C-Dory Hull Permeabilty

C

Capt'n Bill

New member
I am considering purchsing a 22' C-Dory, and have some concerns about hull permabilty and the balsa core. The boat that I am currently considering, appears to have been left in saltwater (docked or out fishing) for at least the last 1 1/2 years. I contacted the C-Dory factory with my concern, and they stated that as long as the gel coat beneath the waterline is intact, there should be no problem and that over the years exposed fiberglass will leak if the gelcoat is damaged. The current owner tells me that he has somebody come out and scrape his hull once every three weeks and that the hull is in good condition. Wouldn't repeated "scraping" of a hull eventually wear through a gelcoat since, as far as I can tell gelcoats are pretty thin? Forgive me if this is a stupid question. I am a landlubber, new to boating, and this will be my first boat. I just want to be sure that the hull of my new boat is strong and in good condition. Also, what would be considered a lot of hours on a pair of used 4 stroke outboards? :?:
 
Scraping could in principle wear down gel coat but I doubt that has happened. However, it's easy to find out if there is a problem. Any marine surveyor can (with the boat out of the water) measure if there is any water intrusion with a moisture meter. If you're concerned, hire a professional to check it out.
 
Ok, I will go out on a limb here & tell you about an article I read years ago on engine life expectancy...

A 2 Stroke outboard should run 2500 hours.

A 4 Stroke outboard should run 4000 hours.

An inboard diesel should run indefinitely.

Now... If you run your 2 Stroke outboard 2 hours per day, 2 days a week the motor should last 16 years. And that is if you run it 4 hours EVERY week.

That in itself would be quite a feat.

A 4 Stroke outboard should last just over 19 years at the same level of usage.

Of course a LOT of variables must be considered... What kind of maintenance schedule did the previous owner have? Salt water or fresh? Was the engine regularly run at WOT or only 3/4 throttle?

I am a fanatic about oil & filter changes. I suspect the diesel engine in my pickup may last longer than I do.

Not sure if this information was at all valuable or not, just my 2 cents worth.

Al
 
Funny you should ask. I'm jacking the boat up to paint the hull so it can be in the water for 4 mos. The last boat was in the water for 10 years, and it looked good when we sold it. But if a boat has been in the water, and especially in warm water like Hawaii, I doubt that it just has the gel coat on it. And it does take a lot of work to keep it good and clean as well.

First, what the factory says is partially true, certain types of gel coat are impervious to water. Not all, and I don't think that C-Dory uses that type. Usually one applies a barrier coat of epoxy, and then (several) coats of bottom paint.

For those in the great northwest, yes we in warmer climes have the bottom cleaned. This doesn't mean scraped. The diver goes underwater and uses a rug on the bottom paint. steel wool on the prop, and pads on other things. $1/ft/mo. Repaint every 2 years.

We once took a 2 week trip in the Sacramento Delta on a no-bottom paint boat. When it went back on the trailer, it took us a day to clean the !@#$ junk off.

So, have the boat hauled, and look at what the bottom is like. If it's just gel coat, plan on having it sealed and bottom painted. A good reason to keep it on a trailer. The surveyor will tell you how the bottom is.

Boris
 
I believe Bill & Els 40hp fourstroke Honda went out a at something like 2400 hr.? Correct me if I am wrong. I'm sure it was well treated. Four thousand hr. sounds like a lot.

Jack on C-Otter
 
My 1981 Hunky Dory had spent a lot of time in the salt chuck before I got it and had antifouling paint on it. There is a bit of spongeeness(word??) where the bottom of the hull meets the transom and I will have to eventually rebuild the transom. but for 25 years old, it's doing good.
Jimbo
 
C-Otter":3ms1kjnz said:
I believe Bill & Els 40hp fourstroke Honda went out a at something like 2400 hr.? Correct me if I am wrong. I'm sure it was well treated. Four thousand hr. sounds like a lot.

Jack on C-Otter
Click to expand...

