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For Sale – Cape Horn 31XS Center Console OffShore Boat Twin Yamaha 300’s with Warranty until Feb 2018

Posted by Keith Elder | Posted in Boating, For Sale, Man Toys | Posted on 19-10-2016

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NOTE: Boat is Sold

Updates:

  • Oct 24th – added new video at the bottom of full walk around of hull and motors
  • Nov 1st – boat is under contract, sale is pending
  • Nov 4th – boat sold

COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE

This is my personal boat and I am the second owner. You will not find a cleaner, better rigged 2013 boat that has all the comfort and convenience as this Cape Horn 31XS. The Cape Horn 31xs is built on the tournament proven hull, but designed to add comfort and convenience for you and the people you enjoy the most. One of the driest rides out there in its size.

The boat is fully loaded from top to bottom with a lot of electronics and safety gear, much of it new within the last year. The boat has not been tournament fished nor used commercially as a charter.  The boat has primarily been used for boating to the islands, cruising the bay, cruising to get a bite to eat on the water. Occassionally when the weather is perfect and I’m not traveling we’ll head out to some rigs or reefs to fish.

Here is a shot of us anchored at Horn Island, one of the many barrier islands off of the Mississippi gulf coast.16.JPG

Motors

The boat is powered by twin Yamaha 300 outboards. These are bullet proof motors known to last over 10,000 hours. These motors have 920 hours on them with the majority of those hours at idle (we do a lot of idling while at the islands or fishing around reefs or rigs). If you aren’t that familiar with boat hours it is roughly equivalent to about 33k miles on a car, which as you know is not a lot. The motors have been flushed after every use and have been professionally maintained by Seven C’s Marine in Biloxi, MS. They are also in warranty until Feb 2018!

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Fuel Burn / Cruise / Speed

This 2013 Cape Horn 31XS holds 290 gallons (two 145 gallon tanks) of fuel. An interesting piece of info is after 2013 this model only holds 273 gallons because Cape Horn had to rework the fuel tanks because of new regulations. So if you are looking at current specs they do not match this year/model.

With 290 gallons of fuel the boat has a tremendous range of around 500 miles. This gives you plenty of reach for long cruises or offshore fishing.

Top speed on the boat (that i’ve seen) is 58.6mph. Typical cruise is 40-42mph burning 1.8mpg of fuel. You can dial the boat in to get 2.0mpg if you want to slow cruise around 30. Here are some numbers that I’ve documented (I have photos to back this up):

  • 32.2mph at 1.9mpg
  • 44.7mph at 1.6mpg
  • 50.8mpg at 1.2mpg

Care

The boat has been dry stored all of its life (previous owner kept it dry stored as well) and is super clean and well taken care of. The boat is not bottom painted nor been left to sit weeks in the water. The boat gets a full wash down after taken out of the water from top to bottom. In June of 2016 the boat was fully detailed and will be delivered fully detailed and ready for the next owner.

The boat is dry racked at the marina and is not exposed to the elements. As you see in this video it is also stored with all the hatches left open to cut down on mildew building up in the storage compartments. A trick I learned many years ago. This short video will also allow you to see the full lines of the boat.

Trailer

It comes with a Magic Tilt tandem trailer, 7500lb tandem axles. Since I’ve had the boat I’ve only trailered it a few times. In September of 2015 I had the whole trailer serviced including lights and the hubs. It is ready for a cross country journey or to the nearest boat ramp.

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I created a short walk through video of the trailer. I apologize in advanced that I didn’t pull it out of its current location, but it just goes to show how little it is used. About the only time it is moved is to mow around it, which I haven’t done since the early Spring. The trailer measures 40ft long and 8ft 10inches wide. IT IS HUGE!

31XS – EXTRA STORAGE and SEATING

With the same great ride as the legendary 31T, the 31XS has truly redefined offshore comfort. The XS adds more storage and seating while preserving the unsinkable characteristics of the Cape Horn line. Large compartments were added to the XS model front gun whales for all your gear. Removeable front cushions which snap in place allow easy access to the bow of the boat. When fishing they are easily removed. The seat in front of console also doubles as a cooler and there is seating on the 60 gallon live well on the leaning post and also a transom seat.

