Soliloquy on a C-D 25

[journey on]

OK, folks, here is a soliloquy about Journey On. For free you can get my opinions; or as the kids used to say: jeez dad, we’ve heard that already. Now, this is our 4th new boat, the other three being Catalina sailboats, the Chevvy of the sailboat fleet. Cheap and good. I can use those as a standard of comparision without any shame. Incidently, I’ve proved I’m changing over from a sailboat by the scratches on the hull: what do you mean it isn’t going to turn without power? Need to learn a new set of reflexes.

By the way, this is our boat, but my sole opinions, which is all I get around here. My thanks to all who posted their opinions, it helped us a lot.

OK. Why is a C-Dory our type of boat? A C-Dory vs a Bayliner The whole class, Larsen, etc. They don’t have a cabin type boat at less than 6000 lbs, and you can’t see out when you’re in the cabin (Judy’s requirement.) There are other boats with topside cabin, Palmer, even Orca. But none of them are set up primarily for cruisers, they’re fishing boats. The Arima plant is next door to the C-Dory plant and I looked at them. Not the same type of boat, so you can’t compare them if you’re a cruiser. In the C-Dory the head is standard, with shower. Good cockpit, dinette standard. Reasonable v-berth, with enclosed anchor locker. The price isn’t cheap, see Bayliner, but then we looked at a boat built in Paso Robles Ca. which was about $125,000; of course it was only for serious fisherman and not cruisers. KMA(whatever that means.) With gas going to $3/gal, I don’t think a V-8 is the hot setup, so the outboard looked good. And last but not least, I figured my truck will pull about 8000#, or else. That alone ruled out a lot of boats I loved.

So all in all and with Jeff being charming and Scott working hard, we now have a C-Dory. Note: boat show time is a good time to buy, since that question was asked elsewhere.

OK, the boat is now home, has been in the water, and what do we think? Well, the first comparison is with our last Catalina. That’s fair, both production, though the C-Dory should be higher in its class, it cost more compartivily. The fit and finish in the C-Dory, at this point, is equal to or better than our Catalina 36, and that’s good. The hot water installation picture, posted elsewhere, must have been seen in Auburn, cause ours doesn’t look like that. Also the wiring is certainly better than other pics I’ve seen. The production panel has well routed wiring, with the add-ons in the rigging shop not quite so neat. Everything outside is covered by an inspection hatch, and they don’t seem to leak (a single rainy day in Wash.) No bad spots in the gel coat, that I didn’t put there. So C-D appears to be trying to build a high quality boat for the price.

They also now have shelves and two lights in the v-berth (just like the Catalina,) which will make for better cruising. The shelves are a couple of inches low for us oversized people, but Judy’s thrilled. In case you haven’t noticed, right in back of the battery charger is a galvanic isolator, which is great. Good AC and DC panels. I don’t know if they’ll hold our additions, but they look good. Had a power windlass on the 36, but I (not Judy) had to go up and run it. That can be a pain, and I’m looking forward to pressing the button in the cabin, with it raining, and the anchor just coming right up, it will wouldn’t it?

I do notice that a lot of the fittings on the boat come from China. We’ve just got to get used to that, but in some cases I refuse. Such as Chinese safety gear (that’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one.) In our past life, we’ve put great faith in our anchoring gear and we have used that faith. I saw China stamped on the anchor and shackles, so that’ll get replaced, as well as the line and chain.

So in summary, if you see another boat like the C-Dory, note that hull designs can be similar, and they can look a lot alike, but the C-Dory seems to be well built, has good equipment, and is certainly put together well. So compare the details. And no, I’m not Poly Anna, and I don’t believe in the tooth fairy. There will be problems, just less of them.

[B~C]

well put, there's isn't to many boats like the C-D, big boats in a little package

[DodgeRam]

Hi very well done . I have 29 hours on my twin 50, love my CD . But still have problems finding right screws. I notice on one of your pictures that you have equilazer bars . I have a new set that I never used . Where can I buy the brakets that is attached to the tongue? Gary SEA RAM

[journey on]

Here’s a soliloquy on trailering a C-D 25, specifically Journey On.

First, I’m using a 63 Chevvy shortbed pickup to tow the boat. So far, we’ve got ~1500 miles under our belt, and it’s going strong. Coming down from Washington, I found out the grades in Oregon are steep and long, both up and down. So I used 2nd gear and raced the trucks and trailers. Nothing like trying to pass a semi hauling 3 trailers uphill and watching the guy pass you downhill. If you’ve hauled a boat down I-5 in Oregon, you’re ready for anything So. Cal. has, except the heat.

