To repower, or not to repower , that is the question?

[Mike_b]

First off I want to say even though I don’t own a C-dory the C-brats site is my favorite boating website. Thanks to all that make it possible! I hope the powers that be don’t mind a non c-dory boating question?

I currently am at a cross roads in my boating hobby, and I wanted to ask you all for your thoughts on my predicament . My current boat is a 1998 24’ Alumaweld Formula Vee hardtop (heavy gauge welded aluminum). My boat is sitting on Rogue galvanized trailer. The boat and trailer are in great shape. I’ve owned this boat for 10 years. This boat is powered by a 2 cycle 150hp 2.5 liter carbureted V6 Mercury (Black Max), and a 2 cycle 15 hp kicker. The last year or so these two motors have really been a maintenance headache. The last straw was last week on our annual week long family camping/ fishing trip I had nothing but problems with the kicker. A few trips ago I had trouble with the 150 hp. Problems with these two motors seem to be ongoing , as soon as one problem is fixed something else pops up. One trip everything works great the next trip something breaks, you get the point. Over the last year I have put well over a $1000 dollars trying to keep these two motors in good running order after a few years of sitting while my kids were to young for boating. First off my mechanic ran compression tests and everything is within spec. Between my mechanic and myself we have rebuilt carburetors , link n sync adjusted, new water pumps, new fuel pumps, new fuel lines, new filters, new thermostats, new plugs, new non ethanol fuel and the list goes ON AND ON! All I have to show for all this work and money spent is inconsistent running motors which leads to canceled fishing trips. I GIVE UP!! The boat and trailer are in great shape. I’m thinking of 2 options

1. Get my current boat running 100% again and sell it… I think it might bring around $25,000 in my area, these type of boats tend to be popular in the PNW. Apply the proceeds of the sale to a late model 25 or 26 C-dory for $70,000+.

2. Repowering my current boat with a Yamaha 175 , new controls and hydraulic steering, new Yamaha 9.9 kicker for around $35,000.

Based on my internet reading generally repowering only makes sense if a person plans on keeping the boat for 10 years or so. My wife is interested in C-dory boat camping, something our current boat isn’t set up for. Her job is very demanding and we have two kids 4 and 6 years of age who both currently like boating (subject to change). With my wife’s busy job and the potential changing tastes of kids I don’t know how much boating we will do in the future? It’s hard to put an additional $50,000+ into our boating hobby to buy a C-dory not knowing how much it will be used going forward. On the other hand the kids are only young once and my wife has a good job she works very hard at and she really likes boating and camping . We’re both in our early 40’s, our debt to income ratio is low. If I only had a crystal ball lol.

What do you guys think?

 

[daninPA]

I suspect you know the answer but are seeking validation.

In that case (as a new C-Dory owner) my recommendation is "sell the current boat and buy a C-Dory."

You should be able to purchase a very nice used boat for less than $70k.

 

[ssobol]

Sell the current boat and buy a C-Dory. If it turns out that your tastes or situation changes you can always sell it for about what you paid for it, especially in the PNW.

However, I suggest that you find someone who will take you out in the C-Dory model you think you want to buy. The hull shapes of the Alumaweld and the C-Dory are very different and so is the ride.

You also need to determine if the C-Dory is big enough for your family. Kids have a tendency to get bigger over time. The rest of us tend to get bigger over time too, but that's a different topic.

 

[Mike_b]

However, I suggest that you find someone who will take you out in the C-Dory model you think you want to buy. The hull shapes of the Alumaweld and the C-Dory are very different and so is the ride.

You also need to determine if the C-Dory is big enough for your family. Kids have a tendency to get bigger over time.

In the past I asked the C-brats about the ride difference between my current boat and a C-dory 25 or 26. I know a C-dory will not ride as well as my current boat in rough water. With that said I will still want a "ride" before I start writing checks. I know all boats are a compromise, and I'm fairly sure I'm ok with the ride compromise to gain the capabilities that C-dory offers.

