New 1983 22' Classic Owner With Hull and Motor Questions

C

cedarecho

New member
I just purchased a 1983 22' Classic for $2000. It had been up on blocks since 1996 and need a lot of TLC. After getting it cleaned up and running we mad a few short trips only to have the lower unit go out (suzuki DT85 of the same year). I just finished tearing it apart and it would appear to me that replacing the lower unit on that motor does not make sense. I do have a 2005 115 Optimax in my garage that I could install but I have heard that it is overpowered for the dorys with the flat bottom can anyone confirm that for me?

My other question is does anyone have experience operating the new and old hull design and is the performance better in the new hull. The reason that I ask is that we are not used the the feel of the flat bottom and if the modified hull performs better I could find a used motor for this one and sell it and put the money I would have spent on a new motor and the sale of this boat towards one with the new hull design.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
Cedarecho,

The early hulls were rated for 70HP. I owned a 1984 Angler and ran it with a 90HP Evinrude. It would do 35 MPH at a 7000' elevation local lake. I never felt unsafe with the extra power, and usually cruised at 20 MPH. The 115 HP Optimax could be a fine motor if you don't push it to the max. Just because the power is there you don't have to use it. The weight of the 115 and a 90 should be similar. If you already have the 115 HP, that's the route I would go.

The older hulls are flatter in the front than the post 87 hulls. I haven't run a newer hull enough to comment on the difference between the two. Neither hull is a high speed hull in much of a chop. Just slow down when the conditions are snotty.
 
only 2 grand? thats a hell of a fine.

I would hang the 115 on there and go with it. As the man said you dont have to run wide open all the time. My 27 has a 225 honda on it and I run at 3800rpm out of a possible 5800 rpm. I get better fuel numbers them most of the 25's out there.
 
Red Fox, (a member of this site), ran a 115 Yamaha 4-stroke on a 22 Classic. He had no problems with the extra HP. He did install large trim tabs to help with fore-aft trim.
 
Just an FYI on the 83 Classic. Be sure your transom is OK. Some of the Classics have had water intrusion problems with the transom and required rebuilding.
 
The previous owner had the transom repaired back in 1993. I am pulling the old outboard tonight and will make sure to do a thorough inspection.

Thanks for that information.
 
Help, I need to find one of these reasonably priced CD’s for a restoration project.

Please let me know if you see any sitting around needing rescued.

Alaska is a little far but lower forty eight destinations are all interesting.

Regards,

Ron Fisher
 
I got an early model in (presumably the same condition). The only real problem was the transom, it was very rotten. I believe that transom cap was made with very sharp angles. I think the hard edges on the top of the transom were prone to cracking and letting water in. When I rebuilt the transom I made all the angle changes very soft, no hard edges. After a few years on the water I have had no problems. Dry that boat out and throw any motor on it and you will be happy...
 
I ran my 1983 22' C-Dory with a 115 Johnson 2 stroke for 15 yrs. It handled the motor just fine. I only opened it up once to WOT and the prop torque rolled the boat on it's port side at 38 mph. The seat got greasy. Never did it again.
The boat handled much better after putting a 90 hp Honda on it in 1997 with much better fuel economy. That motor is on it still and my son owns it now.
Go ahead with the 115 just keep your "foot" out of the throttle.
 
Thanks for all of the input. This site has been a great help for my many issues. I decided to keep the 115 Optimax on my skiff and just ordered a 90 Optimax.
 
Couldn't really see the pictures but if you don't have trim tabs I would strongly recommend putting them on. The flat hull pounds really easy without them.
Jimbo
 
After removing the outboard the repairs that the previous owner had done were either poorly done or improper not to mention that the holes for the transducer and kicker mount had no sealant. So the new 90hp will have to wait for repairs to be done. I have sent a few private messages out but if anyone has advice on repairing a transom let me know.

Trim tabs are in the future thanks for the advice.
 
Lots on this site. Use the google custom search box at the top of any page and put in

transom AND repair

That should answer a lot of your questions. Take pictures and add to our knowledge too. Good luck.

Charlie
 
Thanks for the input.

I followed the repair done on the Sensei and the Catch 22, at least the first step of tear down. Now it is time to replace core.

As I do the replacement of the core should I do it in a step process doing each piece of plywood separately allowing it to cure or do both of them at the same time?
 
I did mine in multiple steps. The main reason being that you are not rushed. If you do not feel pressured to get too much work done before your resin starts kicking, you can do a better job. I glassed in one layer of marine plywood (the best I could get, and there is different quality levels) and let it cure. Then added layers of glass and second layer of wood and let that cure. Then glassed over all of it in a third round of gluing. Don't rush anything, take the time to get all the air out between layers of glass.

In my humble opinion, tips on glassing...

in no particular order.

avoid having to glass over hard corners, hard to get the air out-- make round fillets using thickened resin and glass over that.

think the whole thing thru before you mix resin, having everything right where you need it so you can focus on doing good work rather that searching for your tools before resin dries, makes it much easier to do good work.

clean everything of dust and oil very well, trapping that in there will lead to problems down the road.

use smaller pieces of glass, its just as strong (or stronger) and is much easier to work with.

If you are using seam tape, don't use the store bought stuff. It has a ribbon on each side that makes for uneven glass and air bubbles. If you need strips of glass cut it out of the large roll stock yourself, it has nice smooth edges and is often cheaper too.

use only epoxy resins

keep it clean, any drips and mess cleaned up before the glue hardens will save a lot of time later once it's hard

more tips if you need/ want...sorry to bore you if you don't
 
That helps alot. I will be prepping and cutting my plywood tomorrow and getting the hull clean for a Thursday set.

My splash well is also wet I am assuming that I should replace/rebuild that also?

Catch 22, how do you like the smaller well you built.
 
I do not doubt that I am partial on the matter, but I really do like the transom box I made. When I decided to make saddle tanks it made sense to me to make that box only big enough to hold what it needs to hold, thus creating a lot of space in the cockpit. The only thing I need to do (since I never finished it) is add a small wall to the front of it to act as a splashwell and hold a few tools. Although, I have never had any water in the back. I can put 4 lawn chairs on the back and cook on a stove in the middle and have drinks in the back with all the extra room. We have also had friends camp on the back with an air matress in the summer. For me a big fish deck was key. I plan to finally paint it all this winter.
 
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