Just bought a Cape Dory 25. Looking for advise.

[Ron Klebba]

Looking for advise. I will be sailing on Lake Huron in Michigan. I just bought a 1981 Cape Dory 25 and am seeking some advise regarding;
1. Is there a lines drawing available of this boat, deck plan, rig layout, cabin plan, etc.
2 The boat came with an excellent trailer. How much weight will I be towing?
3. I need an engine. I will be buying a new 4 stroke and would like to install a single lever remote (Vetus) in the cockpit. Is the cockpit remote do-able and what size engine will I need? Will the larger bodied four stroke engines fit into the engine compartment?

Thanks. Please respond to this website. My phone number is 503-936-7266 Hood River, Oregon

[whitejw1967]

Tow weight:

I think you're looking at 4,000 lbs + with gear.

IMPORTANT: Remember that a car/truck's towing capacity is rated for relatively flat ground (e.g., highway driving). Pulling a significant weight out of a 15+ degree wet and slippery ramp is a very different matter (I learned this the hard way by burning out a clutch). I recommend rear wheel drive or better yet all wheel drive and an automatic for this. It is easy to ruin a clutch trying to pull lots of weight. Your trailer should also have brakes for that kind of weight.

Congratulations on buying a great boat!

[Sea Hunt Video]

Looking for advise. I will be sailing on Lake Huron in Michigan. I just bought a 1981 Cape Dory 25 and am seeking some advise regarding;
1. Is there a lines drawing available of this boat, deck plan, rig layout, cabin plan, etc.
2 The boat came with an excellent trailer. How much weight will I be towing?
3. I need an engine. I will be buying a new 4 stroke and would like to install a single lever remote (Vetus) in the cockpit. Is the cockpit remote do-able and what size engine will I need? Will the larger bodied four stroke engines fit into the engine compartment?

Thanks. Please respond to this website. My phone number is 503-936-7266 Hood River, Oregon

Ron:

The CDSOA website has a wealth of information on Cape Dory sailboats. If you look on the left side of the "Welcome" page there is a list of "drop down" sites to go to. For example, "Cape Dory Info" takes you "CD boat specs" to get specs for a CD 25:

http://www.capedory.org/specs/cd25.htm

If you scroll down this page you will see "CD 25 owner's manual".

Click on that and you will get to a page that has a bunch of owner's manuals.

Scroll down to:

"1978 manual for the CD-25, 27, 28 and 30 (PDF, 2 MB) -- provided by Diana Paquette"

This is a document that you can move to your computer. I am not too sure what "PDF" means (as many on this board know I am "computer challenged" even on my best day ) but I know you can move or copy this document to your computer.

This document should give you a lot of information about CD 25s in general.

There are probably other documents on this website that have additional information and details.

It took me a while to learn how to navigate this website. However, remember I am "computer challenged".

As for O/Bs if you do a "search" (upper right of message board page) for Cape Dory 25 and O/B motors you should find several threads discussing the pros and cons of various O/Bs. I recall one thread from several months ago (perhaps a year or more ago) that had a very lengthy discussion and comparison of various O/Bs for a CD 25.

Good luck

[Jdpmus]

I second Robert's advice.

We purchased a '74 CD25 a couple of years ago and were asking the same questions, though we don't have a trailer. The owner's manual is a godsend; our sailmaker was able to use the drawings when he built a new set of sails for us last year. It's a little funky looking at a manual that was obviously printed using a typewriter, but remember that those were the days before desktop publishing. At any rate, whoever posted the manual as a pdf did all of us a great service. You should download the pdf of the manual to your computer. I even have a copy in my iPhone as it comes in handy when I'm at a chandlery and looking for supplies.

We too are thinking about replacing the outboard on our CD. There is a wealth of news on the forum site about outboards, types, sizes, etc. Just remember that the new 4 cycles are a bit larger and may have to be shoehorned into the outboard well. The biggest issue seems to be the height of the OB and being able to close the lazarette.

You also might look through the project section of the forum for information on upgrades and replacements. Stan's "reefroof" site is probably the most thorough I have seen.



Good luck and happy sailing.

[bgephart]

I have had my 1979 CD25 since 1984, and I had a 1974 CD25 before that. I have had 9.9 and 15 HPs before, but I have been very happy with my current 6 HP Johnson Sailmaster, 1994 model. A 6HP is plenty of power provided you get the long foot (I think that is 25 inches) and the high thrust propeller (large flat blades). The current best buy is a 6HP Tohatsu four stroke with the Sail package (long foot and high thrust prop). Do a search for Tohatsu on this site and you will find more info. You've got a good boat.

[Kilgore]

Welcome. I also have an 81, and picked up the Tohatsu 6 sailpro when I bought it.

[bobred]

I have also just purchased a new CD 25 ('75). First, I hope you had
the boat surveyed. There is lots of valuable information you can
learn about your boat, especially if something needs to be taken
care of before launch.
A 6 hp, long shaft engine is all you need. You can ask for a sail prop or pay extra
and get a sailpro engine. Most engines under 6 hp are manual start. I am
not sure there is a conversion kit to electric start, but a manual start
should be fine. I had a very nice 2 hp on my Cape dory typhoon with manual
start and it was never a problem.
Again, the survey will reveal anything that needs to be looked at.

good sailing

[Ron Klebba]

Thanks for all of the useful info. I have been sailing for about 20 years. My last boat was a Rozinante which I built and sailed for 6 years and have recently sold. I am excited about owning a Cape Dory.
Ron