While cruising you can easily sit 10 people on the boat. When you want to fish, remove the cushions and you have a fantastic fishing platform to cast that also provides super easy access to the bow when anchoring or sight casting on calm days.

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Features

  • ADVANCED HULL DESIGN
  • UNSINKABLE
  • LENGTH 31′ 8″
  • BEAM 9′ 1″
  • DRAFT 22″
  • DEADRISE 23 DEGREES
  • WEIGHT 5300lbs
  • MAX H.P. 700
  • FUEL CAPACITY 290 GALLONS
  • MAXIMUM LOAD 4000LBS
  • 10 YEAR HULL WARRANTY
  • LIFETIME TRANSOM WARRANTY
  • ALUM TRAILER WITH DISC BRAKES (ALL AXLES), ALUM MAG WHEELS WITH RADIAL TIRES
  • HARD TOP WITH ELECTRONICS BOX
  • FORWARD SEATING
  • REAR TRANSOM SEATING
  • (2) SPREADER LIGHTS
  • LEANING POST WITH BACKREST
  • ELECTRIC TRIM TABS WITH INDICATORS
  • S.S. SWIM LADDER
  • 1000 GPH BILGE PUMP
  • 1250 GPH AUTO BILGE PUMP
  • COAMING BOLSTERS
  • TILT WHEEL HYD. STEERING
  • VACU FLUSH TOILET WITH HOLDING TANK
    • a $2500 addon
  • FLUSH MOUNT HARDWARE
  • RAW WATER WASHDOWN
  • FRESHWATER SYSTEM (20 GALLONS)
  • 7’ (700 QUARTS) INSULATED FISH BOX,
  • 85 QT. INSULATED DRINK COOLER
  • WALK-IN CONSOLE
  • LIVEWELL SYSTEM (60/26 GALLONS)
  • FLUSH MOUNT ELECTRONICS AREA (13 X 40)
  • ROD HOLDERS (26)
    • (2) deep drop added June 2016
  • 9 STAINLESS CUP HOLDERS
    • (4) added to rear gunnels June 2016

Electronics and Accessories

  • Auto Pilot
    • Garmin GHP 20 Autopilot (New Oct 2016!)
  • Radar
    • Garmin 24HD Radar
  • Sonar
    • Garmin GSD24
    • Airmar 1k transducer
  • Stereo
    • Clarion Radio (supports iphone, has iphone jack)
    • Fusion BT100 bluetooth
  • Amps (1600 watts total)
    • 1000 watt JL Audio AMP
    • 600 watt JL Audio AMP
  • Speakers
    • (4) 10″ JL Audio subs (2 new Sept 2015, 2 new April 2016)
    • (6) JL Audio speakers
  • (2) Head Units
    • 7212 Garmin
    • 5212 Garmin
  • Satellite weather
  • Tackle storage
    • Yes, in leaning post on port side
    • Holds 4 plano boxes and has one large pull out drawer
  • Helm Cushion (to help knees and back while underway)
    • Yes, Foot cush
  • Underwater LED lighting
  • Trim tabs
    • Lenco trim tabs
  • Batteries and switches
    • (4) batteries total
    • (3) perko switches
    • One battery per motor, (2) for the house
    • Also has isolator, can run either motor to keep house batteries charged
  • Outriggers
    • Yes, Revolution outriggers
  • EPIRB
    • Yes, ACR (new Sept 2015)
  • Anchor and rode included

Additional Pictures

There are other pictures available for viewing online. You can get some higher resolutions by visiting that link.

Walk Through Video

Sometimes it is hard to get a feel for things in pictures so I created a full length walk through video of the boat. In this video I walk you through all the many features of the boat and point out any flaws. Hang in there, I got a little long winded but it should give you a complete feel for the care I’ve put into the boat and how it is rigged.

