Restoration of a 1999 C-Dory 22 Cruiser

As long as you have the boat tore apart this much you might want to think about moving the full tanks. I have always thought that the area the full tanks are in could be better used as storage. Also that getting some of the weight off the stern would be a good idea. The Marinaut boats had aluminium tanks under the gunnels on either side. really cleared up a lot of room. i saw that you weld so if you have that skill you might want to make up some tanks. It would be a great up grade. I know that Dave thompason, who developed the Marinauts , did the same think to his 16/19 footer. Also Catch 22 did the same to his 22 angler. I have driven all three and fished out of catch 22 and think its a great up improvement.
 
Moving the fuel tanks forward or making saddle tanks would be a great idea. This would get more weight to the middle of the boat. However, it only works if you don't fill the space where the original tanks went with relatively heavy "stuff". If you move the tanks forward and then fill the original tank space with something heavy (I don't know, maybe batteries) you won't be helping the situation any (IMO). It only really works (as far as improving the boat trim) if you move the tanks forward and leave the original tank space empty.
 
Great job, photos and commentary. The heavy duty rub rail looks to have been fastened thru the hull to deck joint, but then no material over the bolts. You have sort of a blank slate there after the old rail is removed. A heavier than “normal” rail, might be a good option.

I have used both AGM and Li Fe Po4 batteries up forward. The issue is the length of the cable for the starting battery. You might leave the start battery aft, and put house batteries forward.

Moving the fuel tank is a good idea—but perhaps only if you have to replace the tanks.

Bondo has no place on a boat; much of this is poor adhesion often to the old glass. I like to use epoxy in most of the repairs for far better bond strength.

My advice is to paint the boat, rather than the time and effort to re-do the gel coat. It will look better and be easier to maintain.

Several options for the bow rail—you may just want a “gate” across this—which can be removed for boarding over the bow. I have done this on several boats—you do not have replicate what was there originonally.

The transom top and corners are part of the hull to deck joint. You do need to check the core—but it should not come all of the way to the outer edges. Same with the top of the cabin—It is cored inside of the vertical cabin sides, but not outside. Where your crack is, appears to be right at the edge of the core.

I suspect that the foam was put in your boat before the V berth platform was tabbed in.

I would not be surprised if the floor damage was limited. The area in the gunnel will have to be rebuilt—ground back 12/1, reglassed—and after the core is filled in—should be better than hew.

You are taking the opportunity to make the boat better than original. (All.of the Starboard cabin doors warp. You can put a strong back on the inside—or live with it...

Thanks so much for your documentation. Waiting for next stage!
 
Double post
 
thataway":3agmryxj said:
You might leave the start battery aft, and put house batteries forward.
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I did this on my last boat. No heavy wiring required. Just one heavy enough to deal with charging amps while under way. I put an on/off battery switch on mine as well as a 1,2,all switch aft by the start battery. My invertor was also mounted in the cuddy so only required a short run of heavy wire from house battery.

Agree with Bob, painting with Awlgrip or Imron sounds like the best choice. Fountain boats come new with an Imron paint job and are well respected and admired.

Regards,

Rob
 
Paul, what a great project, your willingness to undertake it and the work done so far make me think you were being modest about your "skills". Please keep this thread and the pictures going. It will be a great resource for the web site!
Agree with Dr Bob about the rub rail replacement. Something a little more skookum would be nice, useful and in keeping with the C-Dory style.
Second his thoughts on epoxy use and that bondo is a waste- it also absorbs water. I'd use two part paint as well. In about 1970 we were racing a Cal30 a lot. My misjudgment (or foolishness) led to a starting line crash with a hull / rail repair, this was my intro to epoxy and two part paint. We removed the topside Gelcoat and painted the hull yellow (we thought it an intimidating color??) with two part poly. My friends in the boat repair business almost all recommend this. 10 years latter when the boat was sold it still looked good and scrapes and dings were easy to repair. Also saved some weight! At the same time we removed blister repairs done with now soggy bondo with thickened epoxy. Lots of lessons learned!!
You have a lot of work ahead of you but as Dr. said you'll end up with a better than new boat.
Please, please keep us posted. We all will learn along with you. Also interesting to see how you solve problems- like using piece of sharpened pipe to tunnel for future cable run.
 
nimrod":um3vpw1y said:
you might also consider putting your batteries and batt mgt hardware under the aft dinette seat...
jd
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thataway":um3vpw1y said:
...The issue is the length of the cable for the starting battery. You might leave the start battery aft, and put house batteries forward.
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Great suggestions. Thank you!
I like having as much accessible storage in the dining area as possible so perhaps just the starting battery next to the water tank at rear dining area and the house batteries in the berth area.
 
