Looking to buy C Dory

[Hunkydory]

I guess it depends on how or how much & where it is used. We’ve owned the same CD22 for 16 boating seasons with a average of 135 hours per year. It has twin motors & a majority of the run time run at displacement speed on one motor, so the hours would have been much higher if a single motor instead of the twins. I have done the regular maintenance & most of the more involved maintenance including upgrades. Our radar is 19 years old & chart plotters 12 years, still the average cost has been well over $1000 per year to keep it & trailer in dependable shape to have confidence in the boat & trailer for our long distance trailering & cruising in the more remote places. This does not include cost associated with the towing vehicle.

Just some of the items beyond normal yearly maintenance.

1. Following repairs to original single axle EZ loader trailer, upgraded to duel axel more heavy duty trailer with torsion bar suspension & electric over hydraulic brakes.
2. After original choice of anchor & rode switched to larger pulpit, with 25# Manson boss anchor, 50 foot chain & 250 feet 8 brait 1/2 inch line with several hundred feet of additional spare line, 25 feet spare chain & two spare anchors.
3. Following over $1000 of maintenance cost on original Wallas heater, I purchased new replacement for $2400 & then an additional $1000 in repair, maintenance & spare parts since the purchase.
4. Added two different auto pilots.
5. Replaced original cable steering then switched to hydraulic followed by again replacing the complete hydraulic steering system.
6. Repainted the bottom paint several times & due again before another extended Alaska trip.
7. Complete repair of torn out rub rails
8. Added Lewmar 700H windless with additional wireless controller.
9. Added hypervent to birth, took out foam under birth & added storage area there with several other more minor improvements.
10. Replaced transducer & sonar unit & made all external wiring muskrat proof.
11. Repairs & extensive cleaning of upholstery.
12. Improved flooring in cockpit & cabin.
13. Repaired trim tab leaks with new actuators & wiring twice.
14. Replaced all fuel lines.
15. Repairs to cockpit cover with a complete replacement in the future.
16. Several minor motor repairs adding to over $1000 plus several hundred dollars of spare parts
17. Both motor covers repainted & new decals put on.
18. Replaced complete anchor lite set up
19. Additional hand rails on cabin top installed
20. Over the sixteen years we’ve had 6 different sets of props.
21. Permatrims added to both motors.
22. We have used three different dinghies, a 2.5 hpSuzuki & 6 hp Suzuki outboards & Mokais. The Mokais were the more expensive to upgrade & maintain.
23. In 80,000 miles of towing many different sets of trailer tires purchased.
24. The motors run great but with 2340 hours on them both, they will eventually have to be replaced.
25. I replaced both the motor control cables for the 2nd time this fall.

Every year there is a list beyond just the regular motor maintenance & boat polishing that must be done either in the fall or spring before heading out for another summer of boating fun & I don’t like to take off time from the fun due to not doing, what I should have earlier. For me there has been no such thing as setting the boat & trailer up as wanted & then just having to do the minor maintenance myself.

Jay

[pcg]

Wow Jay, thank you for all those detailed items. That is very helpful information and exactly the kind of response I was hoping for, only better!

I'm starting to realize that, no matter what people say about C-Dorys, they, like all other boats, are a depreciating asset. As "Thataway" stated earlier, you may eventually sell it for the same price as you bought it, but only if you keep maintaining that asset by upgrading electronics, re-powering when necessary, etc. I can see now, especially after Jay's response, that this is the biggest cost of ownership.

Thank you all for taking time to respond.

[hardee]

Many boaters are not like Jay, and many are not like the average C-BRAT either. In my experience, 12 years on my C-Dory and a lifetime of other boats, I would say that the average C-Dory owner is by far a better mariner than the average boater. That is better in navigation and operating skills, more safety conscious and more knowledgeable in seamanship. That knowledge also spills over into taking care of the vessel. IF you take care of it (for some "her") than it/she will take care of you.

There are some who get by on dumb luck, and some who manage with skill. Dumb luck can run out at any most inconvenient time, and then you are left with whatever skill level you have attained. I won't say "Good luck". Some say you make your luck by good preparation. You pick and choose.

Harvey
SleepyC

[Hunkydory]

Your welcome peg & Harvey makes some good points, especially regarding luck vs preparation. I will add, some either through there own past experience, what they have learned here or the combination, have started out with new boats set up very well & these owners will likely enjoy a few years with just regular preventive maintenance, similar to new vehicle purchasers. My experience has been that cars & pickups if properly maintained & not abused can hold up very well for many years, boats not so much. Many have to learn through their own preference of boat usage over time, like I have, what changes need to be made to improve comfort & safety. The dollars are continually spent making the changes, while simultaneously spending for what’s needed to keep the boat in good appearance & working condition.

I will add to my previous list of costly items. Good AGM batteries are not cheap & we’er now on our third set of two.

Jay

[Hunkydory]

Even new boats are often not trouble free & it’s appropriate to do a trial period before heading off to some adventure, like the PNW Inland Passage as various problems can arise from manufacturer, rigger or with any of the add ons to the basic boat. If your boating is done where cell phone & tow service are readily available then maybe, the extremes, I go to are not so necessary & some of the expenses can be decreased. Where we spend the majority of our boating, reliance on others to solve problems, that I can prevent are not an option if wanting to due as Harvey suggest & that’s making your own luck out of good preparation.

