New C-Dory Owner

Congratulations on your new C Dory 25. It will serve you very well. I suspect that you have already researched the tow vehicle, weight distribution hitch and even perhaps the electric over hydraulic trailer brakes. I suspect that your trailer has brakes on both axels-but if it doesn't you might consider that. We used surge brakes in Canada (BC) with no problems. Here is a quote:
(C) Once the total towed weight exceeds 2800kg (6160#) then " operator controlled" brakes are required. This eliminates "surge" brakes from the equation, since they do not comply with the wording. Brake options are described in another section. Remember, these are the regulations as they apply in British Columbia. Check your local regulations.
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We use a Ford Excursion diesel, with overload springs on the rear (brining to the 1 ton capacity)--since we also tow the Tom Cat with the same truck.

Many of us have come from larger boats, and find the trailerability and ease of maintance of the 25 to be the ideal combination. I first saw a C Dory in 1979 and exclaimed I would buy one of those when I was through with bigger boats.

Have fun!
 
Thanks for the responses... I didn't think of the storage option for the table leg or for the anchor light. We had a radar stand and dome with an attached anchor light installed that swings down when we tow the boat so I won't need to use the brackets in the vberth.

As to how we're doing with the new boat... I towed it down from Lake Erie to our house in Celina, about 160 miles. I have a GMC Yukon with the tow package good for 8500 pounds. The trailer has surge brakes and the Yukon made the trip effortless. The one thing I want to add to the trailer are bunks on the sides to make it easier to load.

So far we've just taken the boat out on our lake and I'm getting used to the electronics, etc. My biggest challenge is docking in wind. Seems like the boat gets pushed pretty easily but like anything else I just have to get comfortable with it. The one thing I like about the two 90HP Honda's is that I can use the throttles to spin the boat on its' axis just like my big boats.

Still stowing the things we want on it. My only issue with the boat itself is that I have a leak somewhere in the fresh water system because the pump keeps cycling. I haven't had a chance to track it down yet but everything else is in working order.

The boat lists to the starboard side when sitting at the dock so I have to figure out what the weight distribution issue is.

The air conditioning/heating unit on the roof works great and my Honda 2000 generator drives it just fine.

Still very happy with the boat! This C-Dory gets lots of looks and comments from everyone who's seen it. I had the electronics installed up at Lake Erie by South Shore Marine. They've rigged the electronics on my last few boats and do a super job. While it was sitting there they had people asking about it. Everybody likes that pilothouse style.

Thanks to everyone who responded with my latest question.
 
The smaller ones in the vee berth are probably for the all around white light. On our 22 that is where they were. Very inconvenient, I moved them to above the cabin door. Much better. The others are probably for the table brace when it is down as a berth.
 
As to the cycling water pump, IF you can't find a leak, here's the likely cause, if you have a Flojet 4405-143 pump. This was the standard pump for 2005 at least.

On Journey On, there was a lot of white plastic crud (swarf, if you're english,) that came out of the water tank. This got into the water pump. Not only did it clog up the pump internal filter, but it also got into the relief valve. This valve prevents over pressure and is touted as eliminating the need for an accumulator. With the crud holding the seat of the relief valve open, the water pressure leaked back into the low pressure supply side. You don't need to disassemble the pump, the valve is under the pressure switch. You can just barely see the two screws. To get at them one has to remove the pressure switch.

Don't forget to check the inlet to the shower fixture for leaks.

Good luck. Boris
 
Here's another odd question from the new CD 25 owner... Has anyone made any modification or done anything to cover the wiring, fuse box, etc. that are open in the vberth area? The cloth cover hides it somewhat but I have visions of falling asleep in there and waking up the next morning with a handful of disconnected wiring.
 
SouthLake":3qnuaynh said:
Here's another odd question from the new CD 25 owner... Has anyone made any modification or done anything to cover the wiring, fuse box, etc. that are open in the vberth area? The cloth cover hides it somewhat but I have visions of falling asleep in there and waking up the next morning with a handful of disconnected wiring.
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We had concerns about that Sunbrella cover, as well, but after 4 years there have been no problems. Of course, I sleep on the other side of the v-berth. :wink: A solid cover would be another good suggestion for the builder. It could be wishful thinking on my part, but I seem to recall that someone on the forum did make a solid cover for that area.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
My 22 came with a fiberglass molded cover that was held in place with several hook and eyes. I made a set of tracks for it to slide in and out of.

