome aboard Installman. 012 We count on you Florida boy to keep us in fishin' pics during the winter. Good luck with your skiff shopping. You'll not find anouther place with more valuable CS info than right here on these boards. Read a lot, ask questions, read some more, take notes, go to a dealer, shop a lot, then get the skiff that you'll know is the best for you.

Dave

[installman]

Went out for the sea trial today. I brought my neighbor with, another guy brought his wife, and one more guy met us at the ramp. Total of 6 adults approx 1100lbs in a 218DLV W/E-TEC 115. The boat had no problem getting up on plane. It was pretty rough out in the bay, and yes there was some pounding, but overall a decent ride. No one got wet cruising around 25-30.I have to say I was really impressed with the power that 115 had, also I kinda like the growl it makes when you hit the throttle. I have not been in a four stroke powered boat, so I can't say if it gets out better or not, or if it is as quiet, or if it sounds as good. We had no problems hearing each other over the motor( the pounding and the wind,now that's a different story) and at idle you hardly hear it at all. One thing I did notice at the dock was that if we were all standing toward the back of the boat we took on water through the deck drains. Not a lot, but enough to get your feet wet. One of the guys asked how much to upgrade to a 150, and I can't say I understand why as the boat felt like it came out of the hole stronger and accelerated faster than my 15' skiff with a 70 on it and 2 people in it.
Stan

[Dave]

1 test ride, 4 potential sales - a salesman's dream ;D

It is amazing how little hp it takes to bring a CS up and move it out. I think most of us use plugs to close the "so-called" self-draining holes on our skiffs, at least I do. I put in 3 plugs before I launch and take 'em out when I bring the boat out of the water. I'm not comfortable about water intermittingly lapping up on the transom and spilling into the bilge.

Dave

[Redfish]

The holes are nice if you need to give her a quick washdown, but better to keep the plugs in while fishing. If you notice the CS literature says that their boats will self bail but that they do not promise them to be so.

[installman]

Anyone have an idea of a fair price for this boat with a t-top 42 gal tank and stainless bow and side rails, and an aluminum trailer w/brakes?? Also does anyone have the cs t-top?
Thanks Stan