Thanks guys. I figured with the fuel tanks all the way in back, loading the front of the boat wouldnt be an issue. This is my first Cat. Will have it Friday.
I added shocks to the to front lids on my Cougar and it worked great. Not sure about the configuration of the Caracal or the mounting options but I will post pics later. Used a mixture of original brackets and guessed on the size of the shocks and came out perfect.If any lids needed shocks, it was those.
Just loosen the nuts and back them off to the end of the studs. Dont remove them. That will give you about 1/2″ gap. By doing this you dont have to worry about the linkage seperating. Then you just have to tighten the nuts back up when finished.
I mounted the Rapala tool holder that 1stinLA provided the link for, in my Cougar, on the face of the step (front of the storage compartment) between the consoles. Works great. Used the 3M tape it came with.
You should never lube a cable where it rides on a pulley. Pulleys are designed to move with the cable. If you lube the cable, it may slide in the pulley and wear either component. Lube the pulley bearing only.