A New 22' Cruiser named Rabbit's Hutch is Born

Rabbits Hutch

Hey All,

Well, after two serious weeks of looking at used 22' Cruisers, a new 19' Angler and even another 16' Cruiser to replace Rabbit's Hutch... I put down the deposit today on a 2006 22' Cruiser.

She is absolutely beautiful. Even has the new all glass cabin door.

I must admit, initially I was unsure about how shopping for a C-Dory in the Midwest would be. Reading about less than enthusiastic dealers is never promising. But, this story deserves to be told.

In Saint Louis, Missouri you will find the local C-Dory dealer named STATEAMIND Water Sports. I've been to many a boat show and dealer in my days (and so many more boat shows remaining). But, these guys are special and deserving of a phone call or visit if you are ever passing through. Sincerely, seek these guys out.

I worked with a gentleman named Joel there. Clearly, Joel has a passion for the product and his job. It certainly helps that others working there not only own C-Dory boats, but share the passion and participate on this site as well.

STATEAMIND never once hesitated to call the factory to pose questions, bent over backwards assisting me with details and has given me piece of mind that things will be done right through the rigging process and delivery. It should be noted that rarely do I have total piece of mind when making such a purchase.

Although there may be a sluggish dealer or two out there in the network, don't ever let it be said that the Midwest doesn't have a spectacular dealer in the network.

Two thumbs up

Thrilled to be back on the water in about 4 weeks,

Gary R.

Jazzmanic · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Gary! Welcome to the club, the Green 22' Cruiser club that is. I'm sure you'll enjoy many memorable moments on the new Rabbit's Hutch cruising the waters of the midwest.

Peter

Rabbits Hutch · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:19 pm Post subject:

Thanks Peter,

Hey, I like your graphic near your signature block. Is that the new one Prism completed for your 22?

Prism is also taking care of my lettering. Same design as before just cut to the larger size for the 22.

Gary

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject:

Congratulations Gary. Your going to never look back after spending time on your new boat.

Cutty Sark · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 8:40 pm Post subject:

Congrats on the new CD!!! Those glass doors are sweet aren't they. What options are you going for? What Power are you going with? Let us hear the details. Glad you found what you were looking for.

Sark

Rabbits Hutch · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 8:58 pm Post subject:

Hmmmm....well, first off, I think based on the C-Brat web site information, I may be the first C-Dory owner in Nebraska.

As for the options.... not too many initially. I wanted to be able to get into the 22' cruiser as my last C-Dory was the 16'. My plan is to upgrade with what I need in due time. For now, I have chosen:

Hunter Green (just like the original Rabbit's Hutch)
75hp honda (reliable, not a speed demon but still arriving in style)
Reversible passenger seat
full glass door
Swim step and ladder
Full camper canvas with stainless steel and roll up windows w/ screens
aluminum roller trailer, tandem wheels w/ brakes
Tall radar arch

The big electronics debate starts now...I plan on adding only a VHF radio, depth sounder and GPS. In the future, I anticipate radar (thus the arch now) and a C-70 navigation.

Also in the future, I would like to consider the wallas if I return to a colder boating climate and still today I find myself pondering whether or not to add shore power. Do many of you have shore power? Finding yourselves using it frequently? My hesitation is that it is a $1k cost and I would rather put that into electronics.

The wonderful thing about the 22' cruiser now is how many standard options are with the boat...to include beck boards, port and starboard electric wipers, opening center window...the works.

I fell in love with my 16' and became a C-Brat.... I can only imagine what will happen on the 22' Rolling Eyes

Gary R.

Jazzmanic · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:27 pm Post subject:

Gary, sounds like you're having fun choosing all the options available to you. I wish we had the glass door as well, missed it by one year. As for shore power, we opted not to include as an option and so far, we haven't really missed having it. We bought a shore power cord and adapter and plugged a power strip to it and it works just fine at the dock.

As for the graphic, I just picked it up from Prism Graphics today. This is what will be going on the boat, hopefully this weekend.

