looking at a 1975 17 ft cajun with a 70 hp

[bomberboat]

was going to look at a 1975 17 ft with a 70 omc. on craigslist. that a little under powered ? could i get 35 mph out of it ? i know it's a old boat but i like that style hull. he has put in a new wood floor not sure if he just laid the ply on top of old floor or not. i will take a look at it in a few days. i have a regular tri hull now but im looking for more storage. little bigger deck we are talking about swapping boats mine it a 78 glastron, 79 merc 85 hp. whats the best way to check of transom is ok ? tilt motor up and push up and down to see if it's solid or will that do anything ? been told cajuns were pretty good boats. i have never owned a real bass boat before owned a few old bomber style boats hence my user name. what year did they start making cajun boats ?

[bomberboat]

ahhhhhhh one week no response you guy's are killing me

[Airborne!]

As far as the Transom here is what I do when checking. I take a screw driver and tap along the Transom with the handle end and listen to the sounds it makes. It should sound like a solid tap and not sound hollow or echoing. Look at the areas that run away from the Transom itself for spider cracks that radiate from the transom area. Sometimes you might need to flex the motor a little to see any cracks. Some guys stand on the motor Cav Plate and see if the motor and transom flexes too much, but I personally do not do this. Simple hand flexing should be sufficient. Be sure to look along the hull under the transom area for cracks. Also, look at the plate that runs along the top of the Transom and the drain holes in the Transom Well. If you see rust on the edges that looks like it runs under where the metal meets the fiberglass then this could mean the seal has been compromised and water has leaked under and into the transom. Transoms normally do not fail just because of pure stress, but occurs because water gets inside the Transom causing rot and separation.
As far as the history of Cajun. Well they started building boats for all practical purposes in 1976 in you guessed it…Louisiana. As the years went on they gained a reputation for building tough boats that would ride very dry and stable in heavier seas. By the 90’s they were building some really nicely designed boats that tended to lean more towards the usability side than downright blazing speed or marketing flash. Genmar Holdings ended up buying Cajun with the intent of moving the operation from Louisiana to Arkansas and building the Cajun alongside the Ranger line which Genmar also owned. Long story short is that Labor issues in Louisiana prevented Genmar from moving Cajun so Genmar shut down Cajun with the last Cajun models in 1997.

[bomberboat]

thank you for that info. i have found out on a few boats i have owned that if there is a transducer ir speedo pick up on the boat un screw one of the screws if its wet bad news if it's dry might be good.
i have now had a reply from that guy in a week to meet up so i do not know whats up yet on a swap. only reason i want to swap is more storage and a little biffer casting deck. thanks again

[Airborne!]

Yea good pickup on the Transducer and Speedo Pickup. Things mounted on the Transom are also areas where water can get inside the Transom.

[bomberboat]

i might be able to look at the cajun wed. on the water we will see.