New Key West 1520CC Owner

KeyWestBoater

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I have just purchased a 1520 CC with a Yamaha 70 2 stroke for river and inshore fishing. I have had much experience boating with others but have not had the pleasure of owning my own boat. So far I have had the boat in the water 2 times and will go out again tomorrow. If anyone has any experience with the 1520cc I would welcome your comments. I will also post my experiences.

Thanks,
Key West Boater
 

KeyWestBoater

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

So far I have taken the new boat out 2 more times but so far only 4 hours on the engine. Last weekend was windy and had some rolling waves in the middle of the river. There was a little splash in front. Also at idle with weight in the back some water comes in the scuppers, which I am told is due to the design of the boat. To solve the problem I put rubber plugs in the scupper drains so no more water. If we get some water in from some splash then just pull the plugs and the water goes out. So far I am happy with the boat. It gets on plane easily around 20 mph fully loaded. If the weather cooperates this weekend we have a trip planned to Black Creek, around 40 miles round trip so that will give us a good test.
 

KeyWestBoater

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Well the river was calm this past Saturday so I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to go out. This was the first time I've crossed the river. We went under the Buckman Bridge to Doctors Inlet almost to Whitey's and back across to Julington Creek before going home. In all we went abour 30 miles. I estimate that we burned about 8 gal of fuel with the Yamaha 70 2 stroke. I'll fill it up before the next trip to get the exact amount but it seems like the fuel consumption was good. We almost stayed out too late as the sun was going down. It starts getting hard to see those crab traps! Hurrying back gave me the excuse to open her up a bit to a little more than 30. The boat was very dry, no splash. I kept the scupper plugs in so no water would get in. Even with 3 in the stern the boat reached plane in about 3 seconds. We went out of the channel a bit and were able float in 1 ft of water. I wouldn't want to do that too much but I was pleased that were were able to get through that just trimming up a bit. Now I need to find the fish! Hopefully this Saturday we will take the KW to the intercoastal near Mayport at Sisters Creek and do some serious fishing. I'll report back after the next trip. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments.
 

Hennessey

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Feb 9, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

good info...sounds like you are having a blast!

I really like the KW 176 CC, which is essentially a bigger version of your boat.

Has it lived up to its billing? Anything you don't like/comments?

That thing must really move with a 70 2 stroke on it. I'm thinking a 115 etec on the 176.

Just out of curiosity, where do you live? The names didn't look familiar, but that's probably because I'm in the frozen tundra of Connecticut.
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Hennessey,

Thanks for your post. I live in south Jacksonville, Florida close to the St. Johns river. There are 2 boat ramps nearby. One is real nice they just improved it, you can put in 3 wide with plenty of slips. The fishing there is in a ways in from the ocean so there's mostly red bass and trout. Closer to the ocean is flounder, reds and sheepsheads. I looked at both the 152CC and the 1520CC. The 1520CC I like the seating much better. It has a long drivers seat that goes the width of the boat so there's room for 3 in the back, plus it already came with the cooler seat in front of the console. The gunnel is around 15" it could be a little higher but it is a flats boat. I like that it has an anchor well as a lot of boats don't have but all should I think. It is nicely finished (mine has the silver trim). Also it came with a nice amount of instrumentation; digital tach, speedo, compass, Matrix fishfinder/GPS. Both the tach and speedo are multi-function, shows fuel level, trim, hours, miles, battery, etc. I wish I didn't need the scupper plugs to keep the floor dry but I understand that many other boats share this problem. So I just keep them in! If I had a longer garage maybe I would have gone with the 17. I haven't run wide open yet. I've had her up to 31 mph. I hoping for a calm day on the intracoastal this weekend! Time to turn the KW into a fishing machine!:D
 

psrider

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Apr 28, 2008
Messages
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

I have just purchased a 1520 CC with a Yamaha 70 2 stroke for river and inshore fishing. I have had much experience boating with others but have not had the pleasure of owning my own boat. So far I have had the boat in the water 2 times and will go out again tomorrow. If anyone has any experience with the 1520cc I would welcome your comments. I will also post my experiences.