The parking area at our house can only accommodate a boat and trailer combination that's sub 35' in length . This space limitation limits us to boats that have a hull + motor LOA of about 30' max. Given the parking limitations were going to have to make boats like the C-dory 25 or 26 work. I know trailer tongue lengths can vary, so I will bring a long tape measure as we look at boats to make sure the trailer boat combination will fit.

Thanks

 

[starcrafttom]

So the boat you got is a great boat and could be used for camping on shore where the kids have room to run. We see a lot of people doing this and when we were living in the mountains we did it a lot on many lakes. Its a good way to go with kids that may not want or be up for fishing all day.
I would fish in the morning while the kid and Susan sleeped in. Come back for later breakfast and then take them out to fish and swim. After dinner just at last light I would go fish again. Its a good way to go in your current boat or in a 22/25 cdory. As James ( my son ) got older and we got a cdory, he sleep on shore in a tent and we sleep on the boat. So that being said I would get new motors and sale the old ones while they still have some value. It's the cheaper way to go.

If you are set on a cdory I would go with the 25 just for the bath. 2 kids and 2 people have about 0 chance of spending the day on the boat with out having to use the head once each. I hated the porty potty on the 22. No one wanted to use it. I am 6ft and could not use it with out dragging in out of the v berth. So with 4 on board regardless of sleeping location you are going to want the 25.

Where do you plan to boat the most?

 

[Mike_b]

So the boat you got is a great boat and could be used for camping on shore where the kids have room to run. We see a lot of people doing this and when we were living in the mountains we did it a lot on many lakes. Its a good way to go with kids that may not want or be up for fishing all day.
I would fish in the morning while the kid and Susan sleeped in. Come back for later breakfast and then take them out to fish and swim. After dinner just at last light I would go fish again. Its a good way to go in your current boat or in a 22/25 cdory. As James ( my son ) got older and we got a cdory, he sleep on shore in a tent and we sleep on the boat. So that being said I would get new motors and sale the old ones while they still have some value. It's the cheaper way to go.

If you are set on a cdory I would go with the 25 just for the bath. 2 kids and 2 people have about 0 chance of spending the day on the boat with out having to use the head once each. I hated the porty potty on the 22. No one wanted to use it. I am 6ft and could not use it with out dragging in out of the v berth. So with 4 on board regardless of sleeping location you are going to want the 25.

Where do you plan to boat the most?

We are only considering the the 25 or 26, not the 22.

Below are the 3 most common scenarios we would mostly be using our boat for:

1.High mountain lake camping trips with the family.

2. Mooring it on the Oregon coast for a few weeks during prime Salmon season and fish on the weekends. If we had a C-dory we would sleep on the boat instead of getting a motel.

3. Day trips to the many lakes in our area.

 

[Mike_b]

Thanks to all for your input on this subject, keep it coming! Many of you have more boating and life experience than I have so your thoughts are appreciated!

 

[starcrafttom]

Given your use I would think about a camper for the truck and new motors not a cdory. I love my 27 cdory but its a little big for a lake boat. hard to get on and off of unless you have a dock. Lots of our lake camping was in a 16 starcraft. Easy to pull up to a beach and unload. if you are lake camping get a bungie anchor line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh3U1ae4D5I

Great tool on lakes with dropping water levels.

 

[Mike_b]

Given your use I would think about a camper for the truck and new motors not a cdory. I love my 27 cdory but its a little big for a lake boat. hard to get on and off of unless you have a dock. Lots of our lake camping was in a 16 starcraft. Easy to pull up to a beach and unload. if you are lake camping get a bungie anchor line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh3U1ae4D5I

Great tool on lakes with dropping water levels.

We currently use one of those anchor bungees with our current boat while camping, its great! What were currently doing is my wife tows our boat with her SUV, and I pull our travel trailer with my truck to the lake. We anchor the boat in front of our campsite with the anchor bungee.

Thanks

 

[ssobol]

.

The parking area at our house can only accommodate a boat and trailer combination that's sub 35' in length . This space limitation limits us to boats that have a hull + motor LOA of about 30' max. Given the parking limitations were going to have to make boats like the C-dory 25 or 26 work. I know trailer tongue lengths can vary, so I will bring a long tape measure as we look at boats to make sure the trailer boat combination will fit.

