Repower Time

cdoryfan · Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 12:17 pm Post subject:

Interesting discussion. Regarding the weight my boat has all chain and a windless (and I increased the anchor size to a 14lbs) so maybe this will improve balance.

Dropped off the boat today for the repower so we'll see how it goes! The dealer was really excited to look at the c-dory, they are pretty rare in New England.

The only thing is I have one more week to change engine order as they de-rig current engine and the 140 is only marginally more money. I know it's not necessary but as it's the same engine block, a part of me is intrigued. We shall see however!

thataway · Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 12:37 pm Post subject:

I understand the idea of 30 more HP for a few hundred dollars. But I would advise against it. You get that higher HP at the top end of RPM's, The 115 will take the boat right up to its stability max speed. The boats do not run as well over 30 mph. It depends of the trim and conditions.

One of the eastern dealers equipped the boats with 50 or 100 feet of chain, to give more weight in the boat, making up for more weight on the stern. Fine until you get caught going down wind/seas, and the boat's bow not rising as promptly and tending to broach. I much prefer to use trim tabs, and the foil. Yes both are "bandaids". The foils give more versatility, and the ability to run into a head sea/chop with an improved ride.

cdoryfan · Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 3:22 pm Post subject:

Thataway, I hear you on the 115 vs 140, it's just so hard to say no to more HP, even thought I understand I'll never use it. The only other consideration is I think the 140 has a better oil cooler which sounds like more reliability to me, but really I'm just looking for excuses for a 140... probably going to stick with 115.

I just installed new trim tabs, so I'm hoping I can avoid the permatrim for now. The idea of so much chain does seem crazy for me (I have something like 75 feet), but I came from a sailing (racing) background where any chain over necessary was considered a capital offense.

thataway · Posted: Sat May 18, 2024 7:28 pm Post subject:

Also racing sailboat background, and any weight in the ends of the boat is no-no. With my cruising. sailboats boats that was violated often. 200 feet of chain, heavy anchors, Dinghy on davits or on deck like a purse seiner.

With the C Dory I also like to keep the bow light--I tried several boats (22, 25 and TC 255) The first two without trim tabs, then trim tabs, and trim tabs with Permatrims....conclusion--both. The Tom Cat 255 was a different story. of course no trim tabs, but the permatrims did not give me that much a lower planing speed, which was my goal.

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Mon May 20, 2024 10:11 am Post subject:

While I have no personal experience with the particular 140 hp outboard on the back of a 22, in looking at all the specs and the fuel burn data, it looks like a better choice than the 115 to me. And I suspect, if the prop size is dialed in correctly to utilize all of the power available up to about 30 ish mph, it will perform a tad bit better than the 115. But with all that said, other posters are correct that the difference may not be actually noticeable for the average user. I personally think the only time you'd be able to tell is with a very heavily loaded boat. With the correct prop, it should be able to move a heavier load at a faster speed than the 115.

cdoryfan · Posted: Tue May 21, 2024 3:12 pm Post subject:

So my final final answer after much hemming and hawing... I am going to stick with the 115.

While, I believe (apart from the marginal upfront cost) there is no material benefit to get the smaller engine, and I think the 140 would be better. I know the difference would be negligible, and many smarter folks than I are advocating the 115.

A few other things influenced my decision
1) Resale: it seems like the community prefers the 115, and that matters to me
2) when I asked the folks at the dealer, everyone said they liked the 115 hp more. When I asked why, the response was (paraphrasing) "I don't know, I just really like that engine". I put a lot of stock in that gut feeling by a pro and that was a bit of a clincher.
3) Safety: There is a non-zero chance friends and family will borrow boat, I don't want to have a safety discussion of how much throttle is too much.

There is a final point which is my wife told me to get the 115... so I guess the other points are actually erroneous.