CD 25 Question

[casampson]

I'm in the process of buying a really beautiful 1975 CD 25 at a reasonable price. The only thing that worries me is that there is a drain plug in the keel. The owner says that very little water comes out, but my concern is that the keel should be absolutely waterproof and that there should be no water at all. I have read online that some owners prefer to have a plug so that any water getting into the bilge over the winter can drain out. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I also have a choice between a nice 6hp outboard that I can leave in the well for the season or a new Tohatsu 4 hp that I can lift out and stow after each sail. My gut tells me that the extra power would come in handy, but I'm afraid that the heavier motor will get gunked up sitting in the salt all season.

Thought on either topic would be welcome.

[Chrisa006]

I paint the lower of my OB with Pettit Prop Coat Barnacle Barrier per my Marinas advice. In my opinion you will want the 6HP.
Good luck with your purchase.

[mgphl52]

As to 4hp vs 6hp, it also depends on where and in what conditions you sail. At typically less than 60 pounds, a 6hp should not be that difficult to pull out and lay down on the cabin sole. On my last CD25, the outboard truly lived on the sole and was rarely put to use. The original engine Brigitta came with was a ridiculous 9.9 that weighed about 100 pounds. Not only was it heavy, it had to be shoe-horned in and out! After several issues with marine growth fouling water intakes, I scrapped the 9.9 and bought 6hp Tahotsu. BTW, the 6hp would motor just as fast as the 9.9, aka hull-speed...

[SAIL1]

I believe(may be wrong) that the Tohatso 4, 5 and 6hp are the same motor just a different carborator ....

[tartansailor]

There are 2 drains in my boat, one each for the two cockpit scuppers. You need those to get rid of rain and spray.
The bilge pump sends water out above the waterline.

[casampson]

I'm going to go with the 6hp, as it is the Sailpro model with the extended shaft. Also, it appears it weighs the same as the 4 hp at 58 pounds, so there is no disadvantage in that regard. I'll just have to treat it with anti-fouling paint and hope for the best.

The drain in the keel remains a mystery, however.

[Paul D.]

The drain plug shouldn't be a big issue if it looks in good shape and you can remove, teflon tape it up and get a good seal with it. While I am not a fan of drains like this, in the marina where I worked, we saw a lot of them and they didn't seem to create problems as long as you made sure they were in before launching. Just unscrew and leave taped into the cockpit over winter.

[casampson]

Thank you, I think you are right. In my reading online I've discovered what is called a garboard drain plug, something installed in the keel to actually drain the bilge so that it doesn't freeze and crack over the winter. My original thought was that there must have been some sort of leak into the keel, but that does not appear to be the case.

Thanks to all those who responded. Now I just have to deal with the issue of whether or not to convert to a roller furling jib. I have several good friends who believe it to be the best possible investment I could make on my new boat. I suppose I won't know for sure until I give the hank-on jib a try and see for myself.

[mgphl52]

I have several good friends who believe it to be the best possible investment I could make on my new boat.

Sail what you have first! Proper sized hank-on sails on a CD25 are fairly easy to deal with. If the sails are old/stretched, new sail(s) would give far more "performance" than roller furling... (IMHO)...

[Steve Laume]

I believe the biggest advantage of having a hank on jib, is having a few of them to chose from. When I was sailing my Typhoon, I had three jibs to chose from. 100, 135 and a 165. It was rare that I would need to change the jib during a day sail. I would judge the wind and hank on what I felt was most appropriate. Having that flexibility made for some great sailing on both light and heavy wind days.

Raven does have a roller furling jib. I have a large head sail to go in the foil but it rarely ever gets used.

New sails are a wonderful thing, Steve.

[hinmo]

The boatyard fiberglass experts put a garboard plug in my keel last year. I was concerned about any residual water freezing. After the first season (last year) it had about a gallon of water in it after the fall haul. Where does it comes from? Not sure, but also not concerned.

I run a old 2-stroke Johnson extended shaft 4hp. Plenty of juice for getting to my mooring, off wind in the harbor. Would probably be weak for a strong current, tide situation. Love its lightness and power ration tho.

I have had nothing but problems with various small 4-stks and ethonal. I run eth-free in the 2-strk to be extra careful.

[mgphl52]

I have had nothing but problems with various small 4-stks and ethonal. I run eth-free in the 2-strk to be extra careful.

Everyone should avoid "trash-gas" like the plague! Most marinas around me have pure-gas, pricier but worth it.
This is especially true for *any* small engine that isn't used constantly.
If your marina does not sell it, please check here at Pure-gas.org.

[Carl Thunberg]

I'm a huge fan of garboard drains. They come in handy when you want to clean your bilge. You can put a power washer wand in the bilge and the water just pours right out again. It's not just for winterizing. If you have a lot of "crud" in the bilge, you should probably place an old towel or filter fabric to catch it before you create a toxic waste site. Not that anyone has a dirty, oily, bilge . . .