Keep updating us on all the rigging details on the the new Rabbit's Hutch.

nscogin · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:35 pm Post subject:

Rabbits Hutch · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject:

Should I opt for the 90hp? As I mostly boat in lakes and not open water...will I see much of a difference between the 75 and the 90?

In my mind, it would have been wasted hp, given my style of boating.

Any ideas there?????

Gary R.

Rabbits Hutch · Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 10:10 pm Post subject:

Peter,

Very cool graphic.

Be sure to send some pictures when it's on the boat.

Gary

Luna C · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:57 am Post subject:

nscogin,

I just purchased a heavy duty cord from West Marine that had the marina hook-up on one end, and a regular three prong at the baot end. We do not use marina power often, but this does allow us to have something when we are. I have a power strip in the cabin and run the cord through the access hole near the wallas (or galley!). Good for the computer, music, a small light, etc.

Let me know if you want a pic.

DaveS · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:38 am Post subject:

oldgrowth · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:47 am Post subject:

Gary;

Rick from Maine · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:42 am Post subject: 75 or 90 HP?

Hi Gary,

Performance wise, I don't think it makes any difference if you go with the 75 or the 90. I've cruised with other C-Dory's with 75, 80 & 90 HP. We are usually constrained by water conditions; WOT is only for testing and short term playing.

I think the determining parameter for this choice should be engine noise. Unfortunately, when I looked into this about 6 years ago, I couldn't get any quantifiable data. You could try querying Honda to see if they have adb vs. RPM for the 2 engines.

Rick from Maine

rogerbum · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 9:34 am Post subject:

We have shore power and wouldn't be without it. We also have the Norcold fridge and again wouldn't be without it. The choice of the latter almost mandates the former unless you chose to turn off and empty out the fridge between trips as otherwise you'll drain the batteries. I really like leaving the boat loaded with some dry and canned food in the cabinets, cold drinks in the fridge and frozen bait in the freezer compartment. The less effort it takes to get full use from the boat, the more it get's used.

We also have the built in battery charging system so shore power keeps those up. I also plug in a heater to keep things (fresh water in particular) from freezing in the winter (we occasionally have a few days below freezing). When we sleep on the boat, I use the electric heater almost all the time in the evening. Even when the air is warm, the water we are on (the Puget Sound mostly) is not, and one can get a little chill in the boat.

I also have a few things that I keep plugged in while the boat's on the trailer - I have a back-up handheld VHF that's always getting a charge and a spot-light. When we're at a marina, I also use the shore power plug in my laptop (which I use to watch DVD's on), some cheap powered speakers and occasionally a charger for an i-pod (one long day on the water and the i-pod needs recharged). When I went to Neah Bay last year for an 8-9 day fishing trip, I also took my vacuum packer and at the end of each day vacuum packed mine and my guests' catch.

So as you can see, shore power opens up a few options and can permit uses that might otherwise not happen. This is especially true if you plan to spend more than 1-2 consecutive days on it and if you plan to spend much of those days in marina's. We leave our boat plugged in all the time while it is on the trailer at home makes it a nicer place to visit (for tackle re-arrangement for example) and also makes it a little easer to work on (I can plug my drill or soldering iron into a short extension cord on the boat). To my mind, anything that makes it easier or more pleasant to use the boat is a good thing. Some even use their boat as a camping trailer (or "boater home") and I think shore power makes this considerably nicer. I haven't done it myself, but if I was trailering for more than a day, sleeping in the boat in a campground would be cheaper than a hotel and I'd feel better about being inside my boat than leaving it unprotected in a motel/hotel parking lot.

We did have the shore power installed at the factory, but it can be also be done yourself. There's been many a discussion on this including one in the recent past about the importance of proper grounding especially in fresh water, especially if some one falls in or goes swimming near the boat while the power is applied. IF you plan to put it in yourself, please read this thread and this link. The thread is a recent one on generators but discusses the issue of ungrounded shore power pretty well. The BoatUS link is a good short article on shore power safety.

Roger