Posted: April 02 2012 at 11:53 | IP Logged

Hi Jim!

Welcome to the forum. Since you are in Florida see if you can visit the CraigCat office in Orlando and make arrangements for a test ride. See them at  http://craigcat.com/ . I caution you not to talk to the factory guys about doing modifications because they are touchy about that subject but as you can see in previous postings some members have modified their cats without any problems.

Posted: April 02 2012 at 17:45 | IP Logged

Here is a link to a Youtube video of a guy (possibly a Craigcat dealer in Quebec Canada) that put a Yamaha 50 hp 2 stroke outboard on his Craigcat.  At 158 lbs, that motor is actually 20 lbs LIGHTER than the new Evinrude etec 30 hp (according to Evinrudes website) so the weight is obviosly not a problem.  The engine torque/thrust is a different story however.  I'm not sure if the stress loads placed upon the entire boat and its connection points (especially the motor mount) can handle that kind of power and thrust loads.  Over time, probably not.

In any event, this guy did it and not only had two adults on board, but pulled two (2) skiers out of the water as well.  TWO!

Anyone considering this mod may want to also be aware that the older carburated 2 stroke engines will be illegal to operate on many federal waterways as of Jan 1st 2013 in compliance with the 2003  10 year phase out mandate.  I've personally thought of beefing up my Craigcats connecting points and engine mount to handle a 40 or 50 hp but two items kill this idea:

1.) The newer 3 star compliant direct injection engines are too heavy vs the older carb models for the current CC models.

2.) The use of the older (lighter) 2 stroke carburated engines will be phased out in less than a year on many federal waterways.  Possibly private ones too.  Check out the laws for the body of water you use your boat on to see what rules apply.

Solution: Build a little bit stouter version of this boat with just a little more capacity and buoyancy to hold a heavier engine ( 40-50 hp).  Use heavy gauge coils in lieu of the thru bolts between the deck and pontoons which will allow just a tiny bit of flex and significantly reduce the stress loads due to a little 'give'.  Also, in the very narrow section of the deck (which was made narrow to allow the boat to flex), consider using a heavy coil or even a gas filled shock (like a motorcycle suspension) which will keep the two halves hooked together under a predetermined spring rate but also allow movement and flex when needed. (compression and rebound)

I may just  make a prototype of this design as all the parts on this boat are readily available or can be easily made other than the rotmolded pontoons.  Even that you can have any plastic rotomolding company make a prototype of your plans for you for not too much money.

This new 'super-cat' would be more of a higher performance boat and would NOT be best suited for the rental, leisure market however.  We'll see.

Anyway, here's the guy with the Yamaha 50 hp outboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwq-1F_UOM0&list=UU-jJ7O_ f1qETGccrHWqgxKw&index=1&feature=plcp

Posted: April 02 2012 at 18:51 | IP Logged

Eric has already stated his *opinion* in that he does not want his boat associated with any mods.  I can't blame him as building/modifying any plans without any supporting engineering behind it could possibly end up getting someone hurt; or worse.

The current CC model is almost a perfect design for what it is intended to do.  I can only imagine that a large percentage of their sales is to resorts and rental fleets whom definately do NOT want a first time user going 40 mph with it. (Liability...pronounced lie-ah-billity!).

If you are interested in a 'super-cat' (something between the current Craigcat and a Zapcat), consider doing the supporting engineering behind it and build it (or have the calcs done and spec out the parts).   When I was a kid, I took off the 3 1/2 hp engine on my mini bike and replaced it with a 6 hp one.  Bottom line: It went MUCH faster than it originally did.  Of course, that caused the chain to fall off thereby locking up the rear wheel and launching me over the handlebars 20 feet.   The scars are still visible 40 years later, and I was very lucky!

Posted: April 02 2012 at 19:59 | IP Logged

Bulldog,

Keep us posted on what your finish product looks like with pictures and what kind of performance you get out of it.

Posted: April 03 2012 at 23:17 | IP Logged

Remember, the *porpoising* affect is NOT due to horse power but rather improper weight distribution.  EXAMPLE:  When I am alone on the CC, I go a little faster due to less weight on the boat.  I also can easily *porpoise* the boat but it is not due to the increased speed but rather less weight (forward) counter-balancing the weight in the rear (motor/fuel/battery/stuff).  I can instantly,  (as in instantly) re-balance the boat by leaning forward a bit and the porpoising goes away just like that......(as long as I stay leaning forward).

I could also redistribute the weight of things on board to act as a ballast and counteract the weight distribution as well.  Things like moving the fuel tank forward, moving the seat a bit forward, whatever.  Also, the purpose of a an electronic trim is  to be able to fine tune the engine angle (up or down) specifically to counteract or *balance* out the boat to its optimal angle to aid in planing, reducing  porpoising, slight weight distribution corrections etc.

If you have a manual trim/tilt, more than likely your best position is the second pin hole.  If you are lucky enough to have an electric trim/tilt control, simply dial in whatever position works out best to do what you want it to.   Personally, my setup never changes much...(i.e same weight load and balance all the time) so the electric trim/tilt wasn't worth the extra cash and engine weight.  But, even having the lightest 25 hp engine ever made at 112 lbs, I would trade for the new 30 hp Evinrude etec electric trim/tilt in a second.  Not that the bullet-proof Merc is not a good engine, it is.  A solid "A".  It's just that the etec is even better in just about every possible way other than weight.  But don't let that fool you because the etec has gobs more low end torque (fast planing) AND still reaches the same top speed of 30 mph-ish...  More like 30-32 mph-ish.  Throw a Powertech stainless prop on that engine and it will flat out make you giggle!

Posted: April 08 2012 at 23:38 | IP Logged

Hi Pat.  I've been in your situation before and ended up buying a car cover since it covers the CC nicely.  Especially if you get the kind that have eyelets sewn in so you can lace up the cover on the underside of the boat.

Posted: June 12 2012 at 17:51 | IP Logged

Bayfront,

If you will search the past forum comments, I remember that several months ago, maybe even a year ago, someone listed the brand name of an 11 gallon tank that would fit on the CraigCat in the same space as the 6 gallon tank.  As for me, I invested in a second 6 gallon tank.  When one runs low, I just switch the connection to the other tank.  I cruised this past weekend for 70 miles over a 6 hour period and ended up using more than one tank of gas.  I average 1.5 to 2 gallons per hour.  If I am by myself, I put the extra tank in place of the passenger seat and that evens out the weight distribution a little. 

Still, I love the CraigCat!!!  It's fun and sure turns the heads.

Carolina Kitty

Posted: June 27 2012 at 09:40 | IP Logged

Glad you found a bigger tank.  I sit my extra tank on the front platform sometimes as this helps get on plane quicker.   I too think that many members have dropped due to the membership requirement.