This isn’t your granddads ’63 (though it was,) it’s as close to my ‘88 as I could make it. Disks up front, 350 engine fuel injected, spruced up T700 4-speed, and a ‘72 12 bolt rear end. Still coil springs in the back but I’m working on that. For those of you worried about pulling a boat, 6% grades seem to be the max encountered on interstates, and I still had 1 more gear down with basically a stock truck (of about 1990 vintage.) 2nd gear up and 2nd gear down. Need a bigger radiator for So. Cal summers though. Ran between 60 and 70. So come on down, since the grades down here are no worse than the grades wherever you are. One exception is the grade up to Valley Center. Have'nt figured out the valley part yet, since it’s on a mesa, but the last ½ mile is greater than 6%, because I had to use low gear. Made it fine.

As for the trailer, it worked well. Had an E-Z Loader with a Catalina 25 sailboat on it, and they’ve fixed the brakes since then. Good trailer. A few comments though. First, the ’63 needs an equalizer hitch. And E-Z Loader doesn’t even discuss equalizer hitches. It’s your problem. However, C-Bill told me about electric hydraulic brakes, which he put on his trailer. E-Z Loader installed this brake as a factory option. Worked great, after I got the wiring diagram. Tap the truck brakes, feel the trailer brakes come on, and you’re in business with 4-wheel disks on the trailer. Used 2nd gear down the long grades, though. The set up is actually an electric motor driving a hydraulic pump. Sounds unusual, but worked great. E-Z Loader did a good installation.

Now, a word to the wise. C-Dory worked with me to get the brakes, but they aren’t real hep on trailers. The usual trailer is self contained, put the boat on and go. So getting a wiring diagram was a pain. E-Z Loader isn’t real responsive, but they finally came through with a wiring diagram for the trailer to truck connection.

Also, the trailer spare is an optional extra. Except no-one said that until I was ready to leave the factory. Luck beats skill as we got home without needing a spare. However, E-Z Loader when questioned about the wheel size, said just the read the tire size and count the bolts. Didn’t understand about the bolt circle diameter, hub dia. or rim width. Order a spare when you order the trailer. And a spare mount.

The trailer has 4 wheel disk brakes. Everyone who gets a trailer for a 25 should check their brake hose routing. It may look good at the trailer factory, but by the time the boat is loaded, there wasn’t any clearance between the frame and the brake lines. Lose a brake line and you’ve lost the trailer brakes. I re-routed mine before towing. Checked a couple of King trailers, whose owners had returned the boats for service, and noticed wear on their brake lines also. I understand that the pads are GM pads. Anyone know different?

The total length of the boat and trailer is 32’. Tracks well, sways a little on downhill corners if you’re going over 50, but otherwise tows well. The trailer tongue is about 3 feet too long, cause it’s a long way between the boat bow support and the hitch; about 6’ feet to be exact. I’m going to try to figure out how to take that 3 ‘ out, if possible

Also, I went to Home Depot and got a tie down strap for the rear of the boat. It’s a biggie, had to shackle it to the trailer, and pad the ratchet; but past experience is all. Bigger than the factory strap, and sometime I’ll tell about almost losing a sailboat on a hill in Mexico. The rear straps held then, and I’m now a believer.

The southern Boris

[Sneaks]

Hey Journey On, any time ya wanna dunk her in Oceanside, just give me a growl and we can impress the heck out of those RV'ers and fishermen who boat watch by the entrance.

Seriously, I get a temporary slip there about once/month. (4 days/$66) and get some concentrated boating in. I'm sure you've been there before. The launch ramp has been totally renovated and it's free, though parking is $5/day.

[SeaSpray]

I have the King tandem trailer for my 22 and noticed wear on the flexible brake lines to the disks. I talked with King and they said it was only the outer cover and inside was steel braid hose. They also said where it rubs is part of the plastic fenders. I used a dremale tool to relieve the area so the lines don't rub.

Steve

[journey on]

OK, here’s my thesis for the instrumentation on Journey On, as well as two “fix-its” on the boat and trailer.

