16 Cruiser Newbie Questions

J

jungrodt

New member
After years of ogling C-Dorys an reading this site I finally jumped in and bought a 1993 Cruiser 16 last week. Someone out there probably knows her, since the previous owner said she's spent time in Vero Beach, Sacramento, Bozeman (where this video was shot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0bLpkUY4kg), and MN. She now resides in Washburn, WI, and will hopefully get me, my wife, and two small kids out amongst Lake Superior's Apostle Islands.

I've read many of the posts on fuel tank and 2-battery set-ups, but I'm curious how 16 Cruisers of this vintage were set-up originally. Mine has the two-battery switch, but only one battery, and a single, portable, 6-gal fuel tank. Here are a few questions I have:

Did this boat originally have two 6 gallon tanks, port and starboard? Or a single 12? Or just the 6? Any idea what kind of range could a person realistically expect on 6 gallons with a 40 HP Yamaha? For the moment I'll probably just throw in a jerry can but am trying to think through a set up that would provide a little more room for error.

If I'm not planning to overnight aboard the boat is there any reason for a second battery beyond simple redundancy? In case of a dead battery, could a guy charge up off the (pull start) kicker (in this case a 4 HP Yamaha)?

It looks like it might be tough to fit two tanks, two batteries, and a bilge pump under the motor well, and I wonder if all that would negatively affect trim.

I'm also considering adding some type of small rear bench seat that could accommodate little kids and would also hide the tanks/batteries (possibly adding to the weight in the rear).

Any thoughts on the above, or seating options for toddlers on a Cruiser, would be much appreciated. This forum is awesome and one of many reasons I bought a C-Dory. Thanks in advance.

Jedd
 
I cannot address the issues of tanks or batteries, but we raised our children on boats from less than one month of age. We made sure that they were always in sight of a parent, and had a safety harness as well as a life jacket on. For the most part they were down below, or in a deep cockpit. My concern would be a seat where there would not be a parent right at their side if they are toddlers.
 
Not sure of the vintage of your engine but on the Honda 45's on my 22' there was a flywheel under the cowl and it was possible to use a rope and pull start them. I tried it a couple of times and it did. Would give you some "dead battery confidence"! I'd still put in a second battery though. Congratulations on the new-to-you boat!

Oh, and if the kicker doesn't have a charging coil, it won't charge anything. If it does, you'd probably run out of gas before it did... :lol:
 
16 cruisers tend to be stern heavy. On our 16 the batteries were moved forward under the co-pilots seat. We also kept our spare gas can forward. Still, even with a permatrim, the boat tended to dig in under heavy acceleration. Overall though the 16 is a fun and easy to use boat. We loved ours but soon learned that we wanted more room, even with just the two of us.

Enjoy the boat and welcome to c-brats!
 
I just bought a 1992 16' Cruiser, and am currently outfitting it for my trip to my summer home in Canada.

I've added a bilge pump, and relocated the batteries to under the V-Berth. I have two 6-gal tanks under the splashwell. I'm hoping that by moving the two batteries that far forward the balance problem will be solved.

Let you know around the middle of August...

Cheers!

John
 
I never felt the need for 2 batteries. I have had my boat sit out all winter and it still turned over the engine come late spring. If concerned buy a new battery for piece of mind. I carry two tanks but usually dont put in more than 5 gallons each. I'm sure your engine is pretty thrifty also. If it bothers you only having one, get another and don't fill it all the way for weight reduction. I think you will find putting a seat in the stern is not what you want to do on a 16. Once you take your boat out I think you will understand why.
 
Hi Jedd,

This was our 16 before it went to MN a couple years ago. That is my video on You Tube. Hope you are enjoying this boat, we really did. We sold it to a couple in MN so we could purchase a 22. We spent many nights on that 16. Look in my album and you can see pictures. We ran one 6 gallon and one 3 gallon tank, that provided the range we needed. We would add a 2 gallon Gerry can as needed and let it ride in the splash well. Most our boating is on Yellowstone Lake. Usually a 45 to 50 mile weekend. I think 5 to 8 MPG is what we were getting at YS Lake with the high altitude, the 2 of us and often towing a tandem kayak. One battery seemed to be all we ever needed and having only the one battery saved space and weight. I never hand pulled the motor, it always started and ran great. The 40 hp Yamaha had 430 hours on it when we sold it. The 4 hp kicker was a 2008 Yamaha long shaft that I bought new and it had less than 3 hours on it when we sold the boat. If you add a 3rd seat I think you will be fine. The cooler seat may be the way to go. Permatrim would help with the weight in the rear. You have a great boat. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

Kevin
 
Thanks to all for the info and especially to Kevin for the update on the boat's history! I had a great time checking out the photos of the 16 in action in MT. Looks like you got a lot of great use out of her. My family made our maiden voyage out on Chequamegon Bay on Sunday. It was a blast. Everything performed as advertised. Easy to trailer, launch, and recover, even for a novice. Beaching and anchoring were a breeze. Cruised comfortably at 15 knots. Cabin and bimini kept the kids (aged 2 1/2 and 4 months) secure and out of the baking sun. (The v-berth makes a dynamite changing table, by the way.) Hours of fun and three gallons of fuel. But look at me preaching to the choir!
 
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