# Cayo 180MV Build



## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

Well my two young daughters took up fishing like I never imagined which was a blessing and a curse. I absolutely love the fact that they always want to be on the water and are learning to fish responsibly. But on the other hand, I can no longer go fishing alone or with my buddies without having the biggest guilt trip waiting for me when I get home. So now that I frequently have stowaways I decided I needed to upsize my boat. I LOVED my 173 and it was perfect for my solo trips and trips with another person. Three adults on the 173 was doable, and I did it many times, but that skiff was really ideal with two. For recreational anglers 3 people wouldn't be a problem at all, but guides would definitely need something more stable. 
I stuck with Cayo because the build quality of my 173 was amazing, especially for the price point. So the folks at Cayo helped me sell my beloved Cayo 173 to a lucky dude. I did a wet test of the regular 180 and it ran great, but I had gotten so spoiled with how shallow I was able to get on my 173 that I decided to wait for the MV. After doing a test ride of the 180MV, I was sold. It drafted ever so slightly more than my 173 and was a good compromise between draft, ride and stability. If I were frequently fishing/crossing more open water, I would have gone with the regular 180 which has more deadrise.
I ain't gonna lie, the build is taking longer than I expected. Maybe it's because I'm getting the first production MV, because they've moved to a new facility or because they're going through growing pains; but whatever it is, tack on a couple months to your build time if you order a boat from them. Hopefully now that they've moved they will get that build time ironed out. But I'm sure every Cayo owner will testify that the final product is worth the wait. I'm on the final stretch now and should have my boat by the middle of next month.
It would have been awesome for me to see or ride one of these boats locally before making my decision, so once I get it, if anyone in the South Florida (Miami-dade, broward, keys) area wants to check it out, hit me up.
So here it is:
Cayo 180MV Custom Blue Hull, Light Gray Deck
Zuke 60 with Powertech prop (TBD)
Console with Jump seat & insulated cooler
Line-X package
Custom console globe box with bocatech switches
Removable 24v Terrova trolling motor with a single 24v Lithium battery
Bluetooth stereo receiver & speakers (I know I know a purist wouldn't have a stereo or trolling motor, but this has to also double as a family boat for the sand banks)





  








Cayo 180MV Gel




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Cayo 180MV Infusion




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Cayo 180MV Hull2




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Cayo 180MV Hull1




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Cayo 180MV Deck




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Cayo 180MV Baitwell




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Cayo 180MV Build1




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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

DangerD said:


> I ain't gonna lie, the build is taking longer than I expected.




Pretty boat. If they ever build me another one it will be this hull.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2018)

Awesome! Congrats!


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## redfish5 (Jun 28, 2011)

Good looking boat, looking forward to seeing the finished product. What’s the difference in the MV vs the regular?

JB and team are trying to pump out their new 26’ Cat—may have something to do with the delay in your build. Pretty cool build thread going on THT if any one is interested.


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## ReelFisher (Mar 14, 2017)

Congrats man, looks awesome. My build got super delayed too with his first move, but it's worth the wait. Is that carbon livewell standard?


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

redfish5 said:


> Good looking boat, looking forward to seeing the finished product. What’s the difference in the MV vs the regular?
> 
> JB and team are trying to pump out their new 26’ Cat—may have something to do with the delay in your build. Pretty cool build thread going on THT if any one is interested.


No doubt the Cat boat is causing some of the delay. That is one sick boat.
The 180 has a 10 degree deadrise.
In the 180MV, the V is tucked into the hull as it moves towards the stern. I think the net deadrise ends up being around 5 degrees. I feel if someone is going for a shallower draft with a smaller motor, the MV would be better, but bigger motors probably would be better matched to the 10 degree. I'd assume the walls where the V gets tucked in on the MV will help the boat track straight.

The carbon livewell is not standard. It was just a little bling upgrade for me.


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## zmgsvt (Jun 5, 2009)

Congrats, saw it the other day. The pics don't do that blue any justice. Switches are sick too.


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2018)

Lookin good!


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

Thanks guys. Yeah zmgsvt, for some reason that blue just doesn't come out in pictures. We tried pictures from a bunch of different phones but they all came out the same. It is a teal-ish ocean blue but the pictures look plain blue. And yes, the switches came out better than I thought they would. I'll post a picture of the switches once they get the console put together. You probably saw the boat more put together than I have. Here are some of the last pictures I got.


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

Man that is a good lookin Skiff! keep us updated!