Thanks,
Key West Boater

I just picked up my new 1520 Fighting Lady Yellow with 50HP Suzuki. I love it and chose if over the 152 for the bench seat . And I can pull it with my Honda Civic SI. ( 33.2 mpg and 17.8 mpg pulling the boat on the interstate at about 70 mph). My first outing was with 2 adults approx 470lbs. and a full tank of fuel and lasted 5 hrs. Varying the speeds for engine break-in I used 2.8 gallons of regular fuel. I topped off at the same gas station that I used before putting. 34 mph by gps with 2 people. With one person 0mph to Plane 5 sec. about 22 mph. BUT with 2 people it will not get on plane with both sitting on the bench seat. With one sitting on the foward cooler 12 sec. to plane. I am new to boating any suggestions as to hydrofoils brand and size for my boat? Your knowledge sure will be appreciated. PSRIDER
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Psrider,

Where do you boat at? My KW has a 70 Yamaha and gets up on plane pretty quick at capacity (3-4 on board). Before I bought I was considering with a 50hp. I was also looking at a Scout Sportfish with a 50. I emailed both manafacturers about the engine and both replied that with 3-4 on board that with 50 hp it would be underpowered, so I went with the 70. I'm surprised that you can't get on plane at all with 2 in the back. Did you water test before you bought? Maybe it has the wrong prop. Not to ask a dumb question but when you try to get on plane is your trim all the way down? I'm sure smart tabs would help from what I hear. Don't know about hydrofoils though. I'd check first about the trim and the prop.
 

psrider

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

KEYWESTBOATER
I live on the Coosa river in north Alabama. Back water from dams. Approx. 30 long but stumpy and shallow in lots of places. I wanted to 50hp for fuel milage. I hope that was not a mistake. I also was looking at a Scout but decided on the KW mainly because of price. And Saywer Marine in Columbia, NC has such good deals and so nice it was worth the 12 hr drive for me. They did test the boat for me and chose the prop for me. I ask for a prop for fuel milage and carrying 2 people. Do you think a different prop would do it?? Yes my trim is down when starting. I am new to this and have started with trim up some but I am learning. LOL I am hoping a hydrofoil will solve my problem. I really dont need to spend the money for trim tabs if a $60. hydrofoil will fix it. I just dont know which one to try for a 1520KW/50hp Suz. Any suggestions out there??? Where do you use your 1520? are you loving it? Have you checked your fuel usage? Thanks, PSRIDER
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

I boat in the St. Johns river in Jacksonville, FL. I really dont think you should need hydrofoil or trim tabs. I would check with the dealer about the prop and tell them about your problem. I know I have 20 more hp but I can get on plane easily with 3 or 4 on board. You should be able to get on plane with 2 on board even if they're both seated in the back. Make sure you start with the trim all the way down but I'm sure you know that by now. With one in the front you shouldn't be struggling to get on plane. 12 secs is way too long. You should be able to get on plane in 3-4 seconds.

I love the boat and we're going out Sunday, weather permitting. We went out all day and only burned about 5 gal of fuel. But I haven't checked it to get the exact gal/hr burned. However it seems to be pretty good.:)

I notice you picked the 1520 over the 152 because of the seat. We did for the same reason! We really enjoy the long seat. Have you run without the backrest yet? I like the back support but it limits the fishing off the rear deck. Please post what the dealer tells you. Thanks.
 

psrider

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Apr 28, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

