25 Cruiser questions

[John T]

This has been extremely helpful, thank you all so much! I loved reading about how and where you use your boats...Pretty amazing! Many of you boat in the exact waters in which my wife and I do, so that was fun to read. I feel satisfied re coring and construction after reading what has been shared here. And re slowing down in a chop, well, clearly you have to, a lot. I'm hoping to tour the factory next Monday; awaiting a call back from Greg, the production mgr. That's where I grew up and where my early working years were spent (at the old Uniflite factory). Waypoint Marine in Seattle has a sold 25 which I've seen. The owner has given them permission to show it, and I'm hoping my wife can see it on Tuesday. Such a fun lifetime addiction! Again, thank you.
Oh, one other question (for the moment). It sounds like C-Dories can be squirrelly or unweildy in some way at higher speeds even on flat water. What might a 25 do with a Honda 200? Would it cruise at 25-30 knots?
John

[Avidmagnum12]

John
My 2011 CD-25 with a 200 HP Yamaha HPDI 2 cycle will easily cruise at 25 to 30 MPH. It will top out at over 40 MPH at WOT. It starts getting a little squirrelly at 37 or so. This is all with a light chop and a good load. I seldom go over 25 as most of my C-dory friends can not keep up. However....I do burn more fuel than they do! Actually at about 30 I get 2.5 mpg on the fuel flow meter and at 25 I burn 2.3. Go figure?

I had a 22 for about 5 years and it was a great boat. But my wife sure loves "her 25". Good luck on your search.......Tom

[John T]

Thanks Tom. That's speaks exactly to what I was wondering.

[journey on]

Journey On has a Honda 150. The fuel flow meter shows 2 MPG at 17 knts in fairly calm water. That's cruising over to Santa Cruz Isle.

The 25 is sensitive to weight. Lightly loaded, I can see 25 knts in south San Diego Bay in really smooth water. I didn't want to go any faster because the boat is rattling and banging.

If you get a 25, and I hope you do, don't expect too much in the way of MPG and top speed.

Boris

[thataway]

What Boris says about weight sensitive is very important. I run boats heavy when we are cruising, and light when not. There is a real difference, in both speed, and mileage--plus ride to some extent.

I would not be adverse to buying a C Dory 25 with a 200 hp. There was one with a 200 Suzuki in Dec--not clear if it has sold. The reason I would like a 200 is to have a good cruise speed when heavily loaded at Lake Powell (3700 feet elevation). I drove a 25 with 150 HP and fairly well loaded this summer for 50 miles at Powell. The 150 was plenty of power, with a top speed in the lower 20's. With 200 HP I would have expected the top speed in the high 20's. (Loaded boat, 3700' elevation. )

[Avidmagnum12]

Boris
Do you have bottom paint? What prop do you use? What pitch? How is your weight distributed? Do you have twins or a kicker? The list of variables goes on and on. Bill Smith on the Blue Days asked me for a ride on the "40mph 25". He got it up to 39 mph one way and I got 41 mph the other way. I was packed for a 5 day trip with lots of water and fuel. Is the C-Otter typical....No....most 25s do not have a 200 hp 2 stroke. John just wanted to know what a 25 could do. All my speeds are GPS speeds at sea level with no bottom paint, no kicker and the correct prop. It's all fun as I usually cruise at 6 mph.😊 Tom

[Avidmagnum12]

Boris
Do you have bottom paint? What prop do you use? What pitch? How is your weight distributed? Do you have twins or a kicker? The list of variables goes on and on. Bill Smith on the Blue Days asked me for a ride on the "40mph 25". He got it up to 39 mph one way and I got 41 mph the other way. I was packed for a 5 day trip with lots of water and fuel. Is the C-Otter typical....No....most 25s do not have a 200 hp 2 stroke. John just wanted to know what a 25 could do. All my speeds are GPS speeds at sea level with no bottom paint, no kicker and the correct prop. It's all fun as I usually cruise at 6 mph.😊 Tom

[localboy]

I can tell you I have taken water over the bow. I mean buried it in green water. My own fault for catching "get home-itis" and not checking the weather. I kept dry and warm and the boat handled the rough conditions, although I had to use the throttle expeditiously.

[John T]

Sounds like I might be able to reasonably expect a 20-25 nmph cruise speed in calm conditions with a 175-200 hp main and a 10 hp kicker on board, and 8-12 nmph in choppy to rough conditions, maybe more if the seas aren't steep and close...
John T

[JamesTXSD]

[John T]

Yep, makes sense. I'm coming at it from the other end; runabouts that I've generally cruised at around 30 knots, our 32' and 42' Uniflites that I cruised at 15-16 knots except in sloppy stuff, our current 22' Cobalt I generally cruise at 28-40 knots (WOT is 63 mph which is about 50-55 knots). Debris in the water is too hard to see at those speeds though, and the boat is loud, and it's not very pleasant. We'll keep the Cobalt for water sports with the kids and grandkids. The CD would be for my wife and me, for pleasant, hopefully fairly quiet cruising, fuel economy, simplicity, low maintenance, for poking into all kinds of beautiful and shallow places, and soaking in the magic of the marine environment. I think I'd like to move more slowly, leave a smaller carbon footprint, and be able to focus more on the surroundings than the systems on the boat. At the same time, I don't want to be forced into trawler speeds all the time. The CD looks like it may be the right boat, and yes, its versatility certainly is appealing.

[Salmon Fisher]

John,

I look at other boats all the time dreaming...Ranger Tug 27, Nordic Tug 32-37, C Dory Tom Cat.

Well, I went out on my 25 today after 2 months of not boating and I can say I am really happy with it. Tried some displacement cruising on the 150 at 2000 rpm and around 6.5 mph sog and some on the kicker to get the cobwebs out of it. When it was time to head for the dock, cruised in nicely at 18-20 mph SOG and it is perfect.

Bottom line the boat does everything we want for now, is trailerable, provides lots of interior and cockpit room. Carries a dinghy and kicker when out playing for 10-12 days, very fishable. Now we have a refrig/freezer and Honda 2000 generator and will add another house battery to have longer AH capacity. We are happy boaters.

A used 25 is relatively inexpensive compared to new boats and it will do so much. If you go new, then you get state of the art build from a great company and you make all the fun decisions to outfit just for you.

If you haven't already planned to, consider coming up for the Friday Harbor gathering. People are more than happy to show off their boats and answer questions. You might even bum a ride

[John T]

Well said Patrick. Yes, I've thought about the gathering in Friday Harbor. Weather permitting, it sounds fun to run up by water.

[John T]

I toured the NMI factory in Bellingham and was very impressed with the quality of what they were building. We are inclined toward purchase of a new 25. However, both my wife and I continue to wonder how we will like the ride, particularly in a light to moderate chop. Our only major remaining hurdle is to ride in one. Neither of the dealers from whom we would consider purchasing has one to sea trial. We are planning to be in Friday Harbor May 20 and 21. As you suggested Patrick, we'll spend time on the docks hoping to talk with owners (without making pests of ourselves). What do you think our chances are of having someone take us out for an hour or less? I just don't want to be presumptuous.
John T.

[Jazzmanic]