Cruising equipment

[pflash]

After five years of "looking", I'm seriously looking for a CD-22. Plans are to take it down the intercoastal from Ohio or Chesapeake Bay to Cape Coral, FL. The one boat I've looked at is pretty much stock. I'd need to add curtains, shore power, more storage, etc., etc. What do people feel is essential for this type of cruise? Where are all the provisions stored? What about space for a minimum "nice clothes" hanging area and the rest of the mariner's wardrobe? Previous experience is 25 years of day sailing on a 22 ft sailboat and 20 years as race crew on a J-30 with long weekends the extent of cruising. I'm used to tent camping (even in the Peace Corps in Africa) so accomodations do not have to be Hilton quality.

Pat Flash

[JamesTXSD]

Welcome aboard, Pat!

"Nice clothes" are over-rated. Just funnin'... after 3+ years and lots of miles on our CD-25, we have not come across a place we wanted to visit while cruising that required a jacket and tie. Travel clothes work well, are less prone to wrinkling, and generally hold up well. You didn't mention if you travel with someone. It's the two of us and a cat on our travels, and we use every available space on our boat. There is storage under the sink, under both foot wells for the helm and co-pilot, under the table. The 25 also has a cabinet across from the enclosed head (see recent posts for different names for that storage locker) and shelves on either side of the v-berth. You can also make storage space with nets or additional shelving... some have added a shelf directly under the table or at the ceiling.

As far as what to take: what would you take with you if you were going on an extended vacation and needed to keep it to two bags? Easy to find space for that on the boat, plus you will need cooking utensils. dishes, and food. You have to decide if you will be using a cooler or install a fridge. Will you need entertainment (stereo, TV, computer, books, iPod, etc, etc). Time of year will dictate the "season" of clothing.

Along the ICW, you will be able to find food, fuel, supplies readily available. You'll want charts and cruising guides.

Comfortable chairs for the cockpit are a must for us. We generally carry a dinghy on top of the boat.

Will you want radar, autopilot, and a chartplotter? We find them invaluable. A Wallas stove/heater keeps the cabin comfortable on those chilly nights.

Pack a sense of humor, leave the tight scheduling at home.

These boats with their shoal draft, comfortable cabins, and ease of handling make great compact cruisers.

Hope that helps get you started. This forum is a great place for info on cruising with these boats.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[NewMoon]

Hi Pat,

You might take a look at the preview of my book on choosing and equipping a small boat for cruising:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/cruising-in-a-big-way/4653755

[Valkyrie]

Hi Pat,

It would be great to have another CD in Ohio, bringing the number up to a whopping four! We live in Norton, a suburb of Akron. I would offer to show Valkyrie to you to discuss storage and so on, but she is in NC at the CD dealer for some improvements for preparation for some time in the Keys in March and April. Also, there is not much chance of having to trailer in the snow from that area.

Storage of provisions: Valkyrie is a 2005 model and didn't have a shelf under the galley area so I added one (pics in our album) and it holds a large quantity of food. We put cans and heavier stuff on the floor in the cupboard and also in the storage area in the passenger seat and under the seat in the "floor". We have cruised for two weeks and not had to buy anything except fresh dairy and so on.

We pretty much live out of duffels, one each, which stay in the v-berth. These are moved into the main cabin at night. Also, I added storage hammocks in the v-berth for items that are frequently used (pics in album). In all of my years of cruising, I have only had to "dress for dinner" once when I was invited to dinner at the Tides Inn on the Rappahannock in VA. I showed up in cargo pants and a white polo. The hostess gave me a one-size-fits-all, huge, hideous coat! I think I also was the entertainment that night.

Send me a PM if you would like my phone number and I can be of help.

Regards,

Nick
"Valkyrie"

[jennykatz]

Pat one must have a Blue Blazer with emblem (optional) with white pants and Boat shoes . This is a must for all the C-Brat functions Only Kidding

Take a look through some of the photo albums you can see how most of us dress very casual . When Loree and I have travelled we each bring a carry on style bag off course weather will dictate what one will bring .

A good pair of walking shoes ,Boat shoes , shorts , bathing suit ,polo shirts, jeans , sweaters , wind breakers, etc. Anything that can be easily folded and does not wrinkle to much .
As far as storage again go through the photo album and look at some of the unique storage systems some of the c-brats have come up with . We just use plastic boxes for cooking supplies and bring a big cooler for some of our food supplies . We do use our fridge for things used every day and keep the cooler closed as much as possible

These suggestions are for someone that only stays out a week the most at a time although this year I hope we can change that to do some real cruising for a more then just week at a time .