1520 KW to the rescue. Yesterday I had to pull my neighbor's deck boat back to their boathouse. Last fall when they had to stop using their boat (because of the drought and Atlanta,GA had used all the water before it got to us) they left the boat on the lift up out of the water. As of yesterday, our lake reached full pool which allowed their boat to float freely off the lift ending up several miles downstream. Once again my boat hopped up on plane with me in it but when I hooked that 24ft deck boat to the back she would get on plane. JUST KIDDING. With 2 in my boat the engine will turn 6200 rpm so i am told I could not use a more power prop ?? I am going to call key west today to see if they will suggest anything. I wish others in this forum would tell their thoughts on hydrofoils. IF a hydrofoil actuately will let me jump on plane with 2 people , slow my planing speed by 30% and not decrease or mph or gph I will be one happy camper. I have read where engine height is critical. The Boston Whaler forum owners say the cavitation plate on any engine should ride 1 inch out of the water while the boat is on plane. Then if you add a hydrofoil it would also be out of the water on plane which would not cause drag. I have not checked mmy engine height yet.

I really liked the 1520 seat design. My wife and I like being able to sit together talking and just putting around under the bimini looking at things. We saw 2 Bald Eagles the other day. I have not tried it with out the back rest yet.

Do have a trolling motor or kicker? I don't yet. To me the boat is so good looking w/o a front trolling motor. I like the idea of a small kicker or engine mounted trolling motor but don't know much about either. If I had something like that I could go for miles up pretty little creeks that have plenty of shallow rocks in them.
Have a good day and as soon as I get any info I will pass it along.
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Good morning psrider,

It's good to know you're out doing good deeds in your KW! I don't have a trolling motor. I like the boat the way it is so far. I like having the front deck clean. I had one real minor hickup with the livewell. The overflow tube was too long and wouldn't fit under the top of the livewell. So we pryed the rubber boot off the tube, cut it and put the boot back on. Now we can have happy live bait! One thing I need to find out about the livewell...if there's a valve to cut off the drain and recirculate the water instead. I will check with the dealer today.

Psrider, I'm wondering if you went with the 1520 instead of the 17' because of space? We keep ours in the garage so that's as long as we could go. I have a swing tongue which came on the trailer. I just had it lengthened which should help me not having to back in so far.

We will take both boats out Sunday to Sister's Creek by Mayport. The other boat is my father-in-law's Scout 19 Sportfish. We're going early so I hope we bring home lots of fish! :D What kind of fishing do you do?

Thanks,
KWB
 

psrider

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

morning KWBer,
I went with the 1520KW /50hpSUZ for size, economy, price, layout and looks. Most of the time there are just 2 in the boat. The choice came down to a Scout 14.5 (which doesnot have a backrest for the bench seat) or a Scout 16 or the KW1520. The final price was thousands cheaper with the 1520 and I like it better

I just retired and am trying to downscale. I moved to a smaller house on the river, sold a 43ft MH and a 52ft boat. I hope to be able to kick back and smile at the world. God is so good.

The boathouse slip is 28ft so i floored 7ft of it and keep the 1520 on a lift. So now I can sit out in the morning drinking coffee looking at my boat and the river. Almost makes me feel guilty. LOL But I have worked long and hard or 36yrs.

I bought a hydrofoil yesterday and will let you know how it works.
PSRIDER
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Psrider,

Did you get your hydrofoil? Did it help you get on plane easier?

Can you please post some pics of your setup? (boat, dock, general area, river)?

I'm not ready to retire yet but interested in trying to find a nice little place on a river somewhere. Where you are sounds interesting.

Thanks!
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Well we took both boats, my KW and my father-in-law's Scout 19 to Sister's Creek (intercoastal by Mayport) on Sunday. It was a beautiful day but it seemed like every boat in town was there. We wanted to fish but there were so many boats that it was too rough and all the fish were scared off. We ended up tieing up together and fishing in a small creek near the boat ramp away from the traffic. I don't think we will try that again on a weekend. It's not so funny to have the 30 plus footers cruise by and wave at you while they don't slow down and almost tip you over in their wake :(. I didn't know the area so I was not comfortable fully opening it up (shallow areas) still went 31mph with some throttle left. Still with all that chop we stayed pretty dry. We will stick to the river as it is much less busy. :)
 

