New 1995 Cajun Esprit 2000 owner with questions.

[dfaulhaber2k1]

Hello everyone. I just bought a 95 Cajun. This is the first boat I have owned and have questions. My boat didn't have any manuals. I've been reading the forum and see that manuals are pretty much non-existent. But here goes:
1) What plugs do I need to use when boating? I see two on the lower transom which I figure I need to plug, but there is also one under the boat near the front hull. Does this one need to be plugged also? I believe it empties the front livewell.
2) What grade fuel do you put in? It has a Johnson V6 200 outboard.
3) Where is the bilge pump located? I want to buy one to have on hand just incase.
4) Are there any suggestions you guys would give me?

Thanks again for all the help everyone.

[DJ from MN]

Howdy and welcome to Cajun Country.

1) there are two holes at the bottom of the transom, but only one is the drain hole and needs a plug. The other is an intake for your aerator pump (to fill the live-wells). There should be a screen inside that one. The drain plug goes in the one in the center of the boat behind the keel.

2) don't know about the front one. My guess is you plug that inside the live-well. I know you wouldn't stick a plug in a surface of the boat that is in contact with the water while you are underway.

3) the bilge is in the lowest part of the boat just ahead of the transom. There will be two pumps in there. One for the aerators(connected by a hose to that 2nd hole you see in the transom) and the bilge.

[CajunBass]

The bilge and aerator pumps may be under an access plate (a piece of plywood usually) as far to the stern as you find, center of the boat.

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe the 200 Johnson is designed for regular gas. You can ask on the Johnson/Evinrude forum for sure. A lot of people will tell you to run higher octane but I always go with what the manufacturer says.

[dfaulhaber2k1]

Cool. Thanks for the help guys. I was hoping to be able to take it out today, but we have a severe storm watch right now. :*(

[cajuncatfish]

As previous posts have already mentioned the only one you need to plug is the one in the center of the keel. The others that have fittings around them are the intake for the livewells and drain for it. You can plug the livewells from inside them if you wish but my Cajun Espirit's (an '89 and '92) both have a valve control below that throttle allows you to close or open the drain valve on the livewells by pushing or pulling it. I've always found that was one of the neat features of a Cajun along with the fold over rear deck extension and reversible front cushion deck expansions. As for grade of fuel, I usually run mid-grad in mine but I believe Johnson says 87 grade is OK you might try both and see if your engine demonstrates any preference. On my Espirits the bilge pumps were located under a floor plate that can be reached by opening the center storage behind the rear seats, removing the t-motor batteries and then unscrewing the carpeted floor board. Mine have Mayfair 500 GPH in them for the bilge and livewell.
Hope you enjoy your Cajun as much as I do mine.

[dfaulhaber2k1]

Thanks for the help guys. I was able to take my Cajun out today and it was awesome!!!!!! My friends boats both broke down and I had to tow them in. I loved every second of it. They both had brand new Bayliners, and I had my Cajun.

I do have some more questions though:
1) The trim indicator did not work. How do they work and what needs to be hooked up for it to work? I haven't taken a look at the wiring yet, but I just got home and finished cleaning it up and flushing the motor.
2) The speedo don't work either. I think the pilot tube is messed up, so I'm going to replace that sometime this week. Is that a common problem?
3) Do those hydrofoil fins for outboards really work? I noticed it took a little while to get mine to plane, and wondered if they would help. I have a Johnson Venom 200 V6 with 4 blade prop. Not sure about the pitch.

Thanks again for all the help.


Modified by dfaulhaber2k1 at 8:24 AM 5/5/2007

[njensen67]

If your speedo is not working, check to make sure that your pitot is locked in the correct position (approx 90 degrees to the bottom of your boat hull) and that the measuring tube is not kinked or tiestrapped to tightly to other cables..

I have a whale tail fin stabilizer onmy boat and it helps greatly for smoothing out the ride, however that doesn't mean that it would work well for you on your boat. I don't have a jack plate for my Johnson 88, so the motor is at a fixed height and seems to work pretty good with my power trim. I suppose I could try to "tune" the engine height and then trim it to get better speed, but recent financial crisis (Divorce, wife arrested for armed robbery and now forced into bankruptcy due to all the loans she left me, oh yea!) has prevented me from doing much at all with my boat much less any kind of fishing. Maybe next year will be better and gas prices lower, I will live closer to the lake.........and so on...Time will tell. I still intend to try and salvage some of this years great weather and go boating, but it will be a very financially stressful year for me.

In any case, good luck with your boat and hopefully you will find a combination that will work for you. If you want to invest the money in a stabilizer (about 25-30 bucks I think), it is not a permanent fixture on your lower unit (slip on and bolt it down) so you may try it out and take it off if it doesn't work.

Keep an eye out for "porpoising" (bow starts bouncing up and down) as if it gets too bad or occurs at high speed you could lose control of your boat.

[Cal Ross]

The bilge is located under the battery area near the airators. You need to remove the entire decking where the batteries sit in the well next to the airators. There should be four screws to remove the airators (two cyclindars). Slide it out and reach toward the front of the boat. You will feel the bilge pump. Hell of a location and not easy to work on...

As to the other item... look at the rear of your boat and drain plug, there are three holes. The middle is the plug.. the one to the right is an in-flow value that is operated manually. The controls are located on the floor near the control panel and steering wheel. If you slide it out it is closed. It operates a lever near the drain plug. Remover the cap in the transom well and watch it open and close. takes two people....

My 175 Johnson has an automatic oiler. I think it recomends a 50:1 ratio fuel to oil.

I have a 1993 2003 Esprit and the owner mauels. I assume yours is the same as my boat.

Good luck - Cal

[dfaulhaber2k1]

Thanks again for all the help guys. Since my last post, I've been able to take it out a couple of times now, and I must say it is AWESOME!!!! Everything works now, except the trim indicator. I haven't had time to look at it and the weather has been really bad. I still have a couple of things to work out, but I must say it was the best purchase I've made in a while. Thanks again for all the help and I hope to be able to post some pics soon.

[JohnT]

Cal Ross, I know it's been a year or two since you posted this.... I have purchased a 1997 18' Espirit. Your answer to the post certainly helps, Thank You.. Is there anything that is supposed to drain into the bilge even if the boat has only been in the water a few minutes? My auto bilge pump kicked on really quick and upon removing the drain plug there seemed to a fair amount water draining, boat was on the trailer on the ramp just doing an engine test. "wish there was a plumbing diagram" Thanks JohnT

[JohnT]

Cal Ross, I know it's been a year or two since you posted this.... I have purchased a 1997 18' Espirit. Your answer to the post certainly helps, Thank You.. Is there anything that is supposed to drain into the bilge even if the boat has only been in the water a few minutes? My auto bilge pump kicked on really quick and upon removing the drain plug there seemed to a fair amount water draining, boat was on the trailer on the ramp just doing an engine test. "wish there was a plumbing diagram" Thanks JohnT

[scubatelco]

Try putting 10 gallons of water in the blige with the plug in the boat on the trailer. Watch where the water leaks out of and that will help with locating which hose conection for the aerators is leaking. Might be just old hoses that need replacing too.