I like the suggestions to move the fuel tanks forward as saddle tanks. My immediate concern for aluminum tanks is corrosion. I know the tanks can be powder-coated, but my concern is that even with 5052 (marine grade) aluminum this is eventually going to happen. I need to think this through.
 
thataway":36ma0k0b said:
...Bondo has no place on a boat; much of this is poor adhesion often to the old glass...
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I agree completely. I’ve never been a bondo fan.

I’m wondering what boats have this and why. My boat is a 1999 and I’ve noticed that Sunbeam (2002) has bondo over the keel as well.
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php

Does anyone know what the purpose of the bondo was?
I’ve been puzzling over this and I’ve read of a water leakage problem in some C-Dorys that was caused by the brass keel strip screws penetrating the hull. Is the bondo an attempt to solve that? Maybe someone at the factory thought the screws shouldn’t be shortened so that area needed to be thickened, and dumping some bondo there was cheaper than laying up more glass?

This is all my speculation of course, but the bondo is over the keel area and it appears to extend from the tip of the bow (I haven’t removed all the foam to verify this) all the way to where the brass keel strip ends. In my boat the bondo stops a little more than a third of the way back from the forward end of the toilet storage area.

Is this where the moisture under the foam in my boat came from, through brass keel strip screw holes in the hull, eventually traveling under and through the bondo?
I’m wondering if I should grind/chisel/peel away all of the bondo over the keel and see if there are screws penetrating the hull. If so, then remove them, fill the holes, thicken the area with some epoxy filler and fiberglass mat, then remount the brass keel strip, being certain that the screws don’t come close to penetrating the hull.
 
pcg":f4pg8pp1 said:
... My immediate concern for aluminum tanks is corrosion... I need to think this through.
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I do have Nigel Calder's book on boat maintenance and have read his criteria for proper design of aluminum fuel tanks. Thank you to Bob (Thataway) for steering me to the book and Santa for knowing what I wanted.
 
As long as the aluminum fuel tanks are not held against saturated salt water foam, they will last many years. (assuming appropriate alloys) There are a number of salt water resistant aluminum alloy; 5052 has many excellent properties for boat building. 6061 and 6963 are also used frequently in boat construction. Many commercial boats are left "raw"--uncoated and do very well.

The Aluminum tank ideally should be washed, etched, and then epoxy (coal tar) coated. It should be laid on fiberglass or plastic strips which will allow any water to run freely clear from under the tank. 5200 is often used to "adhere" the tank to the plastic strips--and the strips to the fiberglass hull. Never use a "rubber" which has carbon in it to either "protect" the tank from chafe, or hold it in place. There are silicon "rubbers" which will do far better. The boats originally had :"cleats" screwed into the deck to hold the tank in place. By 2006 the factory had finally woken up to the better method of glassing strips in place.

I would remove the Bondo--then lay in layers of glass mat to fill the "keel" void--and make this water tight. Polyester or vinyl ester resin should be fine in this area. You don't really need the structural strength of roving or cloth. You only need the thickness. You could use polyester filler, but this often suffers the fate of "Bondo"...eventually. There may be some flexing in this area, and that is why I would suggest the mat. When you re-mount the strip--you can use 5200, instead of the ubiquitous sealants C Dory used during this time.
 
It only really works (as far as improving the boat trim) if you move the tanks forward and leave the original tank space empty.
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i was think more like light stuff. Crab pots, fishing gear. fenders, chairs. etc. Lots of stuff that used to put on top of the cabin. dinghy motor?

Aluminum tanks>> I have the original tanks in my 84 27ft cdory. Still going strong.
 
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