SO WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OR ON YOUR C-DORY TODAY??
- Thread starter TyBoo
- Start date
So after thinking long and hard on what to replace the old Suzuki with, I decided to go with a brand new 2016 Suzuki DF90A. I know many of you disagree with our going with a company that "wronged" us but I did my research and found out that this new motor is highly regarded, has no known issues, especially regarding corrosion, is 75lbs lighter than it's predecessor, has newer more improved technology and we were able to use the existing gauges. After the initial shock of having to spend the $$ to buy a new motor after 11 seasons and 1000 hours of use, I'm happy with the new purchase and the fact that we should be able to get at least another 15 years and 1500 hours on the new motor.
Being sure to follow the break-in protocol to the T, we took advantage of a couple of beautiful, sunny fall days in Seattle (out of 30 rainy days :wink) to cruise on the Ship Canal and Lake Union. The brand new motor just purred as we cruised slowly around the lake, you could hardly hear the engine. On our next cruise, I will take the RPM's up a little higher to see how this baby runs above 7 knots. Can't hardly wait!
Here's a couple of pics.
The rest of the pics are in my new album. Enjoy!
C-Dancer's Fall Break-in Cruise
Being sure to follow the break-in protocol to the T, we took advantage of a couple of beautiful, sunny fall days in Seattle (out of 30 rainy days :wink) to cruise on the Ship Canal and Lake Union. The brand new motor just purred as we cruised slowly around the lake, you could hardly hear the engine. On our next cruise, I will take the RPM's up a little higher to see how this baby runs above 7 knots. Can't hardly wait!
Here's a couple of pics.
The rest of the pics are in my new album. Enjoy!
C-Dancer's Fall Break-in Cruise
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Peter, Congratulations on the shiny new iron Jenny. Cool it was on a diet. Enjoy the break in time. As you know, I'm a fan of the slow cruise, so enjoy it while you do it.
15 years sounds great, but 1500 hours sounds some on the shy side. Is that for Real?
15 more years and you will be repowering just in time for retirement. Good timing
Harvey
SleepyC :moon :embarrased
15 years sounds great, but 1500 hours sounds some on the shy side. Is that for Real?
15 more years and you will be repowering just in time for retirement. Good timing
Harvey
SleepyC :moon :embarrased
Thanks Mark, yes she is pretty shiny and new isn't she? And Harvey, I was calculating using 100 hours per year which sounds about right based on the past 11 years, times 15 years = 1500 hours. Fingers crossed. And you're right, by then I'll be well into retirement and hoping I can get up and down into the boat with my creaky knees and all. :wink
Peter
Peter
Pacificcoast101
Member
Took the new anchor out for a dive after work. We had pretty bad visibility but we could still see the ground tackle from thirty feet away.
I discovered today that the flashing oil light is an alert that it is time to change oil, not an emergency. Oh to read the manual! Anyway it was time to get new bottom paint and annual motor servicing. There was a nice break in weather, so an interesting trip over to the other marina. And it is likely to be a good time to have the boat out of service for a few weeks. November tends to be our wettest and stormiest month. I hope to do several trips this winter, shoulder is largely recovered, and boat will be ready to go. Yeah.
We took the Tomcat out on the Columbia river for a few hours yesterday. Dropped 3 crab pots in Baker Bay. We couldn't get to our preferred location for crabs as nasty bar conditions caused the CG to limit operations to E of buoy 11. Pulled over a 100 crab out but most were very small -3-4". We only got 4 keepers and had to throw back a few soft ones that were legal size. Also we trolled around for salmon for about 3 hours with no bites. The water and weather were great until around noon and then we got a little rain.
Pat Anderson
New member
Yesterday I moved the solar panels from the "wings" to the rooftop. Here is where they are now:
They are now mounted on 1"x1" square aluminum tubing to which I attached "feet" I salvaged from a very cheap old car-top carrier on which we had previously put J racks to take our kayaks to Lake Powell a couple of times. The original crossbars had peeling vinyl and were rusty, but the feet were in good shape, so I simply removed them and put them on the new aluminum crossbars, which have 1/8th inch walls. The feet have nice straps that go around the grab rails, and hold everything in place very securely. I have some new square rubber end caps coming which will fit over the outside of the ends of the new crossbars. The panels are attached to the square crossbars with the Renogy Z brackets screwed to the crossbars. Here is what the new crossbars and feet look like:
I am very pleased how this turned out! With the solar panels on the wings, either only one or sometimes zero panels faced the sun, but never both of them. There is also lots of space under the panels for free air flow now. This should be a lot more efficient.
