The Cape Dory Board

Mike,

If this is the outboard version of the CD 26, I'd suggest it is the wrong boat for offshore work. Mine is an outboard version and it's just fine alongshore and in reasonable weather. But in a heavy following sea or steep chop, that opening in the stern is a big problem. Good luck,

Ken

Kevin & others, The weight of the Tohatsu 6 h.p. Sailpro is a gift that keeps on giving. I have a bad back, bad shoulders and am a bit beyond the average retirement age. But I have no trouble handling the 60-lb. Sailpro with a light block-and-tackle arrangement when I get the boat home to our bo...

The outboard I'm using is Tohatsu's 6 h.p. Sailpro, with the extra-long (25") shaft. It works fine, pushes the boat along at about 5 knots in smooth water, negligible headwinds, using about 3/4 throttle. I doubt it will do well in a heavy chop or strong headwinds. But that's not how I use my CD...

Chris, The pictures below should be pretty much self-explanatory. The middle one may be disorienting but it is a shot straight down into the outboard well (modified) as made by Cape Dory. The last one shows the modified hatch over the outboard well, a procedure which wouldn't be necessary if I had t...

Rick, I was going to try your approach on my CD 26, pretty much for the same reasons. But I scrubbed the idea as too complex and limited, mainly because that shaft still stays in the water while sailing, picking up seaweed, flotsam and the occasional lobster trap buoy - not mention slowing everythin...

Cathy, Yes, I have anchored there and it's too rolly for a comfortable overnight, even in settled weather. If, however, you have a fair tide for going up the Saco River, I'd encourage you to do so. Except on midsummer weekends, traffic isn't too bad and the scenery is downright bucolic. Halfway up i...

John, To answer your earlier question: Beneath the CD 26 cockpit in just a very large space, divided in two (port and starboard) by a large piece of plywood running fore and aft that could easily be replaced by something more elegant and practical. I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do wi...

Steve, Your points about re-routing and re-building the CD 25D plumbing configuration are excellent. Ans frequent pumpouts can indeed keep "that smell" from taking up permanent residence in a boat, any boat. But alas, over the years, I've inspected too many boats whose owners were just not...

John, Another reason I turned down the CD25D in favor of the 26 was based on plumbing. The CD25D comes with a holding tank built into the keel. Access to that tank is nearly impossible because it lives almost directly under the engine room. Without significant revisions, you could never clean the ho...

John, I agree with Bob Lascelles: The CD25D and the CD 26 are essentially the same boat. But also arguing in favor of the 26 is the price is generally WAY lower for a used one. The CD 26 was originally aimed at the price-sensitive buyer who might like the 25D but not like the price tag. In a 26, you...

John, I recent removed the cockpit coamings on my CD 26 (1985), which is almost the identical boat to your CD 25D. In any case, the coamings were bedded with generous amounts of 5200 (or its predecessor), which meant that they did not come away from the gel coat in one piece. In fact, they came away...

Greetings all, My aging memory tells me that some business already has in hand the specs for making up either a gel coat or paint that is the white-ish color specific to all Cape Dorys. To be able to purchase such an item for my current project, without having to go through the nightmare of color ma...

If the original question had been "useful" instead of "necessary", my answer would have been a resounding YES. Here's why: Because I spent many years enjoying wooden boats before turning to CDs, I followed the ancient launching rule for wooden boats. That is, always turn off ALL ...

As Cape Dories have come and gone over the years, various Yanmar spare parts have accumulated and are now offered for sale as a package. Included are; (1) alternator for a 1 GM 10, Hitachi LR135-74 35 amps; (1) Secondary Racor [R-12-S] filter w/spare and spare drain bulb; (1) 1 GM 10 direct discharg...

Using set screws, or some sort of removable fastening, is the industry standard. They make it easier to remove the bearing in case it's damaged somehow (hitting a rock, or tide walker, etc.) and needs to be replaced again. Low probability of that happening so you should be okay. And if they did it w...