psrider

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Hey
Glad you had a nice family boat outing. To bad about the crowd and the rude big boaters. They know what kind of wake they are producing but just dont care. They feel that just because their boat is big and wants to produce large wakes at cruising speeds that they are entitled to do it. You can get a ticket around here if someone complains about you. Matter of fact most of the chain of lakes that are controled by ALABAMA POWER COMPANY (one of which I live on) have just outlawed boats over 32' or boats over 60 mph. Houseboats excluded. 60 mph has some of the BASS boat guys mad. lol. The water is about 3/4 mile wide where I live. Everytime a fast boat goes by my place I think "Man, that guy is spending about $3.50 for gas every every minute", hope they are having fun.
It is never crowded around here. Mainly fishermen, then pontoon boats, then a few skiers and jet skis. I am on Lake Neeley Henry near Gadsden, Alabama in north central Alabama. Where are you? What kind of water and fishing do you have?

The hydrofoil works great and for only $27.00. Now with 2 people (approx. 470 lbs.) sitting on the rear bench it will plane in 6 sec., cruise on plane at 22mph, WOT 32 mph at 6100 rpm. To me that is pretty good for 50hp. And they fuel gauge has not even moved to 3/4 in approx. 20 hours. As you know I think we did reat buying a KW1520.
 

psrider

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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

How do you post pictures here? Can you tell me in simple steps, I am doing something wrong.
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Hi Psrider,

Glad you got your KW on plane now. Not bad for $27! We live in Jacksonville, Florida, close to the St. Johns River. This past weekend we were close to Mayport which is close to the ocean so there's reds, sheepshead, flounder and trout. Further up the river it gets brackish/fresh water so you get a mix of fish; panfish (brem), bass and reds too. There's a boat ramp about 10 minutes from my house which is more towards freshwater called Goodby's Creek. If you google earth Goodby's Creek in Jacksonville you will see where we like to put in. Closer to the ocean is Sister's Creek boat ramp but we won't try that again on the weekend.

Have you had any problem with water coming in the scuppers? I got some tapered rubber plugs (around 1 3/4") at Ace Hardware for about $5 that did the trick. The boat came with plugs but I like the ones I bought better.

For the pics, I haven't tried to attach any but I see if you scroll down when you reply there's a button called "manage attachments" I think to attached pics.

Nice hearing from you.
 

Big Wig

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Jul 4, 2007
Messages
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Hi guys! As a KW 1520cc owner, I enjoyed reading through this thread! I bought my 1520 last year and was only able to get out in it a few times before the season was over (I live in NH). I had been looking for a 17-18' center console boat and came across my 2002 1520 in mint shape for a great price. I'm really glad I went for it. I'm getting my son started in fishing and I want him to grow up on boats the way I did. With this boat, we can go anywhere. It's great for small lakes and shallow waters and it's also a killer striper fishing boat... I've been out in the river and in the ocean (close to shore).

Mine has a 50hp Yamaha 2 stroke, bass seat, front mounted 24v trolling motor and a bimini top. It looks brand new and runs like a top.

Here's mine:

951550715_8c398dc31c_o.jpg


951548555_9a6e4740be_o.jpg
 

Big Wig

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Jul 4, 2007
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Quick question:

where do you guys store your stern light when you're not using it? As you can see in the pics, mine is in a rod holder. I usually have it bungeed horizontally behind the backrest... it's just too long to stow in a compartment.
 

KeyWestBoater

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Feb 22, 2008
Messages
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Re: New Key West 1520CC Owner

Hi Big Wig,

Nice looking KW! Great pics! I have a 1520CC and love it. Just turned 17 hours after being out on a beautiful day yesterday. My wife loves the long seat as opposed to the cooler seat on the 152. I keep my stern light in the aft compartment with the safety gear, it fits easily. Can't tell from your pics but I imagine it's the same as yours.

Question for you: do you keep plugs in the scuppers?

Thanks!
 
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