jetheadracer

I'm tossing around the idea of getting rid of my 25' outlaw and moving up to something bigger, possibly a cafe. I boat mostly on Lake Erie and occassionally in Northern Michigan. If and when I step up I'd really like to go Cig and there is an 89'Cafe for sale near me. I guess what i'm asking is , what else should I know about them i'm open to any thoughts or opinions as i've only been boating for 3 years now, so let's hear it...thanks in advance.

CigDaze

Excellent boats! Tough, well-built, awesome ride, great cabin layout, predictable handling. There's not much you can say about them that's not positive.

Just ensure the one you're looking at was well maintained and kept dry by getting it properly surveyed.

I, too, moved from a 25 Outlaw to a Cafe and it was a nice step up.

Good luck.

park35

Great boats,nice ride in rough water,a lot of room in the cabin,only down side is it takes a lot of power to run,I can hit 80 with 625 per side,make sure you get a good survey though

BDiggity

I went from a 23' Baja to a Cafe. I basically went from a turn key boat to one that requires constant wrenching, plus i am doing upgrades during the winters so about every spare nickle is getting dumped in to it. My boating costs went up about 5 fold, my boating enjoyment is half as what it was w/ the Baja due to stressing about if anything will break & ruin the weekend.

But whenever im looking at pictures of it or out on the water with it, i enjoy every minute & proud to own it.

RebarBox

X 2, except the outlaw crap...

With all the ol' cafe's, double check for moisture.

Sea-Dated

+3

Loved my Cafe' and miss her every day.......

Great boats that will knock down any water you throw at them.

jetheadracer

This is the kind of info I was looking for I would absolutely have a survey done on such an old boat. I'm just not sure if i'm ready to blow the kind of coin it takes to run a Cafe, but I sure would like to step up to something bigger though!

Sea-Dated

My Cafe' had been redone and had Bravo's and 500 blue motors. In the 4+ years I had her all I had to spend was gas, oil, impellers, and a couple of batteries. Never had a breakdown or any problems at all. It seems like the guys that have problems go for bigger power or custom power. Find one with stock motors and the reliability should be right there with any other boat. Then you can enjoy the boat and not worry about the extra coin. I personally never stressed once about making it back to the dock or anything. Just did my annual maintenance and enjoyed the hell out of the boat.

Make the jump, you won't be sorry.

tomba29

I've just made to jump to a Cafe and I'm having it totally redone from bow to stern. I don't think you'll regret the move at all.

seafordguy

Problems you have will be dictated by how much power you run, how hard you run it, and how much maintenance you do.

IN GENERAL - tHe 89's are the OLD style cabin - 2 couches down each side. The 90+'s move to the new style cabin with the built in cooler and the cocktail table. I prefer the newer style, but I admiteddly could have gone for the couches to sleep an extra person or two when necessary. My wife and I overnight about a dozen times a year.

On a boat that big I would be concience of what you are towing it with - a fully decked out Cafe on a Steel trailer could be close to 15k lbs.

I wouldn't own one without Hydraulic steering either.

There are a couple reported cases of the drill press missing the mark on the trim tabs and letting moisture into the transom. These cases are RARE, but a survey would detect it.

I like Bravos. Some people like TRS's. That's a personal choice, but they came with both depending on the year.

I love the look of the Cafe for the raked windshield but that slanted windshield has put more than one person in the drink after the drinks started flowing.

Overall - you'll love a Cafe.