New C Dory 22 Cruiser owner with a few questions

B

BBSva

New member
Hello all. I have a new to me 2006 C-Dory 22 Cruiser with a 2006 Honda outboard. This is the first power boat that I have owned, so a few of the components and systems are a bit outside of my knowledge level.

The initial questions that I have are related to fuel line and electrical routing. This boat has two starter batteries only. No house batteries, no shore power.

Currently the battery charger and fuel priming bulbs share a rear starboard compartment. The fuel lines are routed under the splashwell, up into the rear starboard compartment, and then back down and out into the splashwell with the motor controls.

The proximity of fuel lines and electrical components seems a bit nutty to me. I cannot imagine that gasoline vapors and electronics are a good mix.

So my specific question is: Is the starboard rear compartment a normal location for either the fuel lines or electrical gear? If so, which one?

Photos of the current setup should be publicly viewable here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/jeTB5sQrzLLPBYPp7
 
I have the same year and model as you, I have two group 27, my main breaker and main battery switch in the starboard lazaret. That work well for me. The fuel line goes from the selector valve to the fuel filter in the splash well and the primer bulb is in the splash well also. no fuel line technically goes into the lazaret but it is open in the back so fume will get in there anyway but I belive gas fume should settle down not up (correct me if I'm wrong)

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Personally, I'd be a little nervous about that setup too. Is there a way you can reroute the fuel lines away from right over the top of the battery switch? I'm trying to remember how they were on my earlier 22. I think the fuel lines ran up in the very back and thru the side of the splash well, and with the Merc 115 hp 4 stroke EFI, I did not have a primer bulb. But would make sense if I did, to have the bulb in the splash well closer to the outboard.
 
I would agree with those who feel the fuel lines should be out of that lazaret area. I am also a bit concerned with the wiring. I suspect that you have one battery which can be used as a house battery and one used for starting. You have to. have a "house" battery.

What bothers me is: positive terminal posts not protected. The amp/volt meter is not outdoor rated, The fuses are not secured--wiring may be undersized??.

Is there no port/starboard/off fuel tank switch? Does the kicker us fuel from the fuel tanks, a separate tank or an integral tank? How do you change tanks? Where is the power supply for the battery charger? You really should not have 110 Volts going to that area, along with the 12 volts and fuel lines...

I would start out by re-wiring and then replumbing the lines. Agree that the fuel filter (Racor preferable) should be outside of the lazarette. You do have a 1/2/off/all switch---which allows you to charge both batteries, or one or the other battery. An ACR will allow both batteries to charge. You may or may not have to use a plywood board for mounting, but if you do, coat it with epoxy and also epoxy seal the edges, then paint it white. When making swages use a good crumplier, and heat shrink tubing. to cover the crimped fittings. This is a good time to acquire good tools, and if you don't already have the skills todevelope them..
 
Thanks for the feedback. I suspected the current setup was subpar. The lack of terminal fuse blocks and general state of the wiring seems less than ideal. I may not have much powerboat experience but I have fully restored and rewired a fiberglass RV using mostly Blue Sea components.

Replacing all the fuel lines is priority #1 for this boat. The lines have some visible cracking. I did see another thread on here that involved moving the spin on filter outside into the spashwell. It sounds like I should move both the filter and priming bulbs into the splashwell.

My initial electrical plan was to move the batteries and electrical gear inside the cabin. Likely under the driver seat. Based upon some of the above photos I may see if everything will fit inside the lazarette. I will also be adding a Lone Star drum anchor winch as part of the rewire.

Answers to a few of the other questions.
Tank selector switch: Yes I have one. On the wall of the splashwell.

The kicker: (3.5 HP Mercury four stroke) has an integrated tank. It must be filled manually. I suspect the 2nd priming bulb and fuel line is for a larger kicker that a prior owner was using.

Charger power supply: The cord is in the lazarette. The cord is long enough reach into the cockpit for connection. Of course the 120v is ultimately heading into the lazarette, which is a significant concern.
 
I would not move the batteries into the cabin, unless you are changing the battery type from the FLA. You don't want that off gassing culprit inside with you.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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hardee":3flciywn said:
I would not move the batteries into the cabin, unless you are changing the battery type from the FLA. You don't want that off gassing culprit inside with you.
Click to expand...
To prevent excessive voltage drop, you will also need to compensate for the additional distance between battery and motor by using larger cable. This might make it impractical.
 
AGM or Li Fe PO4 batteries could be used in the cabin. Flooded Lead Acid no. (Many LiFePO4 batteries are not rated for engine start.).

You will need significantly larger cables for the engine start--with a round trip run of at least 30 feet. Keep the batteries where they are--it is a good place, and they are in battery boxes.

From your response, it appears that the boat is not wired for 110 V, and the battery charger is plugged into an extension cord. There are several issues doing this--and it would be much better to properly wire the boat with 110 V.

Be sure and let us all see the progress! Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks again to all for the feedback. Agreed on flooded cells in the cabin. For now I am going to leave the batteries where they are under the spashwell. When these batteries need replaced I will look into AGM or Lithium options and perhaps move from the transom.

