Getting ready to purchase a 25' cruiser

J

joc1212

New member
Can anyone tell me the performance difference between a 150 and a 135 Hp engines on the 25' Cruiser???

When I look down the list of Our Dorys I'm seeing a mix of both.

I'd like to have a WOT speed of 30+ but would like to cruise around 25-26mph.

Please give me some sound advise. I'm looking at a used 25' tomorrow that has a 135....is that a deal breaker??
 
I don't know the real world difference between the two but i can tell you that on my new-to-me 25 with Yamaha 150 that the numbers you posted are highly dependent upon the weight of the boat. My 150 will hit that with one on board, but drops a few mph with two and can only manage low to mid twenties wide open with four on board.
I find that most of the time cruising in the mid to high teens to be the happy spot, both for how the motor performs and how the hull meets the water.
With much of a chop you are not going to be happy up in the twenties anyway, and I would require a glass-like lake to want to go in the 30s on this boat. If you need speed, you need a different boat, imo.
 
Bill is giving you good advice. We had a CD-25 for 8 years and found the top speed is definitely weight/elevation dependent. When the boat was brand new, with 2 aboard and very lightly loaded, we could get in the upper 20s as a top speed. Frankly, that wasn't a comfortable use of the boat for us. Once loaded for cruising, our 135 Honda would get into the low 20s, but the two sweet spots for best ride and fuel burn were 5-6 knots and around 16 knots.

The 135 and 150 Hondas use the same block, the 150 doesn't bring those extra 15 hp into play until you are running above 4800RPM (+/-), where the 150 has "variable valve timing."

As Bill said, you would need perfectly smooth water to have a comfortable ride above 25 knots. The hull on these boats is designed to be fuel efficient - that flat hull is a compromise at higher speeds (and not designed for that). If you want to go fast, you can go with a deeper V-hull... the ride at slower speeds will not be as comfortable as the C-Dory, and you will use more fuel at all speeds... but, a V-hull will give a better ride and handling at speed. Different horses for different courses.

The CD-25 is a great boat. You will hear that "all boats are a compromise," but I think this boat straddles those compromises better than most. If you know how you will really intend to use the boat, that will go a long way in determining what hull design will best suit you. When we first got the CD-25, I thought we would always want to run in the upper teens/low 20s... the Honda 135 was a good choice for that. What we discovered was we enjoyed even more cruising at displacement speed, getting much better fuel burn, and enjoying the scenery... but still have the ability to get up on plane and go when you just need to make miles.

Good luck with the search.
 
I don't know about the 25, but my 22 will do 30 mph. However, it gets a bit squirrelly when going that fast. I only do it on really flat water and only occasionally to see that it can still do it (health check). Mostly we run at around 20 mph which sees to suit the boat just fine.
 
My 2¢ worth, I would look for one with a 200, or a boat that needs repowering. If you want that fast cruise when heavily loaded, you’re going to need the extra HP, in particular if you’re at altitude.

You don’t always need to use all the ponies, but it’s nice to have when you need it (like crossing a river bar). Tyboo just repowered his 25, and I believe there is at least one other with a 200.

We just put a 115, up from a 90, on our 22 cruiser, and it really makes a difference. Getting on plane is faster and effortless. Top end is up around 35 mph, which is faster than I want to go. Off to Lake Powell next week, so we will see how it does at 3700’ and loaded.
 
Tyboo just repowered his 25, and I believe there is at least one other with a 200.
Click to expand...
There are several of us. I re-powered with a 200hp as did Fred Young. There are others too. I believe we are all extremely happy to have a 200hp on the CD25 (at least with today's lighter weight 200's). I would never want to go back to my old 150hp.

Now, all this assumes you are in a cruiser to go cruising. As has been said, performance is very weight dependent. When you cruise for a week, you get heavy (even 3 - 5 days). If you are only doing day trips, and especially if you mostly fish, then get an Angler.
 
I agree with what others have said about our local water conditions - Even with 200 hp you won't find many days around Whidbey where you can comfortably cruise in the mid 20's. More typical is 15-20, and even 10-15 if water conditions are the common 2-3 footers. If you need a boat where you can regularly cruise at 25-26 mph around here you should look at a TomCat or SeaSport, or a different brand altogether. The classic C-Dory hulls are not intended to cruise at that speed in the choppier stuff we often see. If you haven't ridden on a C-Dory before, you might want to insist on a test run on a non flat calm day, get into some 1-2 footers and see how you like going even 20 mph. Have fun shopping and good luck with your future purchase!

-Mike
 
As described in the Honda Service Manual, the 135 and 150 engines are the same, EXCEPT the 150 has variable valve timing which engages at 4000 RPM. Its hydraulically actuated.

We've just spent 2 mos in the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound. We did a lot of travel at 11-12 knots @ 4000 RPM, with bursts at 15-17 knots @ 4500-5000 RPM. A C-Dory 25, loaded for cruising is not a high speed boat; comfortable, but not high speed. One needs a deep-v for that.

Boris
 
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