Test Drove a CX21 today

[kmanbear]

The fit and finish on these boats is excellent. They have thought of so many “little” things to make this boat exceptional. We were on the Illinois river and it was very calm so I really couldn’t get a feel for her rough water ride, but she’s a sweet boat. I currently have a Phoenix PHX21 with a 250 Verado. It rides like a dream, it has a great layout, but there’s several things that I like better about the Cx21.
The padded deck
the padded cooler lid
the padded lid between the seats
the drain plug switch
The switches to turn the power on are so easy to get to
it feels a ft wider than my PHX21 at the trolling motor(it’s not that much wider, but for some reason it feels HUGE)
the coffin like room left in the battery compartment.
the sea deck floor

few things I like less:
my phx has slam latches, much more convenient (but then again they let a fair amount of water in)
CX felt slow out of the hole, but there were 3 of us in the boat and no hydraulic jack plate)
PHX trailer has shock absorbers, it’s like pulling a marshmallow on a cloud. I didn’t hitch on to the cx trailer, but it doesn’t have shocks.
i question in the cx will ride as well in rougher water as the PHX, but it’s nothing more than a hunch


any of you not putting hydraulic jack plates on with the pro XS?
have you had your cx21 in rougher water?
how do you feel about the trailer? Does it ride nice?

i appreciate any input

thanks

[HH45cal]

I came out of 721. Not knocking Phoenix but caymas seems to be a better built boat , to this point I’d call it a major upgrade but suspect your phx is different beast I’m sure. I haven’t had any significant trouble loading on the trailer- but haven’t figured out sweet spot yet and have to crank some but asides from that- it’s a great boat. 721 more agile, faster but caymas smoother ride and takes party boat wake much better . I’m gonna hit st Clare soon so we shall see

[Sam378]

I came out of Phoenix and ordered cx21 pro, I’ve had this boat in rough waters of Toledo bend and the skinny marshes in south la. Hydraulic jackplate is a must on any big performance boat I will say that, the tough water ride is exceptionally better then my Phoenix mainly because the seats allow you to move and not get hit with the impact, the quality is way better in the caymas then the Phoenix, the trailer on the cx21 pro has torsion axles so you don’t need shocks and yes it pulls smooth as butter. I will say this I’ve had this boat in the deep marshes of south la for the past three weeks as I been practicing for an upcoming tournament and this boat is as nimble and handles like a 20’er it will shoot the gaps that we encounter in the tight turns going into the pipelines and will flat out haul in shallow water , I have been fishing in 1 foot of water the whole time and haven’t had the first issue other then a couple heat alarms because of the grass we have down here, I strongly recommend a caymas over a Phoenix and I’ve ran a lot of different boats in my life and this is the best one yet. If this boat don’t crack like all the other boats I’ve owned then I would say earl bentz hit a goldmine

[kmanbear]

Hey Sam,
thank you for your input! You really hit the nail on the head, that was exactly the kind of information I was looking for!
Be Safe and Good fishing!