Any specific issues with 22' Cruisers built in 2000?

[PeteHelsell]

Hi all,

I have an offer pending on a 22' Cruiser built in 2000. I seem to have heard somewhere that boats built in the late 90's and early 2000's were not built as well as newer models - especially when considering the way the balsa cored hulls were constructed. Any truth to that? Any specific things to watch out for when buying an older model?

[potter water]

If you do some searching on the archives here, you will see various comments on different years of manufacture. My honest assessment from reading those myself, is that it matters little what year the boat was manufactured, but is vastly more important for the boat to have been well maintained, proper through hull mounting of accessories, proper storage, hull care and etc. Any year of these boats can be trash, and any year can be a solid show room beauty.

If the price is right, and a marine surveyor tells you it is a solid boat, I don't think you have anything to worry about with any year.

I have a friend driving a 1976 Ford Pinto with over 300,000 miles on it and it is show room gorgeous. I've another friend with a 2004 BMW that lives in the shop and looks like crap. (Mostly because he treats it like crap).

I've researched the CDory line for two decades before I could afford to buy the boat I wanted and have come to the conclusion that there are no bad C-Dory, just bad owners.

[A Fishin C]

The biggest thing I have noticed is the difference between a boat that has been stored on a trailer vs one that has been kept in a salt water marina all its life. I had a boat that had spent 6 years in the ocean and the bottom paint was coming off in chunks, all the electrical switches on the outside were corroded and had to be replaced, coating on window frames peeling.

[DaveS]

I agree with what has been said above regarding the care and "storage" of a vessel over a period of time. Mine has been stored in an enclosed shop. When I have it out and folks see it, they ask if it is brand new....they say the same about the trailer....they have difficulty believing that both were built in 2004.
As far as time frame of construction....up until shortly after mine was built, they were constructed in a small shop in Kent and when I went visited the shop during the construction phase of "Sea Shift", I got to know ALL of the folks that worked there and they took great pride and care in the building of each vessel.
Shortly after, the plant relocated to a larger facility and for a period of time produced many vessels in what I refer to as more "mass production". That doesn't necessarily mean they were built with any less care, but the seemingly personal family atmosphere was not as prevalent.
Currently, I believe the vessels are again being constructed in a more family like atmosphere again.

[browntdb]

Concur with previous posters. I have a 2000 CD Cruiser recently purchased. last 9 years under cover on a lift in fresh water. Bottom paint looks new. The other issue is Outboard condition. Have the outboards checked, especially when used in Salt. The original 40 HP twin Hondas were replaced in 2005 with 50 HP EFI Yamahas. Engines had 90 hours on them primarily used in fresh water. I talked to the shop that serviced them in December and was told that they were hardly broken in and in great shape.

I did get one surprise. The trailer had absolutely no rust on it. It is an EZ loader bunk trailer came with the boat. I took the boat in to have the brakes checked and found that when the boat had been used the few times in salt, the drum breaks were never washed off. Breaks were badly corroded. Because I will be using my boat in salt some of the time, it was recommended that as long as I was redoing the brakes, to change them over to disk brakes so they can be hosed off easier. I did that.

One other thing I have learned about using a boat in salt water, keep the engines in the water the entire time you are in Salt. When you raise them, they dry out and salt starts to dry on the interior parts of the motor. When you take it from salt, either with muffs or while in fresh water, run the motor up to temperature to flush out the salt. At least this is what my local Yamaha serviceman told me. I am sure you will get other opinions on that.

I am very fortunate because I live on a freshwater lake with a ramp on an island in Puget Sound. Whenever I pull the CD from salt, I will drive the two miles and back it down the ramp at the lake and run the engines while they are still warm and flush them with fresh water. This will also be good for the trailer as well.

Hope that helps,

Terry

[PeteHelsell]

Very helpful - thank you all!

[thataway]

I am only going to disagree with one comment--and am not sure what the context that Terry meant the keeping the motor in the water. I recommend that if you are cruising, and the boat is going to be in the water for a month or so, that yo can use a fairly small amount of "Salt away" to rinse the motor out with. Each time you are in a marina, you should wash the motor out with fresh water after each use. Leaving a motor down in the water all of the time in salt water will lead to both interior and exterior corrosion problems. Also if you come in and the motor is hot, the water will drain out of the passages as you stop the motor and the salt will slowly block the passages. (Terrys comment seems to surmise that the water stays in the jackets if the motor is left in the water--I don't believe that to be the case. If even part of the water drains out, and there is salt on the surface, it will "bake" on from the heat.

When the Reynolds took over the C Dory line, some of the early 25's and early Tom Cats had some problems--most are very fixable, and not a major problem. The 22's seems to have far less problems in the 2000 era--because there were still some of the old factory crew working on the boats.

Generally the 22's, if cared for will be bullet proof.

[Grazer]

[DaveS]

DaveS,
Do you know when in 2004 they relocated and built 22's in the new factory? I have a 2004 Cruiser and am interested where she was constructed.
Thanks,
Grazer[/quote]

Grazer, I'm not sure when the move was made, but fairly certain it was at least after June of '04. My HIN number is in my photo album...if your HIN number is less than mine then for sure yours was built in the old factory.

[lloyds]

I had a 2005 16' with some minor issues. Minor leaks in the rail bases, left out the brace under the v-berth, stuff like that. I fixed them all myself, but while at the factory christmas bash I talked to the lady in charge of quality control during that period and got the impression that they got in a bit of a hurry during that period.

[El and Bill]

We lived aboard our 2000 CD 22 for over 20,000 NM of cruising. She was well-built and served us well as a home and cruising companion.