SO WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OR ON YOUR C-DORY TODAY??

[Riverjohn]

[srbaum]

Trailer work was in order, as the boat is ship shape, but the trailer was not. HDPE in the fender wells and a new brake coupler.

[srbaum]

Trailer work is now complete... Carpet was removed from bunk boards and 1/2" gray King Starboard was milled and installed in place of carpet Fasteners used were stainless 1/4" carriage bolts, countersunk below the surface.

The carpet was rotted and had a tremendous amount of friction when loading and unloading the boat. The new bunk surface should prove to be a huge improvement in future evolutions.

[Micahbigsur@msn.com]

I just put in a remote battery fill system for my 2 house group 31s (photo in the Sierra album).

[colbysmith]

[Micahbigsur@msn.com]

Installed a Spectra Ventura Watermaker. 8 gallons an hour, uses about 8 amps @12 volts. 62 pounds.

[srbaum]

Colby,
King Starboard has been arourd the marine industry for a long time and is used in many applications, that would have been previously made of teak or other wood products. The material is a high density polyethylene, that is UV stabilized. It required zero maintenance and is easily workable with standard woodworking tools.
The link is the manufacturers brochure and there are now competitors of this type of product.

https://www.kingplastic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/King-StarBoard-Literature.pdf

Steve Baum
Homeport of Portsmouth, VA
OSPREY (Ex Mister Sea) 2000 22 C-Dory 2010 - Sold 3/19
OSPREY (Ex ADITI) 2007 26 Cape Cruiser 2018

[thataway]

[colbysmith]

Thanks Steve. I did a little more homework researching. I just have to wonder if it's as gentle on the hull as the carpet and wood during long commutes. I replaced my carpet a few years ago, but have a few tears on the forward edge of the inner bunks again. (I suspect caused from when the boat gets a bit sideways loading in wind or current, and the bow center strip and screws hit it, rather than the roller.) I wonder if it would be worthwhile to just use the starboard on the inner bunks, or even mill the bunk 2x4's to allow the forward couple of feet to be lined with the starboard? Colby

[srbaum]

Colby,
Your question regarding scratching was a very big concern for me. All of my big boat trailers were EZ-Loader multi-roller type trailers. If you unhooked the boat from the trailer at the top of the ramp, the boat would be on the concrete, long before you began backing down.

The new Cape Cruiser trailer has been a bear to load and unload, due to friction from the carpet. In order to get the boat on or off of the trailer, the boat HAS to be 100% floating. The down side of this is if you are at a ramp that will allow a trailer that is 30' long to submerge, you at out of luck. Usually it is the last few feet that are very difficult (and I have a very powerful 2 speed winch). If the boat is floating at the stern, then the bow is too low at the bow stop. when you pull the trailer up the ramp and the stern comes down, then the boat is aft of the bow stop on the trailer by about 1'. You have to refloat it to make up the difference, by messing with it several times.

My buddy's Melonseed Skiff is badly scratched on the bottom, where it rubs the carpet, when being loaded / unloaded, due to impregnated sand, dirt, etc. The Cape Cruiser also is scratched / well polished on the bottom from the carpeted bunks. When I removed the carpet from the Cape Cruiser trailer, I vacuumed up over a quart of dirt and sand that fell out of the carpet, (I did the work over the driveway and used a shop vac to clean-up, so that is why I know).

Two things are going to happen at the ramp with the Cape Cruiser... 1. The boat will not need to be completely floating to come off or onto the trailer. 2. Sand/dirt when the trailer is underwater will for the most part wash away and the King Starboard has a raised / bumpy profile, so minor stuff should have little to no impact.

Steve Baum
Homeport of Portsmouth, VA
OSPREY (Ex Mister Sea) 2000 22 C-Dory 2010 - Sold 3/19
OSPREY (Ex ADITI) 2007 26 Cape Cruiser 2018

[Micahbigsur@msn.com]

Steve's reply is interesting, one of our biggest gripes with the Ranger Tug was the 35' trailer, carpeted bunks, and 30" draft. It was so hard to launch and retrieve, it wasn't too bad at our steep Monterey ramp but at some of the shallow lake ramps it was a bear.
Our CD 25 trailer is much shorter, has guides and rollers. Wow, what a difference, so much easier. I did put on the heaviest duty winch and strap after I realized how easy it could roll off the trailer and I keep the safety chain on until the boat is in. I banged my wrist pretty good when I lost control and the winch handle spun out as the boat rolled down and off. I only made that mistake once! Overall I even though more things can go wrong and you need to be aware, I like the rollers.

[colbysmith]

Thanks Steve for sharing your experience. I've only owned one roller trailer, and found the bunks much easier to center the load, and not have to worry as much about the boat coming off the trailer prematurely. I started with a bunk under a Pontoon boat, which was quite easy to load and launch. Then came a 1988 Searay 268 Sundancer on a roller. Old trailer and doing a lot of research to replace it I decided to go to a bunk. Much preferred the bunk as I was somewhat surprised to learn that it really was easier to load a bunk than a roller. Mostly due to the centering issue. Now the CD-22 which has always been on a bunk. Of course it's a fairly light weight boat and I've done both power loading and just walking it on and then a few turns of the winch. A few times at really low water launches I have had to winch it on as much as 3 feet, but again with it's relatively light weight, not an issue. Now that I think about it, I do have scuff marks under Midnight Flyer where it sits on the bunks. And I believe you about the sand and stuff getting into the carpet. But I also like the more secure holding of the carpeted bunk, especially with all the long distance trailering I do. I've maybe only had half a dozen times where shallow water made it a real PITA to get the boat off the trailer. But that's just a fraction of my launchings. None the less, I think I am still going to look at replacing the front part of the inner boards carpeting with the Starboard or equivalent. That's the only place where my carpet seems to wear out the quickest, and is where most the friction is going on between the bunks and the boat. BTW, I have occasionally sprayed some silicone on the bunk carpet to help with loading and launching. Not often, and not sure if it has really made a difference or not. Thought process was to keep the dry carpet from sticking to the boat after it's sat on the trailer for a while. Colby

[jakevolvo@yahoo.com]

Got me a new kicker a.couple days ago, hydro tilt and electric start. Practically stole it from an estate sale got the sales receipt and all for $1200

Next install for the winter will be nmea 2000 networking and a lowrance hydraulic auto pilot system

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=C-Told-Ya-So&id=20191103_125211&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=C-Told-Ya-So&id=20191103_125223&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

[Teufelshunde]

Almost completed installing my new hydraulic steering system! It gets too damn dark too early - stupid daylight savings time

[Capn Jack]

I gave it a pat because it was whimpering when I walked by it's trailer.