Review this 95 Cajun boat (Errrr, I mean Ranger!)

[basscat73]

I'm searching far and wide for a bass boat and came across this 95 Cajun. Seee website below. It's out of my price range, but I'm curious to know if you think this is a good deal. Also, any opinions about Cajun boats and Johnson Fast Strike motors would be great. From what little I know, those boats and motors are solid.

http://www.millelacspowersports.com/site_page_3694/item_176100.html?listing_page=listing_sum_index_1.html  

[cart7t]

Cajun made great boats.  They had some firsts like the first fish n ski, first digital dash, first with aluminum compartment lids.  Bought out in the late 90's by Genmar, Genmar decided to drop the brand.  Cajuns have a pretty strong following.  The Ricky Green fishing machines were especially nice boats.  The Rajun cajuns like the one listed were fairly quick boats that took rough water pretty good.  That hull is a spittin image of a Charger hull.

[Garnet]

The 20 ft cajun was a great bot huge rod lockers a grown man could lay down in them.

Garnet

[bassmaster8100]

Thats a good looking Cajun, Ive never personally  owned  one but have fished out of several. I have liked the ride and setup of the ones that I have fished out of. Ive got a friend that has that same motor, its a good motor. Cant go wrong with a Johnson.

[basscat73]

Thanks for the opinions. I'm trekking out to look at it tomorrow. My wife thinks I'm crazy. I'm leaving at 4am, should get there around 9 - 930. I'll check everything out and see what kind of deal I can get on it. It's a bit of an upgrade from my 79 Bass Cat, so I'm just a tad excited.

[basscat73]

I'm still in the hunt for a boat.

Went and saw the Cajun, but did not buy. Nice hull, but the owner just didn't take very good care of the boat. The TM was almost falling off! I'm not dropping hard-earned cash when something as simple as a TM mount is neglected. Who knows what else was neglected. It would've been great had it been in better shape.

[Jig Man]

By looking at NADA I would say the boat was a couple of grand over priced unless it was a cream puff and most 12 yr old boats won't be.

[cart7t]

I'm still in the hunt for a boat.

Went and saw the Cajun, but did not buy. Nice hull, but the owner just didn't take very good care of the boat. The TM was almost falling off! I'm not dropping hard-earned cash when something as simple as a TM mount is neglected. Who knows what else was neglected. It would've been great had it been in better shape.

Exactly what else was wrong with it?  It's also possible the owner switched TM's before trading in and didn't bother to tighten the thing down.

Heck, it looks like there's a lake in the background, I would've at least taken it for a test spin.

[basscat73]

front of the trailer was bent, interior was kinda trashed up, ripped seats, carpet well worn, fiberglass had chunks taken out of it, probably from ramming a dock. Trolling motor needs to be completely replaced. There are about 12 open screw holes in the fiberglass underneath the TM. I'm holding out for a boat that has a bit more storage capacity too. This boat had no storage in the back of the boat. It did have two large rod/storage lockers, which was nice, but that was it.

[bassmaster8100]

If it had that many probs  Id left it too.

[ljmax]

I'm still in the hunt for a boat.

Went and saw the Cajun, but did not buy. Nice hull, but the owner just didn't take very good care of the boat. The TM was almost falling off! I'm not dropping hard-earned cash when something as simple as a TM mount is neglected. Who knows what else was neglected. It would've been great had it been in better shape.

You can find much better deals than the one you just looked at.  I missed a 1997 Stratos with a 115 Evinrude that sold for $4800 by one lousy hour.  I did find a 1999 Bass Stream though with a 2000 Johnson Ocean Pro on it for $3500 and the boat and motor had less than 100 hours on it but the gel coat was a bit faded.  There are pics in this thread of both boats.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1175035024

The link below is for a 1995 Ranger and it's in your area.  They are asking $8800 but taking offers.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/boa/308122116.html

Keep looking and you'll come across a good deal.  

[basscat73]

ljmax, thanks for that tip on that Ranger. I just bought it!!! Let me know what your favorite soft plastic is. PM me and send me your address because I owe you. Since it was Easter Sunday, I got caught up in family affairs and I probably would've missed that ad, if it weren't for your post.

Anyhow, overall the boat is in good condition. Just needs a little TLC (polishing, vacuuming, a few minor replacements, like the trailer winch, and some minor aesthetic things, and I'm sure I'll get it back into excellent condition. Bought it for $8200. One thing that surprised me is that it's actually 19'3" long. It's a bit bigger than I wanted, but I couldn't pass up the deal. I just kinda figured with the number 481, it would've been 18'1" long.

The ranger trailer is very different from my old boat. It has a weird-looking, old boxy-shaped trailer tongue and it has a large, round six-pin (I think) plug. My tow vehicle only has a four-pin flat, so unfortunately I couldn't drag the boat home with me. He's driving it down this Saturday. Nice guy! The trailer has disc brakes, but I believe they do not hook up with the vehicle brakes. They will only help to stop the trailer if it comes loose from the tow vehicle. I'll have to figure out what to do about the wiring between my vehicle and that trailer. Hopefully, it's not too big deal.  He did put brand new tires on the trailer, which is a nice bonus. Also, when I arrived to view the boat, his boat mechanic was just leaving after checking over the boat and engine for any possibles issues. It got a clean bill of health.

I'll have to post some pics after I get it cleaned up. I'm just happy to say, that I'm a proud boat owner again.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/boa/308122116.html

[ljmax]

Congrats on the boat!    No need to send anything.  I'm just glad you found a decent boat at a good price.  Enjoy it and go catch lots of fish.  8-)