Restoration project... plans available?

[Rootski]

Hello, everyone.

I recently purchased what the previous owner called a "Super Cape Dory", which appears to be a custom built 25D with a gasoline engine instead of diesel.

It cost $1200, which says something about the condition it's in. It's become my main project, and now, a week into it, I've got the interior stripped out and spent all day cleaning the inside of the hull to be painted. After that, I'm going to begin repairing/re-doing the plumbing and electric systems, but I could really use Cape Dory plans or schematics to help out with that. Does anyone know where these can be found?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Russell]

Hello, everyone.

I recently purchased what the previous owner called a "Super Cape Dory", which appears to be a custom built 25D with a gasoline engine instead of diesel.

It cost $1200, which says something about the condition it's in. It's become my main project, and now, a week into it, I've got the interior stripped out and spent all day cleaning the inside of the hull to be painted. After that, I'm going to begin repairing/re-doing the plumbing and electric systems, but I could really use Cape Dory plans or schematics to help out with that. Does anyone know where these can be found?

Thanks in advance for any help.

If your boat is from 1976, it is in no way a copy of a CD 25D, the 25D was not even made until 1982, so plans for a 25D would not be of any use to you.

I am curious to see photos of your boat though, got any you can post?

[Rootski]

Hmm. How strange. Either the year is wrong or its built off of 25 plans. It definitely has the 25D keel design, though.

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/neonsoldierx/.P ... oatsm5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://homepage.mac.com/neonsoldierx/.P ... oatsm4.jpg[/img]

[Russell]

Hmm. How strange. Either the year is wrong or its built off of 25 plans. It definitely has the 25D keel design, though.

Looking at your photos, I do not think it was built off a cape dory design. Look at the shape of the underbody from where the bow enters the waterline to the base of the keel. Cape Dorys keel forefoot is much different, yours makes a much more pronounced turn downward. Also look at the aft of your boat, your waterline extends all the way to the base of the transom, a cape dorys waterline ends a bit before you hit the transom, leaving a small overhang. Above the water, your sheer is more curved then a cape dory and your cabin top taller and wider.

A quick look at it without looking closely, it does resemble a cape dory type of design, and definately a good looking boat. One can only tell so much from photos of course though, but I really do not think a cape dory was used for the design of this boat, other then perhaps some inspiration in making it look similar.

Do not take this as bad news or anything, a good boat is a good boat, yours is definately nice on the eyes and has that nice conservative design we cape dory owners love. If she is well built and if your pleased, then you got a good boat. And it sounds like you got a good deal on it.

As for rebuilding your interior, since the builder or design of the boat is basicly unknown, I would just take a look at several similar boats interior, and find some inspiration in what you do and dont like, and rebuild it how you would like it best.

Being a fibreglass boat, I suspect its not the only one of its kind. Have you searched every possible place on the boat for perhaps a builders plate?

[Rootski]

The hulls are shaped a bit differently, but the cockpit and cabin design suggest that she was indeed based off a Cape Dory design. Looking closer at the schematics on this site, her interior is analogous to the 25 design.

I wouldn't assume the waterline on the boat is any kind of indicator as to where the waterline is. The thing actually looks like a drunk painted it on.

Either way, it'd be easier to figure things out if I had some plans.

[Ron M.]

Could she possibly be a 25 that was converted to an inboard engine ? I don't know.----but thats a fine looking tractor ! cub or A ?
Ron
________
Buy Vapor Tower

[bottomscraper]

If the boat was made in 1976 it should have a HIN (hull identification number), try looking at the upper starboard stern. If it has one, the first 3 letters are the MIC (Manufacturers Identification Code). I beleive Cape Dory used both CPD & CDN for the MIC depending on the year.

This link explains the HIN:
http://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/hin.htm

This link lets you look up the MIC:

http://uscgboating.org/recalls/mic_database.htm

[Cathy Monaghan]

Keep exploring our web site and you'll find the specs for all of the boats. Go to our home pagethen select "Cape Dory Info" and "CD Specs" from the main menu, or just go to:

Specifications: Cape Dory 25
or
Specifications: Cape Dory 25D

By the way, you'll find the link to our home page at the top of every page of this message board. Just click on the "CDSOA" link or our logo in the navigation banner above the row of links.

This is layout of the CD25:


and this is the layout of the CD25D:


And as Rich pointed out, a good place to start in order to identify a vessesl is by taking a look at the HIN. If it's a Cape Dory, it should start with "CPD".

Several Cape Dory 25 and 25D owners have web sites where they've included photos of their boats. Those photos may also help. Just go to:
Cape Dory Owners Web Sites
and select the sites for the CD25s.


Cathy
CDSOA Webmaster

[Rootski]

Thanks for the pictures, but I really need bigger, more in-depth technical plans, like factory blueprints or something. Something that shows plumbing and electrical. Anyone know where those can be had?

Rigging instructions would also be nice. Thanks.

[dennis]

the plumbing an electrical schematics for the cd 25 are included in the 1978owners manual available on this web site. You can print the entire manual or just the pages you need.

Dennis

[jdhunter]

Where do you keep your boat? The easiest way to handle your situation is to find a Cape Dory owner near you willing to let you video or photograph the interior of their boat. Take a few measurements and lots of notes. As a woodworker that specializes in boats, I have built many interiors from a bare hull. Most never go back to the original configuration. You may also want to look at many other boats to get ideas that you might enjoy having in your boat. Like houses, boats are an expression yourself.

[Tom Feeny]

Neat boat. Good luck with your restoration. Something about the sheerline and the forefoot of the keel make me think that isn't an Alberg design.

Didn't Cape Dory purchase the rights to another design at around that time? Stadel I think?

[Al Levesque]

The pictures remind me of a Bristol. The Bristol's varied in keel design. I thought they were Alberg designs for the most part, if not all.

[Carter Brey]

This is a head scratcher. I agree with the others who do not think it's a Cape Dory.

1)The keel is definitely not an Alberg design; the forefoot is cut away in a radically different way than his.

2) The rudder is different as well. Both the CD25 and the 25D have square trailing edges on their rudders. This one has the rounded exit of a Typhoon rudder design. Alberg did draw rounded trailing edges for many of his boats, but not for the CD25 and 25D.

3) In the stern view, I see an external transom-mounted stern chainplate. I don't think CD ever used this kind of tang chainplate; I believe they always used a massive bronze fitting vertically bolted to the taffrail and the same kind of fitting for the shrouds on the side decks. Am I wrong about this?

4) The design and number of portlights does not correspond to any factory-installed CD configuration that I know of, although this proves nothing, of course; owners routinely change these. The closest configuration I can think of is the CD25 between 1976-1979, when the boats had one long port aft and two smaller ones forward. But this boat has three smaller ones forward.

5) In the plus column: the sheerline does look like that of a Stadel-designed CD25.

Carter

[Russell]

The pictures remind me of a Bristol. The Bristol's varied in keel design. I thought they were Alberg designs for the most part, if not all.

Alberg only designed one of the bristols, the Bristol 27. Here is a full list of all the boats he designed:

http://www.alberg30.org/CarlAlberg/designs.html