Here is a picture of it.Wiring_Cover.jpg

I don't know why one could'nt be made from 1/4" plywood that would provide protection from over stimulated nights asleep.
 
Southlake, my CD25 has a similar hard cover as shown in the previous post, made from ABS plastic:

Wiring_Cover_ABS_Plastic.sized.jpg

The side panel is fixed in place and the cover is a bendable flat piece held in place by Velcro strips along the right edge:

Wiring_Pilot_s_Console.sized.jpg
 
That makes for a much nicer setup than the piece of cloth I have... I doubt there is any possibility of getting that part since the C-Dory brand has gone through so many hands... I might try reaching out to one of the factory guys I've seen on this site.
 
hello jeff and deb,
dude, i must have been asleep at the helm! didn't see your original post nor any follow ups. ohio is beginning to get just a little crowded with
c-dory's! as capt. nick stated earlier, 4 in ohio. actually there are two in the cincinnati area. the other c-dory is older and has been stored outside forever. no idea who the owner is nor where he might boat.
not sure which lake you favor but linda and i drove up the st. marys lake on many occasions, rented a run-about and had a blast.
so, a big welcome aboard from your southern neighbor. if you and your wife make it down to cinti, fire me an email and maybe linda and i could meet you guys for a cold one.
best regards
pat
 
JamesTXSD":3tfdi14c said:
We had concerns about that Sunbrella cover, as well, but after 4 years there have been no problems. Of course, I sleep on the other side of the v-berth. :wink:
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Ditto. :lol:

But in my defense:
a) I always sleep on THAT side, even at home
b) I'm 5'10" & Meredith's only 5'2' so... :wink
 
Well, it’s been some time since I made our first post to this forum in late January. I thought I’d provide an update on what we’ve found since we acquired our CD25 Cruiser.

Here goes:

1. Everyone who sees this boat wants to look closer, ask questions, make comments on how cool a boat it is and are surprised at the cabin headroom, etc.

2. When trailering, tie the bow straight down to the trailer frame ( see our excitement from other posts), and side bunks are a necessity for launching and retrieval. Also be prepared to chat with people about item 1 above whenever you stop in a rest area or gas station.

3. It takes some practice to learn the best way to trim the boat but once you do the ride is much better than some people have suggested and handling doesn’t seem to be an issue if you match speed to the conditions.

4. Who cares about shallow water?

5. Even on hot days, when the boat is moving, there’s no need for A/C. Just open the ports and cabin door, turn up the 70’s tunes ( classic era of rock and roll ), set the auto pilot and ride.

6. Compared to our 40’ Searay Sundancer, this boat uses 0 gallons of gasoline per mile.

7. Docking a flat bottom boat in wind has proven to be exciting on more than one occasion. I just pretend that I fully intended to do a 360 degree pirouette just prior to entering the slip.

8. Running the only boat on the lake during a spring rain, all buttoned up inside the cabin with a hot cup of coffee is really the best boating you can have.

9. If you need any, and I mean any, information about this boat, simply ask the question on the C-Brats site. Most amazingly friendly people you can find and always willing to share information and assistance when asked.

10. You know you have a desirable boat when the guy who rigs the electronics asks you to let him know first if you ever want to sell it.

Now, so far we've confined our use of the boat to the lake we live on (Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio). I'm not retiring before the end of the year so I'm using this summer to get fully familiar with the boat, electronics, etc. Also Deb's MS has been giving her a little more difficulty so we decided to postpone any trips for a year. But with any luck, next year we'll try some travelling by boat.

So that’s what we’ve learned and our latest plan. Thanks to all the experts on this site who’ve offered advice, opinions, and encouragement. Maybe we’ll see you sometime on the water.

_________________
Jeff and Deb
the Get~Aweigh
2008 25 Cruiser
Celina, OH
http://www.MontezumaBay.com
 
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