Caymas CX20

[SkeeterFan]

Been running Skeeters for years. I have had my Skeeter 20 i since 2009 and it has been a great boat. It rides great and is fast. I have looked at new Skeeters but i really want a Mercury this time so I'm looking at Phoenix,Caymas,and Falcon. i have found a new Caymas CX20 and i like what i see with pictures but i have never been in one. i heard the CX20 was fast but u had to drive it. Any input on the CX20 about ride, fit and finish, having to drive it would b much appreciated before i drive a long way to look at it. Also i have found a 920 Phoenix but leaning towards the Caymas. Thanks n advance.

[billproxs]

You wont second guess yourself, I can promise you that! Honestly it was actually one of the easiest boats for me to drive. Very user friendly.

[CaymasRodney]

Absolutely love my CX 20 and 250 Mercury, fine ride in rough water, fishes as good as any boat i ever been in, handles great in those rollers. The fit and finish is second to none, Earl has it right for sure! It does take a little driving if you want to get speed but its not near as bad as the Tritons was. The back in is cleaner than any boat i have ever rigged, no wires running everywhere all cleaned up shiny, pumps easy to get to, i can go on and on. I replied to you email with my number.

[CaymasCobaltKen]

As a total newbie to fiberglass fishing boats, I have nothing to compare my CX 20 to. The fit and finish (and dealer) is what sold me on the boat. I am amazed at how well it cuts through, or skims over, the rough water. The 250 Mercury has much more than my skill level wants to experience. This is a lifetime boat for me.

[Reese19x2]

If a Caymas CX20 is on your list I would say defiantly take that drive to look at one. I've had mine for 3 months now and with every trip I am more impressed with the boat. I did all my rigging so I got an up-close look at the wiring and what's normally not seen.
I was amazed at all the attention to detail. When you go look at it take a look under the console and under the back lid as Rodney stated. Very clean! I am also amazed like the post above with the rough water ride. Boat is solid!

[jeffreydavisjr]

I was at the Raleigh, NC Bass and Saltwater fishing expo all weekend. I stood on and plundered through a CX19, CX20, and a CX21 for 2 days. Literally... I was working the show and was right beside the Caymas Boats and often got in and checked around them during slow periods.

I like the CX21 layout a little better simply because of the day box on the front deck. I love that compartment and I desperately want one to help me stay organized a little better on tournament days.

All 3 of the models appear to have the exact same seats. The very first thing I noticed when I sat down was how much higher I was in them as compared to my Triton. I could tell I could see a lot better and getting in and out of the seats was easier than my Triton. The seats in my Triton are much lower.

The seats themselves are very comfortable. Late one evening I sat in the seat for 10 minutes straight and the comfort was great.

Another thing I noticed is that the seats are kinda on pedestals? Why does this matter? Well, I probably have 2 or 3 tungsten weights behind my seats on my Triton. There is no way for me to get to them easily. The pedestal style seat system on the Caymas allows you to reach behind the seats easily to get anything that falls down in there.

The CX21 and CX20 came with a net and a holder which is a nice bonus... It tucks nicely behind the passenger seat.

Every box on the CX20 and 21 were lockable (except the livewells). Even the drawer in the passenger side floor has a lock on it.

The big storage compartment in the middle of the boat is the same ol same ol. Nothing revolutionary in there. I stopped by and looked at the Falcon F20 Predator and I hope Caymas can eventually put something in place like that.

As tournament anglers we need as many storage options as possible. Some kind of sliding storage system similar to what Falcon offers would be my preferred setup.

The CX20 and CX21 also had LED lights installed on the front deck. I can definitely see that helping in early mornings. Plus it gives it a "cool" factor. Speaking of the front deck, the CX20 and 21 are very big. I feel like I can put 14 rods on the front deck comfortably. The push buttons at the front deck were nice. I love being able to manage my live wells and other things right from the front deck. Their push button and just looked so much better than the old school rockers or switches some manufactures use.

The CX21 had a dual console installed. It took up way too much foot space for me. The great news is it has 2 or 3 bolts that can be removed and the console can be removed. I personally hate dual consoles as I value the extra room far more than protecting my co-angler from the wind. LOL (Is that bad for me to say?) For married couples and guys who just fish team tournaments, then yes you'll love the dual console as it does indeed provide a lot of coverage for the anglers behind it. But again, getting to that storage box under the 2nd console would be a little more difficult, so a dual console isn't for me.

The bilge compartment on all the models was super clean and the pumps were very accessible. I rig my own electronics, batteries, transducers, etc. and I can tell that working in this bilge compartment would make things much easier on me. Cable management looks good and everything appears very well constructed.

Caymas apparently has an agreement/deal with Boat Logix for their mounts. This was my first time seeing the Boat Logix mounts in person. They look great and appeared sturdy. They were used on the CX21 to hold 2 Lowrance 12 inch graphs. I pulled firmly on each of the units and they didn't budge at all. The CX20 didn't have any units installed on it.