Outside Hull / Motor Walk Through Video

I was at the marina and had the boat on the maintenance rack a few days ago cleaning some of my gear out of the boat and doing a wash down. Took a full walk around video of the outside hull and motors. I apologize for the wind, it was blowing 30 knots at times. Anyway, enjoy the video!

Why am I selling the boat?

I get this question a lot so I thought I’d post it here. Good question, and fair. The short answer is I’m moving up to a larger boat. This boat will fish 5 comfortably and you can stretch it to 6 depending on the size of those going. I have to leave family and or friends on the dock many trips, just can’t fit everyone so I’m going to move up to a bigger boat. I don’t know what I’ll be looking at for the next purchase but I’m looking forward to shopping and doing some research. If it honestly wasn’t for that I’d be keeping this boat. It is a dry ride, great economy, is fast when you need it, has tons of range, built like a tank and unsinkable, is loaded to the gills with bells and whistles and is comfortable for both fishing and cruising. I really love the boat. My favorite boat of all time and if my circumstances change in the future I wouldn’t hesitate to own another one.

Price: $124,999 – Call or text 601.467.9744

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Guidelines and Rules For Getting on a Friend’s Boat to go Fishing

Posted by Keith Elder | Posted in Boating | Posted on 21-05-2013

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After years of boating I thought I’d help save as many boating friendships as I could. Hopefully this list of guidelines will help those joining their friends on an offshore / inshore fishing adventure. Hopefully this list will help you stay in the good graces of the Captain and crew to allow you to enjoy many boating trips with friends.

Before we get into the guidelines below there is a code of conduct shared among boaters. While we don’t have time to get into all of the details just know that the Captain (the one that owns the boat or the one that is driving the boat) is the person in charge. They are legally liable for all passengers on the boat. It is important to understand there is an order to things on a boat and it starts with the Captain and goes down from there. What the Captain says goes and that’s all there is to it. Always remember that! Ok, onto the list:

  1. PART OF THE CREW – The very first thing one has to understand is THERE ARE NO PASSENGERS ON A BOAT. If you are not the Captain (the one who owns the boat) you are part of the CREW. That means you have things to do so expect to do your share of the work. This could be helping load the boat, unload the boat, cleaning out the boat, organizing items on the boat, getting fishing gear ready, rigging lines, or getting bait.
  2. PLAY BY THE RULES – Remember, you’re a guest on the boat. If the boat owner says don’t do X then don’t do X.
  3. ASK BEFORE DOING – Don’t assume ANYTHING. Like for example don’t untie a line unless the Captain asked you to untie it. There is probably a reason he wants it to stay tied. Before moving anything on the boat, or latching anything down, ask the Captain if he would like “insert item” to be moved, untied, etc. Any gear being brought on the boat let the Captain place it or direct where he wants it.
  4. DOCKING – Leaving the dock and approaching a dock or anchoring that’s the time for you to be on alert. There are lines that need to be tied or untied and these lines should be tied while in the boat. Do not attempt to jump off the boat with a roap onto the dock. More people have been harmed this way. Whatever you do, do not try to stop a multi-ton boat with your hands once it is in motion at the dock. Do not get your hands between the boat and the dock they can and will get crushed.
  5. BOATS ARE EXPENSIVE – Chip In. Don’t just offer to kick in for gas, insist on it. Also don’t forget all the other costs associated with running a boat (bait, tackle, tips at marina, ice, gear, insurance, storage fees, trailer costs, tires, etc). Whether you fish from a center console or a twin-screw diesel, boats burn a ton of fuel. A lot of boat owners are inviting more guys to fish with them for this reason alone, they want to offset some of the fuel cost. Keep in mind that a six-pack charter usually runs from $1500 to $2,500 or more for a full day (plus they still charge for fuel). For a long offshore trip offer at least $200 for gas, bait and other things. Maybe $75 to $100 for a near shore trip and around $50 if you stay inshore.
  6. MAKE THEM MISS YOU – Bring Lunch. You don’t need to get fancy, but if you can whip up a killer lunch and feed the crew, do it! Or, stop by a good deli and hook everyone up. You want everyone to miss you and your sandwiches when you’re not there.
  7. STAY BUSY – If you are fishing and the bite is slow, pick up a hose and rinse off the deck. When fishing something is always dirty. Ask the Captain if anything needs to be done. If you see lines that are broken off ask to learn how to rig a line, most Captains love passing on fishing knowledge so don’t feel bad about asking to learn.
  8. GEAR – Always ask what you need to bring before showing up at the dock. Most all boats have places for coolers, you don’t need to bring another one. Same thing with life vests. If you are fishing definitely ask what tackle you can or should bring. If you are going offshore fishing but you don’t fish offshore much, odds are the Captain and other members of the crew are going to have what you need, and probably way better than what you are going to bring. If you are more experienced, merely ask. Some Captains prefer to use their own rods and reels because they know their gear is rigged properly, but if you have tackle, offer to bring it along and always error on the side of less is more. Don’t just show up with a truck full of stuff.
  9. PACK LIGHT – When you do show up with your *stuff* be sure you only packed what you need. Boats are light on storage. Do not bring big bulky tackle boxes that will be in the way and large bags with clothes and an entire medicine cabinet of stuff. Remember every pound of stuff you place on the boat the more fuel it is going to burn. If the Captain says there isn’t room there isn’t room. Don’t argue and move on.
  10. KEEP IT CLEAN – Clean Up After Yourself. Treat someone else’s boat better than you would treat your own. If you make a mess (especially in the head), clean it up. If you spill something wash it out. If you get something on the boat wash it off THEN not LATER as later it is going to be 10 times harder to get off after baking in the sun.
  11. SHOES – Only wear non-marking boat shoes, boots or sandals. There is no bigger sin than leaving black marks all over someone’s boat.
  12. CLEAN THE FISH – Help clean the catch. Unless you don’t know how to fillet a fish, grab a knife and do your best work to give everyone a perfect fillet. Heck, even if you can’t clean a fish, you can still help with the bagging and icing. Just get involved.
  13. FIND YOUR ROLE –  Ask what the crew wants you to do. If they need a gaff man, go for it. If they’ve already got a guy for each job, get the camera and take lots of photos. Whatever it is, find your place within the crew.
  14. WASH THE BOAT – This is critical. Everything on the boat needs a good washing after a fishing trip or being in salt water. Grab a brush or sponge and help out. Don’t even think about leaving until every inch of that boat has been washed.
  15. DON’T BE THAT GUY – It is the Captain’s boat and he has probably run it many times. He’s probably not really interested in a bunch of unsolicited ideas about how things should be done.
  16. PLAN AHEAD – Check and make sure you have a valid fishing license. Don’t even think about it. Get a license. It isn’t the Captain’s responsibility to check your license. Be sure you know where you are fishing if you are close to state lines. You may need to get two licenses. Also, make sure you are ready to go on time and have everything you need for the trip.
  17. PAY ATTENTION – Pay attention when the Captain gives the safety briefing and explains how things work on the boat and where things are, the lives of everyone on board might depend on it.
  18. FISHING GEAR – If you didn’t bring fishing gear then throw some extra money for fishing gear / tackle. A single 8 oz. weight can cost $2-$3, a single lure can cost $40. Rod and reel combos can run $300-$1000 easily and just the line can be $100. It all adds up. A lot of Captains may choose to provide all the gear and take up a gear collection for the gear fund. Be sure you contribute.
  19. MARINA – If launching from a marina be polite to everyone there and NEVER ask anyone to do or get you anything unless you are personally prepared to tip them. If someone fetches ice for the boat, tip them. If someone helps you tie up, tip them. The Captain will appreciate you chipping in instead of him having to reach into his pocket every time.
  20. GLASS – Never ever bring anything glass on a boat. Ever. Never. Ever.
Following these simple words of wisdom will make you a great crew member and probably someone the Captain will never forget the next time he goes fishing. Tight lines.
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