My primary goal is to replace the fuel lines. After a bit more poking around today I confirmed that some of the lines are pretty bad. If you have any interest in seeing a fairly worn out fuel line (with loose hose clamps) take a look at the google photo link in my 1st post. Additional photos have been added.

Current plan is to
1) Replace all fuel lines. Including main lines, fill, vent, and priming bulbs.

2) Move the spin on fuel/water filter to the splash well.

3) Leave the electrical system alone for now. Safety improvements such as general clean up and addition of terminal fuses will be done.

4) Generally clean up the area under the spashwell.


Shopping list

  • Fuel hose 5/16 inch ID, Trident 365 Barrier Lined A1-10 Fuel Hose

    Vent hose ⅝ inch ID, Trident 365 Barrier Lined A1-10 Fuel Hose

    Fill hose: 1 ½ inch ID, Trident 329 Premium Corrugated Marine Fuel Fill Hose

    Various hose clamps

    A few brass barb fittings, just in case any of the current ones are damaged.

    A few 90 degree fittings, just in case.

    Permatex 80019 Aviation Form-A-Gasket No. 3 Sealant

    RACOR–120R-RAC-01. Full replacement of the existing spin on. The plan is to keep the current parts (not the filter) as spares.

    Spare filter: Racor S3240
 
The fuel lines on my boat have now been replaced. The fuel filter has been relocated to the transom. I also took some time to relocate and upgrade some of the electrical gear.

The old charger and most of the 1980's looking Stranger Things set piece electrical equipment was replaced. Loads of room in the lazarette now. The old charger was ditched for a NOCO Genius GEN5X2 (not yet installed).
PXL_20220601_165905089.jpg


The battery selector and main fuse were re-used. New Blue Sea dual bus to replace the fun of having ring terminals stacked 5 deep on random bolts. Overall this still needs a bit of clean up, but it is better.
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New home for the fuel filter. Much easier to access.
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Since I had to remove the cockpit storage shelve to access the fuel fill lines, I took a bit of time to do a rudimentary repair to one shelf.

Before
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After
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I still have a bit to tidy up and secure, but overall it all works great. We have had the boat out twice since finishing the maintenance.
 
Looks good. You may want to keep those bus bars coated with "corrosion Block" or similar material.

The hatch cover you have is prone to leaking. There is a replacement that many have put in which does not leak, and at the same time the potential issue with any rot about the screws is fixed.

Below is a photo of the new type of hatch in place (not yet screwed down)--in my album there are some photos of the steps to repair the damage under the current hatch, and put in the new one:

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I have a 2005 and I am the 4th owner of the boat. My fuel lines are all outside of the lazaret, so no worries there. I would move yours out. My wiring was changed from the factory original in that the starter and the house batteries are interchangeable. I have been using this system since 2017 with no problems. I replaced the batteries last year, once again with AGM batteries. These have a high cold cracking amp rating marine batteries, so that they are both good for starting or house purposes. One in port and the other starboard lazarette. I like this as it is better for trim. On a daily cruise I will alternate between both batteries while the engine is running so that both are fully charged everyday. I also have 80 watts of solar power. Once I anchor I only use one battery for the house, keeping the other 100% charged for starting the next day. If my house battery gets low, I will run the engine for a while to bring it up to full charge again, providing the solar panels did not do this for me.
 
colbysmith":v1qjqrou said:
Great job on the side boxes. I still have one I need to fix. May I ask how you repaired yours? Colby
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The repair was made with West System epoxy. The epoxy was slightly thickened and then reinforced with bits of chopped strand matting cut up with scissors. The result is a gooey mix of epoxy with fiberglass in the mix. Basically a redneck chopper gun mix. I have used this before and it works fine for small repairs.

I roughed up the box repair area with 80 grit to give the epoxy something to bite into. Clean with solvent. Either rubbing alchol or acetone. I don't remember. If using acetone ensure it does not totally melt the plastic.

If you are worried about epoxy sticking to plastic, don't. It sticks fine if you prep correctly (or even half arsed). https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php/bonding-pvc-plastic-with-epoxy/

Green painters tape was used to make something of a form for the epoxy repair. This is quick and epoxy does not stick well to the tape. The tape bends well and conforms to the curves of the box so you end up with a form that is pretty close.

Spread the epoxy into the "form" and let it cure. Sand of excess to somewhat match the original shape. Spray paint with Krylon Fusion or something else that sticks to plastic. I also used a plastic adhesion promoter.

The repair looks 90% better. I could have added an additional layer of fairing mix but the effort was not worth it to me. I could have used West System G Flex but I already had regular epoxy and the expense was not worth it to me. I could have used an off white paint that matches the box, but I used bright white that was on hand. Basically I used what I had and its fine.

I also added a small amount of SikaFlex to each screw hole for a bit of reinforcement. Pretty much all of them have some amount of cracking and the holes are somewhat wallowed out.
 
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