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

Well the good folks at Cayo delivered my boat yesterday, but unfortunately I'm out of town. So I won't be able to run it or post pics for a couple days. But my two buddies took it out today and sent me this pic early this morning. I'll post more once I get back.


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

This is the one they posted that is going to Miami right?


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

Yup! It is.


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## SOswald (Mar 30, 2013)

Fishshoot said:


> This is the one they posted that is going to Miami right?


Sweeeeet! Congrats! I look forward to seeing pics of it finished.


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

SOswald said:


> Sweeeeet! Congrats! I look forward to seeing pics of it finished.


Pics are on Cayo FB and probably instagram, It is nice lookin skiff!


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## redfish5 (Jun 28, 2011)

No way I’m letting my buddies take out my new boat before me, you’re a better man than me, lol!


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## makin moves (Mar 20, 2010)

Your one hell of a friend!


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## wooddrow (Dec 31, 2013)

Sweet boat! Congrats!

JB and them have a great product, no doubt about that. I just don't understand them trying to grow so big so fast. they have a great thing going with the smaller boats, why not perfect that, reduce the wait time/production time, then unveil the big boat.


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## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

wooddrow said:


> I just don't understand them trying to grow so big so fast. they have a great thing going with the smaller boats, why not perfect that, reduce the wait time/production time, then unveil the big boat.


Because the market supports the growth. People lined up to buy a $150k bay boat before the first one hit the water. That should tell you all you need to know. 

I waited 13 months for my skiff. I could have walked away at any point and someone else would have bought my spot in line before the ink dried on the deposit return check.


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## wooddrow (Dec 31, 2013)

jmrodandgun said:


> Because the market supports the growth. People lined up to buy a $150k bay boat before the first one hit the water. That should tell you all you need to know.
> 
> I waited 13 months for my skiff. I could have walked away at any point and someone else would have bought my spot in line before the ink dried on the deposit return check.


I think they build a damn nice boat and i'm sure the 26 cat will be nothing short of awesome. I agree the market supports the growth and I think that's why you've seen the estero and east cape bay come out. those companies have also been around much longer.

Competition is good for the consumer. I'd just hate to see too many irons in the fire hurt them when it comes to production and keeping the orders they already have.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Curious to see how that Zuke 60 will push it.


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## zmgsvt (Jun 5, 2009)

Looks great. Interested in zuke #'s as well on that hull.


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

I'll definitely post some numbers and impressions soon. My friend says the powertech prop was a no go. It was blowing out at around 3,000 RPMs. And he was only getting about 26 miles per hour. It was the Powertech srd3 in 17-pitch. I'm going to run it soon with a few different props and will post the result. I believe that Powertech is pretty aggressive so 17-pitch maybe too much for it. I may end up just going back to a Suzuki prop.


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## Matt05 (Apr 6, 2013)

jmrodandgun said:


> Because the market supports the growth. People lined up to buy a $150k bay boat before the first one hit the water. That should tell you all you need to know.
> 
> I waited 13 months for my skiff. I could have walked away at any point and someone else would have bought my spot in line before the ink dried on the deposit return check.


Just because the market supports the growth doesn’t mean you can handle it. It takes money to make money, if you’re needing substantial down payments before a build is even started it says A LOT about a business plan. I have yet to see one skiff done on schedule, to me it’s trying to take advantage of the market while it’s hot. Not the market supporting the growth. Just my 2 sense being a former Cayo owner who has previous experience negotiating multiple builds with JB. Nice guy but way in over his head and hasn’t perfected his product enough yet to step into another field. This should all be detailed in a general discussion post though, not here.


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## DangerD (Aug 27, 2015)

Prop testing so far..
17p zuke: 36mph, 5650rpm
15p zuke: 35mph, 6000rpm
17p powertech srd3: 36mph, 5650rpm

All this done with just 1 person, 18gal fuel and light load. You'd think the zuke19 and pt srd3 are virtually the same but the pt definitely had more bite. The 15p zuke had the best hole shot, but the pt had better bite in turns.
I'm going to play with different motor heights now.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Those seem like pretty decent numbers on a 18ft hull with a standard Zuke 60 (not the big foot). The big foot version may push a more aggressive prop, but I think the top end would be redundant due to the lower gearing, compares to the standard Zuke with a tamer prop, like that 17p PT srd3.

Would also be cool to see how a F70 compares to the Zuke 60 on that same hull.


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## zmgsvt (Jun 5, 2009)

Backwater said:


> Would also be cool to see how a F70 compares to the Zuke 60 on that same


Should know soon


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