new guy

[Marion]

Hello. just ordered 198dlv elite. looking for feedback on CS. thanks

[218Elite08]

WELCOME! *Cheers* I have had my 218 Elite for about 10 months. I have added a few things since then. Click on my user name and it will take you to my profile page. There are more pictures of the boat there. What motor did you get? This is my first skiff. I'm a bass fisherman really. I just could not buy another $40K+ boat a let it go into the salt again. The skiffs seem to last forever if they are taken care of. I added Lenco trim tabs and changed to a Minn Kota trolling motor recently. The tabs have really helped with the rough water ride. Make sure you check out the Elite board and go to the bottom of the page and view the older posts. There are very few Elites here (so far).

[Marion]

havin trouble navigating forum. i'll get it sooner or later. thanks for reply. 115 e-tec. mostly intracoastal,bay, lake. how's that dlv handle 1-2 footers? thanks.

[218Elite08]

Alright I think. It's not the Ranger ride I'm use to. :cool: You love the Evinrude. I'm on my third boat with one. I fish the same types of water too. Who's your dealer? I bought from Dusky's.

What problems are you having? I can help you out.

Here's a link to all the Elite posts:
http://www.carolinaskiffowner.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=38&page=1&pp=20&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=-1

[RB]

I have 218 dlv and love it. 1 to 2 footers no problem.

[Marion]

bought it from Sunray in homasassa. should be ready by end of jan. the waiting is killing me. this is first new anything i ever bought. hope you're enjoying yours! This is great havin' connection to other CS owners! i hope to learn and share lots of info. i don't understand proper website manners yet. what is thanks #/ thanked #, thread? is that e-tec much quieter than older carberated motors? thanks

[218Elite08]

bought it from Sunray in homasassa. should be ready by end of jan. the waiting is killing me. this is first new anything i ever bought. hope you're enjoying yours! This is great havin' connection to other CS owners! i hope to learn and share lots of info. i don't understand proper website manners yet. what is thanks #/ thanked #, thread? is that e-tec much quieter than older carberated motors? thanks

The "thanks" button is fairly new here. If someone posts something you like you can click the thanks button in their post. I was going to buy from Sunray until I found out they were higher ($4000 at the time) Comparing a Carb and a DFI engine is like comparing night and day! I get reminded of that when my dad wants to take his 1987 Ranger out. It has a 200 Mercury. The cloud of smoke, the spit and sputter, the noise are all gone with a new DFI motors like the Etec. The evinrude Etec is AWESOME! Have you driven one yet? If not, let me know and we can hook up and you can drive mine. Evinrude has (and continues) to make improves each model year. I was on Crooked Lake a few weeks ago in the Ranger (took my boss, Gunny fishing) ;D. A Mercury Optimax on a Ranger Z520 was louder than my 225HO. I was even shocked at the difference. The Etec is almost as quite a four stroke. I'll put it this way, Gunny and I were having a conversion at 68 mph and did not need to raise our voices very much. The wind made more noise than the motor did :cool:. I seem to have a few more things on my C/S than most; jack plate, 8 ft Power Pole, trim tabs... Give me a call and I'll try to answer any questions you may have about the boat or the motor. 813-436-1025--cell *thumbsup*

[OBX Hokie]

Marion,

You can "click" the "Forum" up above and then scroll down the forums until you see the any forum you are interested in. You can also use the Search function.

Folks on here are happy to help and won't criticize you or the way you post. There aren't many sites like this. Good luck with your new boat! Make sure you post some pics after you get the boat. You do have to have 5 posts before you can post pics, however.

[Redfish]

Marion, I think Big Sun is just south of me in the Ocala area. Welcome to the site. You will enjoy the company here, and if you have a question, there is plenty of help. Can't believe it is taking your dealer until January to get your boat. With the economy like it is, they are a lot of boats out there for a pretty good price. Gook luck, and post up some pics when you get her home.

[Marion]

thanks redfish. yup,i'm in weirsdale. had a great buying experience. researched every dealer within 200 miles. sunray was way below anyone else. i was told CS was closing week of Christmas causing delay on build time. what do you like to fish for?

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Marion, welcome aboard and congrats on the new boat. You must feel like a kid on a day b-4 x-mas right now.

[Redfish]

thanks redfish. yup,i'm in weirsdale. had a great buying experience. researched every dealer within 200 miles. sunray was way below anyone else. i was told CS was closing week of Christmas causing delay on build time. what do you like to fish for?

Glad your buying experience was a good one. I too looked at all dealerships, including Sunray, and like 218, I found them extremely overpriced (this was during the winter of 07-08). Perhaps this economy has gotten their attention and they have become more competitive. I ended up getting my boat in NC and saved a bundle over what I could do anywhere else in Florida. Only exception was Dusky in the Miami area. Back then, dealerships had "internet" pricing, so you could go on-line and get a good idea of what your boat would cost before you even contacted the sales department to begin the process. If you ordered your boat custom, the Christmas holiday probably did account for the delay. It took Chatlee 3 weeks to get mine back in late February.

I fish for (you guessed it) redfish and trout mostly along the Big Bend (Cedar Key, Suwannee, Horseshoe area). I used to do a lot of freshwater fishing, but have not even bought a freshwater license in the past few years. I was down around Leesburg about a week or so ago, however, and got to take a look at the Harris Chain. They were pulling some pretty nice specks (Crappie) out of some of the lakes, so that kind of got my interest. Anyway, get your boat, get it wet, and let us know how you like it.*thumbsup*

[Marion]

thanks. looking at weather channel, that's pretty chilly fishin up your way right now. what ya catch up there?