The fix-its were small but important. First, the aft drain port on the 25 is a brass fitting with a pipe plug. When we went to Catalina, I noticed a leak in the aft bilge. Got it home and tightened the plug, with more Teflon tape. Next trip, it was still leaking. Home again, it was leaking from the fitting. Took the 3 ea #8 screws out, and the fitting fell off. No sealent, and a stripped screw. Well, luck beats skill and overcomes stupidity. Glued it back on with 5200 and longer #10 screws. Just check yours.

Next, abrasion on the brake lines. I heard that a dealer said abrasion on the rubber was OK, the steel braid will provide protection. I don’t know about trailer brakes, but I learned long ago on rockets, aircraft and spacecraft, that any abrasion on fluid (gas and liquid) lines will lead to disaster. The rubber keeps the environment from the metal, and the purpose of the metal is to keep the fluid inside, not resist abrasion. You abrade that and the line ruptures. Can you stop your trailer and boat with just your truck? Any abrasion on the brake lines is cause for rerouting and replacement.

OK, back to instrumentation and what does one need? First, the greatest revolution in navigation has been GPS and radar. The first gives you absolute position and the second gives you relative position. GPS will get you to the island, and since nothing is perfect, radar will guide you into the pass. And we learned celestial navigation just before GPS went operational. To show you the effect of these two devices, look at the notes on an Evergreen chart book for the San Juan Isls. and vicinity. Tugs and ferries were going aground left and right in the fog and darkness, in the good ol’ pre radar and GPS days. Not true now, and you shouldn’t be going aground either.

So no discussion, get radar. Any radar. It doesn’t have to be the $3500 Raymarine, with overlay. The $1000 radar will get you in just as quick. Humans are good at comparing radar images with charts. Our last boat had a Raytheon 2 KW, with a 7” CRT. Great radar, we needed it and we used it; and when you lifted the cover, the manufacturer was JRC (Japan Radio Corporation.) So, I figured why not look at JRC? For $1500, I got the 6.5’ LCD, which has a 2 KW radar, C-Map plotter (more later,) and a GPS (see below.) Also the new radars run at X-band, which is a higher frequency than my old one at L-band. Higher gain for the same power. Now this doesn’t have an overlay function, but it’s cheap and it works in fog and dark.

Well, since the radar came with C-Map, I got the chip for the west (left) coast. My God (or yours) for $180 you get a chip that covers Mexico to the top of Washington (can’t spell Straits of San Juan de Fuca.) The old Maptech CDs were $180 and you needed at least two (unless you cheated.) For an additional $150 I got a chip reader which lets me see the charts on my PC. I can put GPS into the PC and viola, my eyes can do the overlay. This also includes the software to plan routes, generate a log, etc. No PC? Buy a cheap PC with the money you saved. They do well in the cabin of a boat. I got a PC with a 15” screen, but that seems overkill. Incidentally, C-Map and Maptech seem to have about the same quality, though C-Map is fancier.

The radar came with a GPS receiver. Just screw its plug in the rear of the radar display unit and you get your GPS position on the radar display. Also, there is an output plug that lets you drive the PC and another unit as well. The GPS can either output NMEA183 ver. 1.1 or 2.0. The first version (1.1) doesn’t tell you if the GPS has quit, the second version (2.0) does. Set it to 2.0; the Queen Elizabeth grounded off New Jersey when no-one noticed the GPS died. I also cheated and got one of those hocky puck GPS do-hickeys. One can’t have too many GPS back-ups.

Now for the third critical instrument: a depthsounder. It’s useful on the west coast, and has saved me there. It’s mandatory on the east coast. We spent 2 years there and got to think 8’ of water was deep for a 6’ keel. And I grounded, because the 8’ went to 4’ in the length of the boat. So, I slid a forward looking depth sounder by Judy. Maybe I don’t need it on a power boat, but I sure want it.

So, there’s my basic thesis: give me GPS to get there, and radar and a depth sounder to get in.

The rest of the accoutrements are fairly standard for us cruisers. A sine wave inverter. Tired of hearing the old radar oven groan, and they’ve gotten cheap(er.) A 40 amp 3 stage battery charger for the golph cart batteries. And one of those Honda inverter type generators, light and runs a long time on a gallon of gas. It’s just that they don’t put out their rating, but they’re good. A voltmeter and ampmeter.

And last, a radio that plays MP-3 CDs. The younger generation has used this for years. I put 200 songs on a single CD, and had room for more.

By the time I’ve installed all this I’ll be an expert. Just don’t forget to deburr the slots in the radar arch. They’re rough.

[Sneaks]