Jack, it was something upwards of 2000 hours and the engine resides in my garage at this point. I'm going to use the lower unit on my cracked one on a 1994 45HP Honda. The carbs and linkage are going to someone in Alaska when I pull them and the rest is still up for grabs. (Alternator, Starter, etc). I will send them to those that need them for shipping only. All of the Honda 35/40/45/50 are largely the same if not completely as far as accessories go. If someone needs something, post/PM/E-mail and it's yours...

Charlie
 
As Roger stated a surveyor could very likely save you some money. Hire a local surveyor and have the boat pulled from the water to be inspected. They will do a full survey and give you an estimate on what needs to be done to the boat and what the boat is worth. When I bought my boat it cost me about $400 but I ended up paying considerably less for the boat based on the survey.
 
Wannabe,
I can't really answer your questions about hull permeability or engine hours but I'm here on the Big Island on vacation and am thinking that a C-Dory would be a great boat here. On the Kona side the water seems very calm and the water conditions seem great. Of course I've only been here a week. Caryn and I have been looking for C-Dory's to no avail so our vote is, depending on the overall condition of the boat, you should seriously think about buying it. It would be a great addition to the Big Island. We love our C-Dory!
 
Wannabe,

I looked at the boat you are thinking about buying yesterday and time permitting I may be out on it on Friday for some fishing. It represents a good value and the one engine I looked at yesterday with the cowling off looked to be in very good shape. I don't know if you saw my post in the boat for sale forum but take a look. If there is something specific that you want me to look at Friday, I can. The only limitation is the boat is in the water. Kris has the bottom cleaned about every three weeks by a diver.
 
Tom,

Quite perceptive of you to see that I am interested in that boat. I was kind of trying to keep a low profile, since I have been spending the last week trying to pursued my wife to allow us to buy the boat. She finally gave me the nod today so I plan on flying over this weekend to look at the boat first hand. I will also need to find out about doing a quick haul out so that time to look at the hull. My main concern at this time is the engines though. I understand that 570 hours isn't that much, but the fact that the engines are 16 years old and that the boat has been kept in the water is of concern. I would really appreciate that you make a note of any starting difficulties and whether the engines run smooth, that there is no cavitation problems, & that the engines are not running real hot....I have been told that the starters and water pumps are most vulnerable.

I would like to say thanks to everybody else for the quick and thoughtful feedback that I have received in this post. I look forward to continuing to be a part of this group as a future C-Dory owner.
 
I normally spend my time on the Big Island working but not this trip. If you purchase the boat, I will certainly look you up the next time I am over there.
 
Finding this thread very interesting for a few reasons.
1- Nice used C-Dory boats are rare unless you are fortunate enough to be in the NW corner of our great Nation...and then....you gotta take a close look at the owner "modifications" as to ensure they have not damaged the boat.
2- Now, figure in the cost of even getting a hull to HI...from WA....and I think I saw something like $4K...unless of course it is top loaded with someone elses freight and you can cut a deal with them on their load. This is just from reading different post...not actually attempting to send one over...so if I am hosed up on this forgive me....just another thought to consider when finding one in HI.
3- It would only take one afternoon to have the boat hauled and surveyed. After of course the surveyor looked at it/ran it and checked out the functionality of other on board systems under operational conditions... i.e. steering, fuel line hoses, battery and other wiring....
4- Yep, like the CPT.... I too am ....worried...?....concerned..? about real old motors. I have a 1984 Johnson 50 hp VRO (which the VRO portion has been plugged and we put oil in the tanks...) motor that starts great, runs great...but.... do I want to "trust it".... to take me off shore, or down some un populated area of a river where cell phones do not work, no body in VHF range, nobody may come bye the area for days....? And, the added fuel plume (sp?....big ol fuel puddle floating on the water) each time I start her up in a marina??? Na... think I will find me a nice new or very low hour 4 stroke.

5. I can find no faults at all on my 1984 hull, but then, it does have a whole lot of trailer time in a garage rather than in the water time. Bottom paint is a must for me. Hot water in lakes and rivers on a week or two trip without bottom paint makes for a day or two of scrubbing and cleaning.....each time ya do a trip....so, paint my bottom!! :teeth

6. Good luck on this boat.
 
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