Posted: November 08 2011 at 09:34 | IP Logged

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?23630-crys tal-river-11-05....windy-but-workable

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?22633-CRYS TAL-RIVER-10-29.-Exploring

the following is some fishing reports in my craig cat,   youll be able to see the shallow water i go in ...hope most of you enjoy report

Posted: November 08 2011 at 22:32 | IP Logged

My main waterway is the Colorodao river.  The flow (and depth) gets very unpredictable in the winter months due to much less orders for yards of water from down stream farms.  As a result there are numerous shallow (too shallow) sections.  This is how I ended up puncturing one of my pontoons as I hit an underwater obstacle.

I took my boat out last November to a local lake and the weather was in the mid 70's and no problems freezing etc.  The only thing is I don't like taking the CC into open large bodies of water.  It is perfectly capable to do it but that's not the point.  What I've noticed is that your proportions start getting off.  When you are in a narrower waterway going 25-30 mph things pass by you fairly quickly and you get a feeling of moving at a zippy pace.  Going the exact same speed in the middle of a larger lake doesn't give me the same zippy feeling but rather just the opposite.  It feels as though I'm barely moving.   Without the immediate scenery of the narrow waterway or even the wake of other boats to 'surf', I just don't seem to enjoy it as much.  I still enjoy it; just not as much!

So, I just choose to wait 'till spring when the rivers flowing at a good clip (deeper, warmer too) to resume boating.

Run a little fuel stabilizer or some Seafoam in your gas and you won't even have to winterize your engine if you run it from time to time throughout the winter.

Posted: November 09 2011 at 19:03 | IP Logged

No. If you go several pages back, you will read my detailed ordeal and how I fixed it.

Short story,  your rotomolded polyethylene pontoons are filled with foam (similar to the expanding stuff in a can).  Should you ever compromise your pontoon (that you are aware of like a hole puncture), you want to dry out the inner foam asap.  When completely dry...as in days outside in the sun or a heatlamp in the garage, fill any void left in the pontoon with expandable foam (can example again).

You must now 'close' the hole with something suitable.  I used a cut out section of a VERY thick polyethylene bucket lid.  VERY thick.  I cut out a size approx that of a half dollar to cover up a hole the size of a dime.  This gave me plenty of contact surface area all around the patch.   You MUST (NO EXCEPTIONS) use an epoxy specifically formulated for use with polyethylene.  Again... NO EXCEPTIONS as it will not stick if you don't.  You will want to use 3M's Scotch-Weld^TM Structural Plastic Adhesive DP-8005 for bonding polyethylene.

Don't worry if after you fill a dry puncture hole with foam if the foam continues to expand a bit.  Just let it completely air dry and carefully trim off the excess with a hot knife.

After the patch has cured, you may want to 'feather' down all the edges with a 4'' grinder using a sanding disc.  Worked perfectly for me, several years going now.

Posted: November 26 2011 at 09:16 | IP Logged

Marco River Snook Inn 11/25/2011, any of you cruise by, I saw a CraigCat go by

Posted: November 26 2011 at 23:36 | IP Logged

How to post pictures online....

1.) Your digital pictures need to be hosted online. I use www.photobucket.com  It's free.  Simply upload them to a host.

2.) Upload your digital pics to a host like photobucket and simply copy and paste the direct image link to this site in your reply.   It is the one that starts with IMG..

 That's it.

You see, it works!  I'll show you.

Posted: November 27 2011 at 08:17 | IP Logged

Hmmm..didn't work yesterday...Thanks! S-H

Posted: January 22 2012 at 18:19 | IP Logged

Hello, new owner here so I'm checking in with you folks. I just purchased a 2010 CC E2 Elite with a 30 HP Nissan, I am located on the FL/AL line. This was a very active site with some great info until 11/27/11(last one I could find) then it went dead in the water for some reason, so I followed the FB link and made a post there.

I hope everyone's year is getting off to a good start.

Posted: January 22 2012 at 22:34 | IP Logged

Welcome Seabee1.  Congrats on your new purchase.  when you get a chance, post up some pics. 

Pat. I love the doggie vest.  great pic.

Bayfront, great looking boat.  That yellow sure stands out.  I have never seen a yellow one in person.  Are the pontoons the yellow pigment throughout the entire thickness of the plastic?  i.e if you scratch it against something will it still be yellow below the scratch?  And tell me that motor is NOT the new Evinrude etec so I don't have to be jealous!!

