CD25: Looking for owner opinions for Sailing article

[Wayne Simpson]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25 (outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to talk with owners about their boats. What they like and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc. If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address above. Thanks in advance.



wsimpson@cybercomm.net

[Frank Cannella]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25 (outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to talk with owners about their boats. What they like and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc. If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address above. Thanks in advance.

I recently put in a Honda 4 stroke 8HP outboard on my CD 25. It took some modification of the engine compartment to install it. I like the performance of the engine, and the lack of oil mixed with gas fumes. It seems to be too heavy for the boat. Under high revs it pulls water up into the well, which makes me nervous about possibly drowning the motor when I need it most. I also ran all my haliards and downhauls back to the cockpit. Very convenient when sailing solo. The CD 25 is a great boat when you sail into trouble. She is very stable and forgiving. If I have a complaint, it is that it is too small for crusing for more than one person. For short weekend trips, it is just fine for two. Bring the kids only when day sailing, or you lose your mind before the sun sets.

Good luck with your article. Please feel free to contact me if you want detailed information.

Fair winds,

Frank





cannella@ix.netcom.com

[Paul Saltzman]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25 (outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to talk with owners about their boats. What they like and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc. If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address above. Thanks in advance.

Your E-mail address was not posted with your comments. But i own a CD25 and would be interested in sharing my views with you. here's my E-mail again

saltzman@aecom.yu.edu or saltzma@ibm.net

thanks



saltzman@aecom.yu.edu or saltzma@ibm.net

[Larry Hart]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25

(outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing
Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to
talk with owners about their boats. What they like
and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc.
If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would
appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address
above. Thanks in advance.

I recently put in a Honda 4 stroke 8HP outboard on

my CD 25. It took some modification of the engine
compartment to install it. I like the performance of
the engine, and the lack of oil mixed with gas fumes.
It seems to be too heavy for the boat. Under high
revs it pulls water up into the well, which makes me
nervous about possibly drowning the motor when I need
it most. I also ran all my haliards and downhauls
back to the cockpit. Very convenient when sailing
solo. The CD 25 is a great boat when you sail into
trouble. She is very stable and forgiving. If I
have a complaint, it is that it is too small for
crusing for more than one person. For short weekend
trips, it is just fine for two. Bring the kids only
when day sailing, or you lose your mind before the
sun sets.

Good luck with your article. Please feel free to

contact me if you want detailed information.

Fair winds,

Frank

We are new owners of a CD25 and love our boat. The changes we would like are engine controls mounted in cockpit, and some kind of blower in outboard well to get rid of exhaust fumes. We have a Johnson 9.9 and it powers the boat well but we have had to run with the cover open. It acts as a sail with it open so these improvements are necessary. Great boat sails wonderfully. We have used it as a daysailer. But we would not hesitate to take overnight trips with it on Lake Michigan. We do want to run the halyards to the cockpit. If you need any more info please contact us at our email address. We i



lbhart@webtv.net

[larry hart]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25

(outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing
Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to
talk with owners about their boats. What they like
and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc.
If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would
appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address
above. Thanks in advance.

I recently put in a Honda 4 stroke 8HP outboard on

my CD 25. It took some modification of the engine
compartment to install it. I like the performance of
the engine, and the lack of oil mixed with gas fumes.
It seems to be too heavy for the boat. Under high
revs it pulls water up into the well, which makes me
nervous about possibly drowning the motor when I need
it most. I also ran all my haliards and downhauls
back to the cockpit. Very convenient when sailing
solo. The CD 25 is a great boat when you sail into
trouble. She is very stable and forgiving. If I
have a complaint, it is that it is too small for
crusing for more than one person. For short weekend
trips, it is just fine for two. Bring the kids only
when day sailing, or you lose your mind before the
sun sets.

Good luck with your article. Please feel free to

contact me if you want detailed information.

