1983 CD27 hasn't splashed in 10 years

[skipsmagic]

I am the happy and excited owner of a 1983 CD27 that hasn't splashed in 10-11 years. It was well covered and winterized but I am sure I am going to find lot's of fun stuff to fix. With a boat laid up so long where should I look for my first major issues? I am hoping everything is fine and I will launch in late April, I am an optimist.
Thank you!

[Jim Walsh]

Location, location, location. Just like real estate the location of your vessel is the determining factor. If you are located in Florida winterizing is vastly different than what is necessary in Alaska. Did you have a survey completed before purchase? The first thing to address would be the punch list usually created by the surveyors recommendations. The engine is the single most expensive piece of equipment so you must determine if the winterizing was sufficient and if it was renewed as the years went by.
There are many systems which must be checked before launching. If you detail the equipment aboard we can offer recommendations.

[tjr818]

Welcome. Has the boat been surveyed? Well . . . I guess I would start with fuel and batteries and a checkbook. You will need new batteries and the fuel should be drained and replaced, the checkbook should be near by. I would also drain and refill the engine oil and the transmission oil/fluid. Standing rigging should be thoroughly checked or replaced. Mast head sheaves cleaned and lubricated. All mast wiring and fixtures checked and verified. Before launching you want to check the through hull fittings and the cutless bearing. Once you are sure that the boat won't sink I would start the engine, let it run for awhile, and when confident that it will run take a short motoring cruise around the harbor. After that have fun.
I am sure others will have additional advice.

[Paul D.]

Agreeing with the previous posts, I certainly would also focus on each seacock before launch after a decade. Determine if they each open and close fully and smoothly and if so at least pull out the tapered cones and wipe down the cone and inside barrel with some kerosene and grease up. If the seacock doesn't move or looks to be in worse shape when you get it apart, take look at these instructions.

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/tape ... e_seacocks

Good luck and have fun. Resist exasperation. Learning all this sailboat stuff is a worthy adventure!

[Steve Laume]

Engine belt, water pump impeller, bilge pump, foot pump, and head rebuild. Basically all the plumbing should be gone over.

Hoses. If all the hoses in the boat have been sitting for ten years and may have been old before that time then it would be a very good idea to replace them. Some are less fun than others.

A lot would depend on how things were stored but running rigging should also have a good look.

This boat should keep you pretty busy for a while but there is no reason to believe it will not be a fine craft once you are do going over it, Steve.

[Nebe]

you are going to love that boat. congrats!

Was this boat on the Cape? I saw on on craigslist that looked like it was sitting for a good long while.

[John Stone]

Skipsmagic
Lots of great advice from some very experienced sailors.

Good luck. We love pictures on the forum!

[skipsmagic]

I can see my best money spent so far was to join this group. Thank you all for the advise. I bought the boat without a survey, I know big mistake but I purchased for a very good price and from my experience around boats I could see it was loved.
I carefully looked over the running rigging and all the turnbuckles moved easily. I didn't try any of the seacocks but visually they looked very good. I will take them apart and grease them up.
The previous owner removed everything from the boat and kept it all in his climate controlled basement, so pretty happy about the condition of the sails and cushions.
Today me and my Dad will pull off the tarp and get it ready to bring it home tomorrow, which will be at Brownell Systems in Mattapoisett MA, hopefully for only two months.
I work for a company that sells marine hose, so every hose on the boat with get replaced with top of the line product at my employee discount.
My biggest concern is the W13. I plan on getting batteries this weekend and after flushing and cleaning the tank and replacing the impeller I hope to hear vroom.
I will post some pictures soon. I took a gamble on her I but know she's a thoroughbred. Hopefully she won't eat through all my oats!
Thanks again!

[John Stone]

Sounds like a good plan. Though no boat is perfect, CDs are very good boats. They have a few dirty secrets but every problem can be solved. There are lots of experienced sailors on the forum who collectively have seen about every challenge you might face. And though you may not want to tackle a project the same way someone else did at least you will have some place to start.

Happy sailing.

[csoule13]

Skip - Don't discount getting a survey even after purchase. I did that when I bought my CD27 last year. It was a good price, initial walk through using many of Don Casey's tips helped avoid anything obvious. But it was great to spend a few hours with another set of eyes who knows where the bodies may be buried. The resulting report turned into my checklist for the forseeable future.

Other than that, everything called out so far is spot on. I'd only add that I found the book "London Goes to Sea" to be invaluable both for seeing how someone went about this, and also to spark a love of the boat.

Chris
S/v Gabrielle

[fmueller]

Skip,

I'm going thru a big refit of my own CD 27 right now (new Beta 14, new electrical panel, Awlcraft all over, etc) - not because I necessarily had to, although the motor really was due , but mostly because I can, and I love that little ship. Feel free to PM me on anything that comes to mind about your 27.

From personal experience, in addition to some of the good advice above, pull the fuel tank and have it cleaned and inspected. You need to start with a clean fresh fuel supply, so that any other engine issues can be diagnosed from that baseline, and the only way to verify that is to be certain of the state of the tank and its contents.

Brownell has moved my boat a few times. Great guys.

Fred

[Northstar1014]

Definitely an exciting journey, Skip! You are going to love the 27, it is a great boat.

Mine is also a an 83' 27 with the W-13---don't hesitate to reach out with questions, I've been through a lot of the checks and maintenance you are planning. Where will you be keeping her in for the summer?

Ted

[Frenchy]

Hi Skip, - Fred's got some good advice with the fuel tank. After 10 years, there's bound to be sludge in there that's
difficult to remove. Get rid of all the fuel hoses and see about professional cleaning of the tank. I'd also switch to
a Racor filter and carry spares.
Good luck with your new baby. I went through a similar experience as my boat was laid up for 8 years and
had a water logged cockpit sole, rotten running rigging and a rusty engine, among many other things. I got a lot
of tips from this board and also from MaineSail's website- Compass Marine. I've also contracted with Brownell and
have always been happy. - Jean

[psjanker]

My CD 28 had been on the hard for 12 years and I took a year to get her ready to go back to sea (I elected to sand the bottom back to gelcoat and barrier coat it with E2000...since I knew the hull was dried out).

Only thing I would do different is run the engine earlier in the process since I discovered late that I had a cracked coolant line in the transmission which resulted in oil being blown out the exhaust. Coolant
line had not been properly winterized.

I would recommend getting Lub and lapping compound from Spartan Marine and refurbishing all the thruhulls. Pbase.com has a great overview of servicing Spartan thruhulls which I highly recommend.

V/r

Pete

[gates_cliff]

I can't improve on the previous posts just going to add some of my experiences.

I did have survey when I bought my CD 27', which was 10 years ago by now. One of the things the surveyor discovered was that there was rust and possible pin holes on the underside of the fuel tank, due to a little water that worked its way down, and the recommendation was to replace it. I took careful measurements and had a new one fabricated. He also suggested adding some mini cleats on the underside of the new tank so it wouldn't sit on any water that might accumulate under it. I used delron (I think) stock I had laying around and glued/epoxied them to the bottom of the tank. I had cut them to 1/4" depth so the tank still fit. The survey had also identified tabbing that had come loose on the bulkhead forward/around the fuel tank, so I reglassed that. No big deal. I've had my Westerbeke engine maintained by a small company at the marina where I keep the boat. Have had to have a few repairs done by them and he said the engine is in great shape. I actually asked his opinion of the potential need to repower and that's when he said it wasn't needed. I've always been pretty diligent in changing the oil and fixing stuff or if beyond my meager abilities having it done.

I love my Cape Dory 27', love the way it sails and frequently get positive comments or approving waves.