[patrick and linda]

hello pat,
i"m one of the four in ohio as nick has referred to. we're located at the better part of the state, our summer season last for a good 5 months rather than nick's 45 days!
i've recently posted pictures in our album showing how we have outfitted our c-dory, you are welcome to check them out.
i concur with everyone who has responded to your post with the exception of jim b., wouldn't bring a cat or dog unless they were dinner.
ok, jim, only kidding, wait a minute, no i'm not!
pat, if you get the chance to see nick's boat take advantage of it, he's a master of installations.
five years of looking, dude, don't rush into anything!
good luck and happy thanksgiving.
pat

[hardee]

Pat,

Good luck with figuring what you want, need, and can take

We have a bit of basic logic (for us) in deciding what goes and what does not. Priority is given first to safety need. Second VHF - yes, AIS -- not yet. FLIR (forward looking Infra-red) --not for a long time. Extra flare set- yes, Waterproof flashlight -- yes. Battery jump-start set -- yes, it will power the search light, the GPS, the phone and handheld vhf charges, and still start the OB's. Anything that serves more than one purpose gets a bump up the priority ladder. An extra fender, works as a fender, an anchor marker or float, Solar cabin lights, works as reading and working light, switches to red for night light, Collapsible bowls, work to eat out of or as serving dishes. The Wallas stove, heats the cabin and cooks. Extra cooler works as a cockpit step, an extra seat, and a ice reserve, the fleece jacket for evening wear, (black tie excluded) and rolled up, tucked into a sleeve makes a goood pillow.

I think many of us us teh dual purpose model. Even Jim and Joan (Wild Blue) take Izzy and she serves as both a companion and protector, maybe even an FD dolphin spotter by now and they have plenty of room for her.

Most important, I think, decide what you really need to get along, then, if you take El and Bills example, pare it down to half and decide you can be most happy with that. We went from a 15 ft sail boat to the 22. Thought we could take half of what was in the house. We are in the pair down mode since the first season and still comfortable, happy and looking forwards to more boating. Does not need to be uncomfortable, but sure does need to be functional.

Happy Thanksgiving, and again, enjoy the search,

Harvey
SleepyC

[teflonmom]

With respect to gear to carry you will get a lot from this forum. When my wife and I cruised our 22 sometimes we were out for 4 to 5 weeks at a time. We also cruised a lot in other small boats.
The less you carry the better.
As to good dress up clothes, we found that travel clothing from LL Bean many times worked out well for us. Today many of the better golf shirts are made of a very fast drying fabric. You can wash them at the marina wash room hang them up and they dry very fast. With out wrinkles! They are hard to find but sometimes you can find nylon long pants that are OK for dress and we carry them rolled up. They unroll and with a nice crease. Good enough for church in most places and OK for fine dining. Try to stay away from cotton and blue jeans, they take forever to dry. Supplex nylon swim wear dries quickly. On one trip up the ditch I wore the same pants for the entire trip. Each night at the marina when I showered the shorts got washed. They dried overnight. Good luck and be sure to read EL and BILL and WILD BLUE their posts have a lot of tips buried in the story.

Fred, Pat and Mr. Grey(the Cat)

[thataway]

Welcome aboard. Much of our cruising in the C Dory 22 was in a bit of the "out of the way" places--and we carried both a large cooler with ice and a large dry storage box in the cockpit for food stuffs. There is less storage in the 22 than the 25 or TC 255. We also used hamocks and "sheet bags" (mesh bags as used for storage of sheets on sail boats)--on the sides of the V berth for out clothes. Most of our trips were at least a month in duration. In all of our years of boating, "dress up" clothes were very rarely used. Most water front areas are fine with a pair of chicos and a nice shirt. As noted LLB and Travel Smith both have gear which can be rolled up and then hung out. Even the 25 and 255 which have "hanging lockers", we put in shelves and dispensed with any hanging clothes. We have never carried a blazer when on a C Dory.

We had the "ice box" under the seat of our 22, and used it for dry storage. The small refigrators are nice, but even with them on our 25, we used an ice chest, so I feel that in the 22, the refrigerator is probably not essential for the 22. Even if there is not a grocery store right near the marina, there are many people who will give you a ride, or even loan you a car.

We carry an extra jug of water, just in case we don't have enoug in the tank, if going to more remote areas. Also an extra can of dinghy gas.

I would buy the Skipper Bob guides for where you want to go, the Waterway guides for the ICW, and if doing the river, the Quimby Guides. Great Lakes: Richardson Guides. Although I do like to have paper charts--the number for this trip in a C Dory22 might be a bit over whelming. I probably would go with a set of charts on a laptop, plus a good chart plotter (at least 5", pref 7"). A plotter with built in charts would be a plus. They are available with both inland and coastal water charts. A back up GPS is also a very good idea--either the Garmin 76 cx or Colorado (400c for the coastal--and a chart chip for inland wanters).

You may want a windlass, if you will be anchoring out much (which we prefer--and it is much cheaper). A Delta Anchor for the boat, and a 7 to 8 lb Fortress for the stern are a good combination for your trip. You will want some good heavy duty fenders--and probably some covers. You want inside window covers--and I would go with a full camper back for that trip. I personally perfer a single engine with a dinghy motor as a "kicker--back up"--you can use up to an 8' inflatable on the C Dory 22.

Depending on the time of year, and if you are running at night, Radar may not be an essential, although I have had it on most of my boats in the last 30 years. I agree with two radios--one can be a hand held: you want to moniter both channel 16 and the tug boat channel--mostly channel 13 when on the ICW.

Coming from Ohio, you have several choices on inland waterways, but not all on the ICW. These could include the Ohio to the Tenn River and then the Tom Bigbee to the Gulf Coast ICW, or from Lake Erie either way on "the loop". Of course the Chesapake to Cape Coral is much shorter and a bit easier. Either way, it would be a great trip! Just take enough time to explore towns along the way! [/code]