Fair winds,

Frank

We are new owners of a CD25 and love our boat. The changes we would like are engine controls mounted in cockpit, and some kind of blower in outboard well to get rid of exhaust fumes. We have a Johnson 9.9 and it powers the boat well but we have had to run with the cover open. It acts as a sail with it open so these improvements are necessary. Great boat sails wonderfully. We have used it as a daysailer. But we would not hesitate to take overnight trips with it on Lake Michigan. We do want to run the halyards to the cockpit. If yo

lbhart@webtv.net

[Gary Damiano]

We purchased our CD25 new in 1980 and still sail it on SF Bay. It's used mostly for day sailing and we have done very little modifications to it. We did add a dodger when we moved to SF and have been very pleased with it's ability to keep the cold SF Bay spray out of the cockpit and provide some shade on very sunny afternoons. Our engine is a Mercury 9.8 (bought it new with the boat). The engine stays in the water and is removed twice per year for cleaning, changing the annode etc. The motor has the right power for the CD but the lazerette hatch does not close completely. Electronics include an Autohelm knotmeter/depht finder, VHF and compass. During next winters maintenance haulout we are planning to have all lines brought back into the cockpit and a lazyjack type system installed. We would be very interested in getting the details on how others have rigged thier CD25s for solo sailing. Please feel free to contact us for more info.

regards
Gary & Joann Damiano 1980 CD25 "Tenacious"

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25 (outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to talk with owners about their boats. What they like and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc. If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address above. Thanks in advance.

gdamiano@ix.netcom.com

[Paul Foudy]

I am doing an article on the Cape Dory 25 (outboard version, not the 25D) for Sailing Magazine's February Retrofit issue. I would like to talk with owners about their boats. What they like and don't like, what modifications they've made, etc. If we have any CD25 owners or former owners I would appreciate hearing from you at the e-mail address above. Thanks in advance.

Wayne, I am the owner of a CD-25, #441 built 5/5/76, known presently as " the Artist's Mark". I bought this boat in 1995 and, although I've only had her for 3 seasons I feel that I know this boat very well. I've sailed a fair amount of full keel boats and this craft ranks about the best,... at least for my purposes. I single hand this boat often... she has a fine combination of compact size and yet the stability of a larger craft. I purchased her for a good price, however I am faced with many minor repairs and improvements. I run an 86 Johnson Sailmaster 9.9 hp, and a Harkin roller furler. Other add ons/modifications are minor due mostly to finances. I truely love this boat...I have some articles + the owners manuel and have some good pictures. Currently she is moored in the Back River in Weymouth, Ma. Sailing around the Boston Harbor Islands is just great...there is so much one can do in this area. Good luck with the article; write back if I can offer more.

pfoudy@usa.net

[kevin aubuchon]

I also ran all my haliards and downhauls back to the cockpit. Very convenient when sailing solo. The CD 25 is a great boat when you sail into trouble.

Fair winds,

Frank

For the aritcle, I have a 1979 CD25. I bought because I like salty boats and the price. The CD25 gives me confidence to take my 2 young sons (8 & 10) sailing without too much worry. We've been out in 20 kt winds, with a single reef in the main, and a 135 hanked on. The boat really comes alive in those winds and we had a wonderful time. The kids can steer well enought to keep us pointed into the wind for me to raise/lower/change sails. We all wear a harness tethered to a jackline. The boat needs 10 kts of wind to move if the water is not calm. I have a 180 drifter I put on in light winds.

My 2 sons and I spend the night on it, though it's crowded.

