These are trailerable boats!

[colbysmith]

Four years of towing C-Traveler during the boating season, 41,704 miles total. This year was a little less than usual at only 7,271 miles. I average about 10,000/year. Last year I did more at around 15,000 miles! I’ve been averaging about 10,000 annually the five seasons we’ve owned C-Traveler. (But I got the new trailer and pickup about the same time that allows me to keep easier track of trailer mileage. 😊) I was also averaging about 10,000 miles annually with my earlier C-Dory, Midnight Flyer, for a number of years. These are trailerable boats after all! lol. And I enjoy cruising on waters all over the country! About half the time I’m solo, and half the time Rosanne goes with me. 😊

Kind of curious what kind of miles other C-Brats put on their trailers?

[NewMoon]

Hi Colby,

I used to do 4,000 per year, up to Prince Rupert and back home to Utah.

[Hunkydory]

Colby, you’re racking the trailering miles up at a faster pace per year than me. This year it was 7671 miles. We’ve had the HunkyDory now for 22 seasons & have used two trailers. The first a EZ loader single axle with surge brakes, we trailered for 38,605 miles. This trailer made several early Alaska trips, over then, some very rough roads & we were exceeding its weight specs, which I believe caused a roller support arm to break on an Alaska trip. That is why, we went to our 2nd trailer a EZ loader twin axle with electric over hydraulic & so far 65,595 miles on it for a total of 104,200 miles trailering. I personally did all the trailer maintenance & fortunate to never experience a bearing or brake problem on the road, though I do carry a complete hub assembly and two spare tires. Also only 2 flat tires in all these miles. JoLee has been with me for most of these miles with only the last couple of extended cruises her health issues stopping her from going.

Some additional data besides trailering, I’ve accumulated with the HunkyDory.

A total of 27,985 miles cruising on the water with 15,947 miles in the Pacific North West in different locations between San Francisco Bay & Skagway, Alaska with by far, the majority of those miles cruised in SE Alaska. The 860 miles on the upper Yukon River was our most remote river miles with the C-Dory. We have had the HunkyDory on Yellowstone Lake every year since 2003 & also cruised Jackson, Fremont, Boulder, Half moon, Willow & Flaming Gorge lakes in Wyoming. Bear & Powell in Utah & Atlin, Tagish, Teslin & labarge in British Columbia & the Yukon. All of our trailering & cruising has been from Wyoming to the west, as we prefer the less human populated areas & more wildlife with scenic mountain backgrounds. We do know & appreciate what the states south & east of the Rocky Mountains have to offer, as we have traveled by vehicle through all of them, but for our boating & C- Brat Gatherings prefer the west.

I’ve now spent 1250 nights aboard & have lost track of how many days & nights at anchor.

Jay

[Donald Tyson]

Very impressive.

[colbysmith]

Jay, I suspect you have me beat in boat on water miles. But I've never tracked those. I know what my outboard hours were when I purchased, and know what they are now, but it would only be an halfway educated guess on relating that to miles. In earlier days I did everything on plane. But for the last several years, most everything at hull speed. I forget what trailer I had when I purchased C-Traveler, but it was under-rated for the job. Before replacing it, I did convert the hydraulic brakes to EOH. I replaced it with the Loadrite bunk trailer, with EOH brakes, and have been happy with it. Although, I still have occasional issues with the EOH and while it's nice having SS discs, the all electric is just a lot easier to maintain! Midnight Flyer came with a nice EZ-Loader bunk trailer, I believe with surge braking, and I converted it to all electric braking. I also liked that trailer. I've found Carlisle tires to be my best bet as well, and usually carry the next higher load range than specced. (Ran LRD on the 22, and LRE on the 25.) Like you, I also do all my own trailer maintenance, and use oil bath hubs. I too travel with two spares, and carry spare brake discs and bearings with me. Just recently I added a TPMS, but not sure I'm completely sold on it yet. I've had a problem with one of the transmitters showing low when the actual pressure is higher, and I had one transmitter show signs of water in it. I probably need to change the seals, or go for the water proof transmitters. Or, just go back to doing without!
I've gone through locks on the Snake and Columbia Rivers, Mississippi River, Chicago River, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and the Erie Canal. I've been on Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron. I've been under the Golden Gate Bridge, over the Columbia Bar, seen the Atlantic Ocean outside of Jacksonville and north. I've done most of the St. John's River in Florida, and the ICW as far north as St. Mary's, and then also in North Carolina. I've been out to Catalina Island, the Inside Passage of Alaska, the San Juans, Gulf Islands, Princess Louisa Inlet, the Broughtons, Desolation Sound and the California Delta (Sacramento River and San Pablo Bay, and Petaluma.) I've also seen the Bay at San Diego. Lakes Barkley and Kentucky, Greers Ferry Lake, Lake Cumberland, Tablerock Lake, and of course our local lakes here in Madison. I'm sure I"m forgetting some waters. And yet I still have some places I haven't been that I'd like to get to. All that with the 10 years I had Midnight Flyer, and 4 years with C-Traveler. Colby

[gulfcoast john]

Our style is different from some (as it should be). We value trailering down to a South Florida 5 star marina resort for six weeks during the dead of winter (when Pensacola highs avg 60), while Colby prefers to sit over winter in the frozen North. 31 flavors of cruising!

This year with our six weeks at Key West Perry Hotel Resort and Marina, plus AICW cruise from SC to Norfolk, and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway from TN to PNS was only 2,300 water miles and about the same trailer miles, plus 80 nights on the boat.

The AVG boater uses their boat only 75-150 hours PER YEAR. So do the math.

Enjoy your C-Dory and make it work out for you and your cruising style! There are many, many ways to do that and make it work out for you and yours.

Happy voyages!

John