Posted on behalf of c-dory 26.
Great Republic is one of a handful of 26’ Pilot House commercial work boats built by Roy Toland of C Dory that is known to be operational today. The only other one I can be certain of is used to carry supplies (and clients) to a fishing camp off the coast of Alaska.
I have been told that production of this vessel was limited to15.
The business plan described was that they were to be used as: “Sport Fishers,Trollers, Seiner and for Diving, Marine Surveying, towing and Walrus Hunting”. I am not sure when they went out of production or why but have been told that the market for such a boat was not large enough to support their production and sales costs.
The class was given rave reviews in the July 1986 number of Trailer Boats which described two offshore runs from Kent, WA to Southern California. Great Republic may in fact, be the very boat that Roy Tolen took offshore twice down and back along the Pacific coast though there is no way to prove it.
The boat is 26’ X 8’ 6’’, with a draft of 12” -16” increasing to 20”-24” aft with the engine down. It weighs 3,400 lbs dry and even with the trailer and a load of fuel and gear is easily towed by a full size pick up truck (350 - 380 cu inch engine with a tow package), allowing over the road travel without special permitting, vastly increasing boating possibilities.
Head room in the cabin is 6’4” and the boat sleeps two forward in V berths and two in the cabin when the dining table is lowered. The dinette is port side, galley starboard aft of the conning station. Porta Potti (not included) is forward between the after ends of the V berths and separated from the main cabin space by a closing door. The original holding tank, taken out by the previous owner is available if desired.
The boat planes at about 5-6 Knots, cruises comfortably and economically at 10 - 18 Knots and will go to the mid 20s at full throttle. The range of the boat with full tanks was described to me as being 600 miles but I never checked this.
Aside from the no frills, commercial grade construction, the principal feature of the boat is the massive cockpit space measuring 11’ fore and aft and seven feet thwart ships allowing remarkable work space or seating. We cruised with two small kayaks that fit comfortably in the cockpit and with two bikes on the cabin top.
As mentioned this was built as a work boat and is made to commercial specs. Rails are stainless no It has a 2000 lb, 40 cubic foot hold under the cockpit sole and another, slightly smaller hold under the cabin sole allowing very long range cruising.
Hull shape is moderate V forward flattening aft allowing good heavy weather performance and surprising carrying capacity.
I acquired the boat in the Spring of 1998 from a previous owner who may well have been the most fastidious owner on the planet and was ( is ? ) the C Dory dealer in Superior, WI.
He put the boat in a boat hanger after each use save for his summer cruises from Superior to Thunder Bay along the N shore of Lake Superior, a trip he did in perfect safety with a family of five (including a newborn) though no doubt keeping a good eye on the weather and the radar looking for shipping.
I have kept the boat in a hoist since acquiring it. Winter covers with shrink wrap and servicing by a local boat has been done since I acquired the boat in 1998.
Since 1998 I have used it sparingly. It has has done all of Lake Champlain, the Chambly Canal and the St Lawrence River to Montreal and the Rideau Canal on my watch and was loaded to do the ICW, a trip that was thwarted by the closing of NY Harbor after the events of 9/11.
My principal use of the boat save for short trips with friends and family has been serving as the dive boat for the marine archeological evaluation of the site of the Battle of Valcour in 1776 done by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
Great Republic, though down on her lines a bit, managed to carry 4- 6 large divers with all dive gear to and from the dive sites without difficulty and regularly accommodated as many as eight divers for meetings and meals at the dock.
Equipment includes a superior Ritchie compass, a fairly new Cobra VHF with a Lake Superior sized and spec. antenna; Lowrance fathometer; a somewhat outmoded but functional Garmin 130 GPS. The Ratheon 10X is presently non functional but can be restored though listed as “Retired” by Ratheon.
Three propellors, two excellent anchors with rodes and assorted dock lines, fenders and spare parts are included.
The canvas work is custom, well done and in excellent condition. Screens are in need of replacement.
The trailer has hydraulic brakes in good working order but the trailer tires might need replacing if trailing a great distance is required.
The general condition of Great Republic is excellent. The boat has not been in the water since the Fall of 2010 because of high water on Lake Champlain and some surgery for the owner in April of that year.
The boat is presently in the back yard of a summer cottage in Northwest Vermont. It has been “Summerized” and been run with rabbit ears but has not been launched this summer.