The CX21 also had a stereo installed. This is an accessory I wouldn't want or need on my rig but for the guys who do it was installed cleanly and I didn't see any obvious issues with it.

The live wells are divided and remind me of Phoenix Live wells (I owned a Phoenix several years ago).

The rod boxes are very big and have no carpet in them which is great. No more treble hooks in the carpet on tournament morning! This was very well though out and finally boat manufactures are no longer doing this.

The CX19 and the CX20 was on a standard trailer and the CX21 was on a fiberglass trailer. The fiberglass trailer looked so much better (visually). Not that the standard trailer looked bad... it's just the look and feel of the matching fiberglass trailer was so much nicer. Both the CX20 and 21 were on the 18 inch wheels which again, look beautiful.

For the CX19 trailer, I was disappointed to see they used a much cheaper looking winch. It looked like an old school winch that people use on Pontoon boats while the CX20 and 21 had the nice Fulton winches installed.

Both the CX20 and 21 had step ladders on the trailer at the bow to get in. But the 3rd step to get in is a big step. My Boat EFX steps are more spaced out and the final step to get into the boat is much easier. It honestly felt a bit of a risk using that last step and I found myself being very careful getting into and out of the boat using the steps on the trailer. In fact one time I said, "Nah, I'll just slip off the back of the boat this time." Honestly, if I had a Caymas I'd remove those steps and install ones from Boat EFX or Trick Step. There's just too much distance from that top step and the bow for me. I'm shorter though and have shorter legs. Taller guys may not have an issue (I am 5'6").

Fit and finish across the whole boat was good. There were no obvious issues. Everything was clean and the boat was laid out great. If I had to choose which model to purchase and money wasn't a big factor I'd choose the 21 just because of the front deck day box and what I would assume is a better rough water boat because its a foot longer.

Please keep in mind I have been on the water with any model yet and can't speak to its ride or comfort in rough water.

If you have any specific questions please ask me directly and I'll be happy to report back. I am working with Performance East in North Carolina this year. They're a Caymas Dealer. So if I don't have an answer for you I can probably get it from someone else.

:) Jeff

[SkeeterFan]

Thanks for all the reply’s. A couple more questions. This boat has a manual jack plate. They said they would put a hydraulic plate on it with gauge. Do I need the hydraulic plate. I have never had one. And I see where some people put the 2” wedges on there boat. Does the cx 20 run better with hydraulic JP and wedges. Also would u go lithium batteries for the trolling motor

[Cx21 Pro]

Thanks for all the reply’s. A couple more questions. This boat has a manual jack plate. They said they would put a hydraulic plate on it with gauge. Do I need the hydraulic plate. I have never had one. And I see where some people put the 2” wedges on there boat. Does the cx 20 run better with hydraulic JP and wedges. Also would u go lithium batteries for the trolling motor

The wedges are more for the 21 to get more lift, you don’t need them on the 20. I like the HYD jackplate, think it’s a good thing to have.

[DallasFJB]

Been running Skeeters for years. I have had my Skeeter 20 i since 2009 and it has been a great boat. It rides great and is fast. I have looked at new Skeeters but i really want a Mercury this time so I'm looking at Phoenix,Caymas,and Falcon. i have found a new Caymas CX20 and i like what i see with pictures but i have never been in one. i heard the CX20 was fast but u had to drive it. Any input on the CX20 about ride, fit and finish, having to drive it would b much appreciated before i drive a long way to look at it. Also i have found a 920 Phoenix but leaning towards the Caymas. Thanks n advance.

Falcon Predator would be your best option.

[jeffreydavisjr]

If you run rough water you need the hydraulic plate. You can send that motor down in rough water and really have a better ride. You can also pull it up in really skinny water and get on plane in 3 foot of water. If you can afford it… get it.

[CaymasRodney]

Thanks for all the reply’s. A couple more questions. This boat has a manual jack plate. They said they would put a hydraulic plate on it with gauge. Do I need the hydraulic plate. I have never had one. And I see where some people put the 2” wedges on there boat. Does the cx 20 run better with hydraulic JP and wedges. Also would u go lithium batteries for the trolling motor

Good talking to you today, give that OLD MAN a call and go get it!!
You have my number, give me a call if I can help you!!

[happykamper]

Falcon Predator would be your best option.

Do you know this for a fact ? Just curious, have you ran a Caymas or a Phoenix ?

[SkeeterFan]

no i haven't ran either brand I'm going to run a 920 phoenix friday

[CaymasRodney]

Falcon Predator would be your best option.

How you figure that here on the Caymas board?

[happykamper]

no i haven't ran either brand I'm going to run a 920 phoenix friday

I was referring to the guy that said Falcon. That 920 Phoenix boat is a nice boat, would have been my choice if i had not fell in love with the Caymas, I did look at a Falcon for maybe 1 minute and passed on by.