Frank, the previous owner of my engine put a rubber tube on the exhaust to route it away from the cockpit. This lessened smoke in the cockpit when idling. When underway using the motor, I close the engine hatch. This makes it much more quite. How did you run your halyards back to the cockpit? Did you install winches on the cabin roof? If so, what backing did you install? Did you have to cut throught the interior liner? I would like to do the same thing.

thanks, good sailing
kevin aubuchon



abuchoko@maritz.com

[David Brownlee]

It's a lovely boat. We bought one about eight years ago when we were getting back into sailing. She was in Mamaroneck, and we sailed her through NY Harbor, down the Jersey coast, and up the Delaware to near Burlington, NJ, above Philadelphia. Quite a shake-down! We kept her there for a couple of years, motoring down to the Chesapeake for cruising, before deciding to leave her down there, at Havre de Grace, and do the motoring part in our car. In short, we covered lots of miles in widely varying conditions and lived aboard her for a week or two at a time. In the end we sold her to get more room--in a Cape Dory 27.

Perhaps the nicest thing about the CD 25 is the appearance--low and lean with a much sweeter shear line than the larger Cape Dories. A real head turner in any anchorage. She sails very well, although a big drifter (which we lacked) would be nice for Chesapeake summers.
The outboard in the well brings with it the problemn of exhaust gasses, which can choke the engine. The solution is a rubber hose and metal adaptor--which we bought from a supplier mentioned in the engine manual--that re-routes the upper exhaust under water. We shifted down to a 6hp engine when the old 9.9 Merc failed, and we gave up electric start as well. That was plenty of power for our purposes, it charged the batteries, and was very simple. Moreover, the engine could be steered a little, a big help in backing.

It's a small, narrow ended boat, and therefore sensitive to putting too much weight in the stern.

The interior isn't really designed for our sort of cruising, so we had to learn to sit down while doing everything and add storage. This consisted of installing two shelves in the big empty space behind the head, putting clothing storage shelves in the hanging locker (and getting rid of the bar), and building and fitting four drawers (one under the bottom step of the companionway, one under the stove counter on starboard, and one each under the shelves above the main cabin bunks--it turned out that the last 2 had to be removed for sleeping--but at least it handled storage during the day). We also installed a foot pump for the sink--it changes your life.

We removed an old, failure-prone jib furler and went with hanked-on jib and genny, and we had two rows of conventional reefing points installed on the main. The original main roller reefing system was a simple but awkward thing, and it kept one from using a vang when reefed. Under double reefed main and working jib we could sail to windward with some comfort on a windy summer afternoon (20kts); I suspect we could have done better with a new main; although quite new, the standard issue main that came with the boat was quite lightweight and baggy.

Count this as a rave.

Ann and David Brownlee
"Windrush" CD27
Havre de Grace, MD



dbrownle@mail.sas.upenn.edu

[Jim Hollister]

I also ran all my haliards and downhauls back to the cockpit. Very convenient when sailing solo. The CD 25 is a great boat when you sail into trouble.

Fair winds,

Frank

For the aritcle, I have a 1979 CD25. I bought because I like salty boats and the price. The CD25 gives me confidence to take my 2 young sons (8 & 10) sailing without too much worry. We've been out in 20 kt winds, with a single reef in the main, and a 135 hanked on. The boat really comes alive in those winds and we had a wonderful time. The kids can steer well enought to keep us pointed into the wind for me to raise/lower/change sails. We all wear a harness tethered to a jackline. The boat needs 10 kts of wind to move if the water is not calm. I have a 180 drifter I put on in light winds.

My 2 sons and I spend the night on it, though it's crowded.

Frank, the previous owner of my engine put a rubber tube on the exhaust to route it away from the cockpit. This lessened smoke in the cockpit when idling. When underway using the motor, I close the engine hatch. This makes it much more quite. How did you run your halyards back to the cockpit? Did you install winches on the cabin roof? If so, what backing did you install? Did you have to cut throught the interior liner? I would like to do the same thing.

thanks, good sailing
kevin aubuchon

I too would like to hear how you did this, since I would like to rig for singlehanding.
Thanks,
Jim Hollister



jjhollister@excel.net

[Wayne Simpson]

The article is all finished, thanks in no small part to the information gotten here on this site. Thank you to all who posted messages. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out, and I hope you all will read it in the February issue of Sailing Magazine.



wsimpson@cybercomm.net