I have also pulled the five year old NAPA 12 volt batteries, cleaned the battery tray, and will be installing new-to-us two year old East Penn deep cycle AGM 6 volt batteries that will be wired in series, and also a new buss bar so all the wires will no longer be directly attached to the batteries. Pictures when I finish that, we are headed for Portland tomorrow for four days, so it will be some time next week!
They are now mounted on 1"x1" square aluminum tubing to which I attached "feet" I salvaged from a very cheap old car-top carrier on which we had previously put J racks to take our kayaks to Lake Powell a couple of times. The original crossbars had peeling vinyl and were rusty, but the feet were in good shape, so I simply removed them and put them on the new aluminum crossbars, which have 1/8th inch walls. The feet have nice straps that go around the grab rails, and hold everything in place very securely. I have some new square rubber end caps coming which will fit over the outside of the ends of the new crossbars. The panels are attached to the square crossbars with the Renogy Z brackets screwed to the crossbars. Here is what the new crossbars and feet look like:
I am very pleased how this turned out! With the solar panels on the wings, either only one or sometimes zero panels faced the sun, but never both of them. There is also lots of space under the panels for free air flow now. This should be a lot more efficient.
I have also pulled the five year old NAPA 12 volt batteries, cleaned the battery tray, and will be installing new-to-us two year old East Penn deep cycle AGM 6 volt batteries that will be wired in series, and also a new buss bar so all the wires will no longer be directly attached to the batteries. Pictures when I finish that, we are headed for Portland tomorrow for four days, so it will be some time next week!
El and Bill
New member
Sun went out in the Pacific NW until sometime next Spring. Better have your batteries well-charged before cruising to Portland -- rain predicted for days down that way. Those roof-top solar chargers will give the raindrops a nice chuckle as they land on the wet surfaces. 🌨
Pat Anderson
New member
El and Bill":xs9az82z said:Sun went out in the Pacific NW until sometime next Spring. Better have your batteries well-charged before cruising to Portland -- rain predicted for days down that way. Those roof-top solar chargers will give the raindrops a nice chuckle as they land on the wet surfaces. 🌨
But the sun will be shining in Florida when we get there in April, and hopefully most of the way around the Great Loop!
Pat Anderson
New member
Jazzmanic":1gtaxrc2 said:So after thinking long and hard on what to replace the old Suzuki with, I decided to go with a brand new 2016 Suzuki DF90A. I know many of you disagree with our going with a company that "wronged" us but I did my research and found out that this new motor is highly regarded, has no known issues, especially regarding corrosion, is 75lbs lighter than it's predecessor, has newer more improved technology and we were able to use the existing gauges. After the initial shock of having to spend the $$ to buy a new motor after 11 seasons and 1000 hours of use, I'm happy with the new purchase and the fact that we should be able to get at least another 15 years and 1500 hours on the new motor.
Being sure to follow the break-in protocol to the T, we took advantage of a couple of beautiful, sunny fall days in Seattle (out of 30 rainy days :wink) to cruise on the Ship Canal and Lake Union. The brand new motor just purred as we cruised slowly around the lake, you could hardly hear the engine. On our next cruise, I will take the RPM's up a little higher to see how this baby runs above 7 knots. Can't hardly wait!
Here's a couple of pics.
The rest of the pics are in my new album. Enjoy!
C-Dancer's Fall Break-in Cruise
Not sure how I missed this earlier, but congrats! I think if our Honda BF150 were to bite the big one, we would follow Fred and Sandy down the path to the Yamaha 200, all new gauges and controls. But we are keeping our fingers and eyes crossed that the old girl still has quite a bit of life ahead of her!
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Thanks Pat. I think I'll be really happy with the new motor. I seriously considered the Yamaha but it would have been 25 lbs heavier, all the gauges would have to be replaced and at least $1000+ more expensive. The last couple of years, it seemed that the stern of the boat was slogging through the water and seemed very low in the water. I don't think we were carrying any more weight than usual. That's why the weight was important to me. Otherwise, I would have considered moving up to a 115hp.
After our first break-in cruise, I noticed this motor is whisper quiet and smooth, much quieter than our previous Suzi. I can't wait to bring it up to speed and see how she performs. Time will tell.
Peter
After our first break-in cruise, I noticed this motor is whisper quiet and smooth, much quieter than our previous Suzi. I can't wait to bring it up to speed and see how she performs. Time will tell.
Peter
El and Bill
New member
Pat and Patty --
Yes, you'll have plenty of sunshine around the Loop. That will be a great trip for you good folks. And you will meet many sunny C-Dory smiles en route. Our best to you. -- El and Bill
Yes, you'll have plenty of sunshine around the Loop. That will be a great trip for you good folks. And you will meet many sunny C-Dory smiles en route. Our best to you. -- El and Bill