The previous owner of our HunkyDory, Gordon Lamont from Vancouver, BC bought the boat new & shortly after, while exiting from Vancouver to make way for Sidney, BC in rough water, that water made it into the fuel tank from the fuel intake breather, due to improper installation. This caused a rebuild of the motor & a major safety problem when it died & he had to reverse course & head back to calm water on the other twin.

Jay

[thataway]

Let me add to the type of things we do to our boats somewhat as a supplement to Jay's excellent list: Lifting davit to put the dinghy on the roof and move heavy items in the cockpit. (about $400). Decadence Carpet (About $ you don't want to know, but the Admiral is happy with it) but over a boat unit. Dry deck lining in all lockers between the hull; ($200) Battery monitoring system: Victron 702 $200, LED lighting upgrades (including in cabinets). $200. fans: $300. (plus portable for forward hatch or forward window)
No See-um screens for all windows and door. ($15 Army surplus net and velcro). Camper back (If Bimini and any parts not present--can be up to $5000). AIS receiver. and second radio ($300 plus)

Upgrade battery charger--the ones which come with the boat are designed for slow charge after you have been out for a day. If you are doing serious cruising: using refrigerators, freezers, fans or heater. etc--you may need a 20 amp charger to utilize the best management of the batteries. The factory charger will fail at some point. We do go to AGMs if the batteries check out weak or are over 4 years old, with unknown maintenance.

CO monitor--we have two--one by the helm and one by the head of the bunk. $75. Graphics for the name and hailing port: (from $5 to $400). Anchor windlass, new anchor roller, better anchor, rode and chain. (8 plait with G4 chain; second stern anchor: total cost can be in the $500 + range. Also stern line to the bank. Add new windows to trunk cabin over berths: $250. How about crab and shrimp traps? Fishing gear?

We have kept the same dinghy and motors (Inflatable with air floor $1500, Torqeedo 1003 (two boat units), and 3.5 two stroke Marc $1200.

You don't like the XX stove--and a new one may be from $30 (propane from WalMart) to over $3000 (Diesel Wallas from Scan Marine).

Bottom paint: epoxy undercoat--can be over 2 boat units.

Winter full cover--$500 to $1000+.

None of the above are essential; you can be like Jonathon Arthur and do the loop with an I phone, a $90 depth finder and a couple of 5 gallon plastic containers to ferry gas to the boat in. I believe he added a chart plotter for the 3rd time around.

[hardee]

one other item I have not seen mentioned yet. For some it should be required on board, for others (more like Jay) it could be a considered option.

I have had a AAA Auto Club membership since I started driving. That was a ways back and after turning 70 I found out I may have a basic membership for free for the rest of my life. OK, That is a fair expenditure considering I have used it about 6 times total, but it was always there if I needed it, (towing, lock out, jump start, run out of gas etc.)

I am not a mechanic by any means, cars or boats. SO.....

I also have a Boat US membership. (Works like AAA for cars -- towing, fuel, etc.) I have never used that either, but where I boat, the average towing fee for a boat is near $700. Minimum is about $300. Not something I want to cough up anytime soon, so I have the Boat US membership, just in case.

I keep my PM's done, and try to look ahead at any possible issues. My buddy in grade school was a Boy Scout. He told me their motto was "Always be repaired". I guess I never wanted to join those ranks.

Harvey
SleepyC

[DayBreak]

Good points made so far on the annual cost of owning a C-Dory. Like mentioned, it is easier on our pocket book if we consider our boat as a she instead of an it. Walk around the trailer and look for things such as a milky color in the oil bath hubs if you have them etc. Catching things early such as low hydraulic oil in the steering can make a difference in a successful outing or not. There are so many things that can go wrong with owning a boat. If you have a Wallas Stove/Heater, (We love ours) run it for an hour at-least once a month to keep the fuel lines from gelling and to keep it operating properly. If you can keep your boat stored out of the water and in a dry storage environment in the winter that will also be better for your boat.
My wife points out, "A little time spent in regular checks and maintenance can save you a lot of time, money and grief.

[DayBreak]

...and at all costs, never put anything but non-ethanol fuel in your fuel tanks.

[DayBreak]

Oops. Double post. Sorry.

[ssobol]

[thataway]

[journey on]

ssobol,

I agree with your thoughts of ethanol gas. I've run ethanol gas in Journey On for the last 12 years with nary a problem. We use the boat for scattered trips, so that it sits for several months between being run. Once a year, we'll run the engine for months, and then it sets again. Starts right up. Does sound like the old tractor.

The motor is from an EFI Honda Accord. I'll use STP Gas Treatment once a year to remove any water, just as I do in my vehicles; Stabil when we come back from a trip. Has worked well.

During the first year we owned Journey On, the gas stations sold straight gas, then one could only buy ethanol gas. Lost a 1/2 mpg, but no problems running it.

I don't understand the complaints. There must be somthing else that's happening.

Boris

[ssobol]

[thataway]