Posted: January 23 2012 at 16:11 | IP Logged

Anyone ever see or check out of of these ?

They are called a "Zego" and are very similar to our Craigcats.  Same power (25-30 hp) seating for two (one behind the other like a jet ski), but it seems that they have a useable forward deck.  Could be nice for fishing or hauling stuff.  You can find more info on them at http://zego.biz/usa/

They look cool but I prefer the side by side seating of the CC.  Competition is good however as it brings about better products as well as keeps pricing competitive.  I'd like to see one of these in person to check it out.

Posted: January 23 2012 at 21:44 | IP Logged

Sweet boat Bayfront.  The yellow pigment throughout the thickness of the pontoons is fantastic.  No worries about scratches .   Your ETEC motor is the new high tech standard amongst the new 2 strokes too.

I'm jealous. 

Wanna trade?  The white ones are faster!  lol.

Posted: January 27 2012 at 09:48 | IP Logged

Good morning everyone, hope your week has been good. I have a question that I think you may be able to help me with; I know some people have talked about the hard steering issue in the past (my is very hard to the left), but I never saw a solution to the problem for the folks that said I "use to" have steering problems but it's ok now. Mine is a 2010 with 177 running hours and I wouldn't think that it would need a new cable yet. The cable "looks long", how long is the cable suppose to be? Also, I am running a SS prop. Anyone have any input on this one?

Posted: January 27 2012 at 10:30 | IP Logged

Try turning the trim tab in the bottom of the motor all the way to the left to counter the torque.

Posted: January 27 2012 at 19:43 | IP Logged

Seabee1.  If you are using a SS prop, you may notice the turning problem more than others as your prop has almost no blade flex and as a result will *bite* into the water with less distortion than other matterials.

SS props [like the Powertech] are great for top speed and I'd love to have one but they also have less *give* than anything else and can possibly accentuate certain handling charactoristics.

Steering cables can get stiff and dirty over time.  Cleaning them with WD40 and then thoroughly wiping them down can help as others have mentioned.

I would see no reason to replace a perfectly good cable just because it is dirty.  The new one will become that way too.  I wouldn't put anything else on your motor other than the existing trim tab as I've tried and it noticeably slowed down the boat.

If your boat steers effortlessly to the left when sitting on the trailer, then the problem is obviously NOT your cable as you've just proven that to yourself.  If this is the case and your boat is only difficult to steer left under load [high throttle], then the prop torque issue that has been discussed at length may be your issue.

Posted: February 18 2012 at 15:21 | IP Logged

Welcome to the Craigcat forum Army Guy.  From what you describe, it sounds as though your engine is starving for fuel.  Be sure to prime your motor using the priming bulb and also make sure your air vent on your gas tank is OPEN!

One time I was fully fueled up and just after I took off, my engine kept sputtering just like you describe.  I had forgot to open the vent on my gas tank and created an air lock.

Also check your fuel line from the tank into the engine as well as any filters to ensure you have enough gas and no clogs in filters.

If all else fails, take a video and post it up.  Better yet, contact your dealer.  If this is a new boat, you should be under warrantee.

Posted: March 02 2012 at 15:27 | IP Logged

Remember, *Seafoam* is your friend!  It was originally  developed for the marine industry as an additive to prevent your fuel from going bad. 

If you already let old gas sit in the motor for a while and have some varnish buildup, unscrew the spark plug and squirt a little down the hole, replace the plug and let sit overnight.

The next day, put some Seafoam in a spray bottle and spray some into your air intake of the carburator just after it starts.  Your engine will smoke like crazy but that is good because you are decarbonizing the builtup crud in your engine.

Seafoam is the ONLY product of its type that has actually worked for me when I lock up a 2 stroke engine (leaf blower, chainsaw, lawm mower, hedge trimmer, weed wacker etc).  I have LITERALLY locked up every single one of these tools since I live in Arizona and it is not uncommon for your garage to get 130* in the summer months and dry up the fuel in the lines leaving behind varnish.

A YouTube search on Seafoam will show you many people using it on their cars, trucks, boats, whatever.  It works.  Save the $300 bucks, go to Wallyworld and buy a can for $8.00 and you'll be set.

Posted: March 02 2012 at 15:32 | IP Logged

BTW, Armyguy, pics are a MUST!  This has turned into a really great thread with lots of great pics.  We've got new Craigcats, old ones, electric ones, and now even the new yellow ones with the incredible etec motor (I'm SOOO jealous!)

Let's see this thing!