Thanks

FWIW, my CD22 on its trailer is 29' LOA with the motor down. It is longer in towing configuration (motor up).

 

[Mike_b]

.

The parking area at our house can only accommodate a boat and trailer combination that's sub 35' in length . This space limitation limits us to boats that have a hull + motor LOA of about 30' max. Given the parking limitations were going to have to make boats like the C-dory 25 or 26 work. I know trailer tongue lengths can vary, so I will bring a long tape measure as we look at boats to make sure the trailer boat combination will fit.

Thanks

FWIW, my CD22 on its trailer is 29' LOA with the motor down. It is longer in towing configuration (motor up).

Thanks!

That’s why I figured the 26’er is probably as big as I could park. 29’ + 4’ (additional length for 26’) puts me at 33’. As I said before I have 35’ of parking space.

 

[thataway]

Ideally the Tom Cat would be the boat for your family: The huge forward bunk, (with a cushion filler in the foot well for the navigator seat) will allow the largest Adult to sleep fore and aft on the port side of the forward bunk, Then mom and the kids sleep athwartship on the middle to starboard side. This is the way I did it with the grand kids.

The single berth of the dinette will become crowded as the kids continue to grow! The Tom Cat is more expensive and there are less of them.

Your kids are not old enough to be able to camp alone on the beach. Cockpit overnighters are not out of the question however.

I probably would go with the route suggested by Tom--a camper on the truck--and the river boat/repower.

 

[Mike_b]

I probably would go with the route suggested by Tom--a camper on the truck--and the river boat/repower.

Thanks for your input, it’s very appreciated. Unfortunately the Tomcat is not in our budget.

I should have given more detailed information about our situation in my original post.
We currently have a full size SUV that my wife tows our current boat with, and I tow our travel trailer with my truck when we camp at the lake. This system works well for us.

My wife would also like to have a boat that we could overnight on so we could leave our travel trailer at home when we want to do a short two day fishing trip. I know many times in life dreams and reality are different, the changing tastes of kids, busy jobs etc.Many of you C-brats have more boating and life experience than I do. As I said before to buy a late model 25’ or 26’ we would have to increase our boating hobby budget by approximately $15000.00 over the cost to repower our current boat, assuming I can get $ 25000 for our current boat. I’m not sure the C-dory benefits justify the additional cost for our situation? If only we all had a crystal ball. Lol

 

[Jackie]

Assuming you decided to repower, can you even get a motor right now? Is there one actually in stock in the size you want? I spent all of last year rebuilding the core on my little CD16 then had the engine pretty much conk out the first trip out. It had actually been having sort of intermittent trouble for a long time, and it's a long story as to the trials and tribulations, but I finally found out the head was cracked and I needed a new one around April or May. Of course, Covid, and there aren't any. I was told July, which has come and gone, and now we are looking at September. I'm looking for a Honda 50. If the size you want is in as short of supply, then your decision just got a lot easier!

Jackie

 

[Mike_b]

Assuming you decided to repower, can you even get a motor right now? Is there one actually in stock in the size you want? I spent all of last year rebuilding the core on my little CD16 then had the engine pretty much conk out the first trip out. It had actually been having sort of intermittent trouble for a long time, and it's a long story as to the trials and tribulations, but I finally found out the head was cracked and I needed a new one around April or May. Of course, Covid, and there aren't any. I was told July, which has come and gone, and now we are looking at September. I'm looking for a Honda 50. If the size you want is in as short of supply, then your decision just got a lot easier!

Jackie

I will look into availability. Thanks.

 

[PaulNBriannaLynn]

Look at it this way, not only is the c-dory better suited for your family outings.... its a better use of funds than a repower. When/if your tastes change and you need to sell it, c-dorys usually re-sell for around what you paid. You get your money back. I've lost more money on other boats than Id care to admit but we didn't loose a penny on our first c-dory 22 after years of fun.