C-Shanty Finally in the Water

Phantom · Last edited by Phantom on Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

We finally took possession of the C-Shanty on the Friday before Memorial Day. Picked it up in Oakland, Ca., and dragged it (on the trailer) to Rio Vista.

Slips at Delta Marina are hard to come by this time of year, so when an opening came up in February I took it. Kinda strange paying for an empty slip all of that time, but now I'm glad I did.

Lots of unusual stuff on the boat, including the auxiliary helm station. It all seems to work well.

Very windy on the water. Lots of chop and lots of big boat traffic creating rough conditions for an inland waterway. I've mostly run deep V's in the past, and the C-Dory is entirely different. I just throttled back to 12-14 knots and kept the bow down as recommended by those on this site. Piece of cake.

The only peculiarity I noticed with the boat is that it doesn't track well at super-low speeds around docks, etc. The bow weather-vanes down-wind instantly compared to other boats I've owned. Shocked

I think it's probably because the stern is loaded with the Honda 150 and kicker, plus batteries and fuel, while the bow is still comparatively empty aside from the anchor, chain and rode. I'm hoping that after Mary loads up the cabin with all of the inevitable housekeeping "stuff" the bow will draw enough water to track a bit better.

I've always prided myself with my ability to put a boat precisely where I wanted around docks, etc., but I got a lesson in humility from my first couple of sorties. Nothing serious; did not bang into anything, but imprecise is an understatement. Laughing

Any comments or advice from more experienced owners?

Don (and Mary)

SeaSpray · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:32 pm Post subject:

Hi C-Shanty,
I am in Brentwood not far from Rio Vista. I have had my CD22 less than a year. The 22 is the same for being pushed around by the wind. I have bumped docks a few times and have asked for help when it has been really windy. I am hoping that I will get better with experience.

Let me know if you would like to get out on the water and meet up sometime. There are some nice places to hang out in the Delta and I hope to do a weekend at Angle Island sometime.
Steve

rogerbum · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:08 am Post subject:

Yes - these boats are light, have little in the water and are big "sails" (especially with canvas on). For me, the key to successful docking in high winds has been to:
1) Run both a bow line and a stern line hanging over the gunnels ready to be grabbed on exit. This is key as with this setup, a single person can hop off and have complete control of the boat. On my 22', I have a 50' bow line that is tied on center to the bow cleat. 25' comes down either side leaving about 8-10' hanging in the cockpit. I have 25' lines on each stern cleat. These are run foward and hang in the cockpit also.
2) When there is a good cross wind, I approach the dock at a bit higher speed than normal so I can get the boat to the dock without it blowing off.
3) A quick reverse to bring the boat to a stop and a rapid exit from the cockpit with BOTH lines in hand gets me tied up without problem.

Don't go with lines that are too short. The extra line length I have usually allows me to flip both the bow and stern lines over a cleat and tie one off while holding the other. Of course with no wind, I can approach very slowly and everything is easy but in a high cross wind a little more speed is necessary.

Another approach if you are not single handed is to put a line on the midships cleat and run it back to the cockpit. Then when approaching the dock at modest speed your "deck hand" can tie it off (or loop it over a cleat) on the dock near the stern. Then a little forward motion and leaving it in idle will bring the boat gently into the dock and will hold it there until the bow and stern can be secured. Large ships often use the approach to keep on the docks.

Phantom · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 11:58 am Post subject:

Rogerbum, thanks for the reply. Sounds like you have worked out a good system. I'll give it a try. I have plenty of long lines.

Don (and Mary)

Phantom · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:03 pm Post subject:

Seabran, yes, I'd like to meet up sometime. I have a lot of time in the Delta, but have been away from it since the mid 90s.

I go through Brentwood fairly often on my way to Rio Vista. It is a longer trip, but I get tired of the freeway route.

Don (and Mary)