SO WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OR ON YOUR C-DORY TODAY??

Hi all,

Ah, refinishing the handrails!! I used to do this every year, sand off the old and reoil.

Well, that gets old! In 1999 I sanded to clear wood and applied CETOL Marine. This stuff is great!! I applied four coats(off the boat, it stains fiberglass) and it lasted till this year with no recoats.

I just finished removing, sanding, and reapplying the CETOL(four coats)to the handrails and handgrips.

My boat is parked in the So Cal sun all year, so I am very happy with the life of CETOL.

No, it doesn't look like fine varnish, but it looks better than a faded, flakey, teak oil finish.

I recommend that you try the product first off the boat, on some scrap wood, to see if you like the finish.

And, yes it WILL stain fiberglass!!!
 
Larry,

Agree. I've used Cetol for years and love it -- many boats, teak transoms etc. In this climate, if properly applied, it will last for a long time. It doesn't have the beauty of the Urathanes, but conversly not so slippery for wet hands...

Dusty
 
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the comments about the teak. It should really enhance the look of the boat when they get re-installed.

As far as what I used...
I started to clean 'em with some West Marine teak cleaner, but soon (very soon) realized that the rails were too far gone for a simple cleaning. So I used a palm sander and 100 grit to blast past the crud. After the big chunks were gone, I switched to 150, ad then to 240 by hand. Then I rinsed 'em in warm water and let 'em dry. When they were dry, I soaked 'em in West Marine Premium Gold Teak Oil. After about 10 minutes soaking in the oil, I blotted the excess oil off and let 'em sit for a day. Then, another soaking like the last.

So what you see is 2 coats of teak oil on top of bare wood. They look good now, but does anybody know how to keep 'em looking like this? Just a simple clean and re-oil once or twice a year? There's not that much teak on Navicula, so it shouldn't take long for regular upkeep...

And Terry, I can't wait to see the pics. :D
 
AK angler,

In Alaska, you will probably only need to reoil once or twice a year.

Down here(So Cal), the sun eats teak oil in a month or two.

To reapply the teak oil, you can use a rag to wipe on a coat. Its easy to do.
 
Larry,
That's what I was hoping for. :thup I think I can handle wiping the rails down with an oil soaked rag a couple of times a year. Sure would beat sanding and starting over.

I guess it's true; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
 
We put our boat in moorage at Twin Bridges in Anacortes, Wa Saturday morning. We cruised on Saturday into Lopez Sound and finally had an opportunity to get on the dock at the ferry landing on Shaw Island. We went into the little grocery store run by the Franciscan Nuns and ate lunch on the dock. We stayed at Blakley Island Marina that night and then cruised back to Twin Bridges Sunday morning. What a wonderful trip, I wonder how Jon and Cynthia did at Victoria?? From the reports from Cathlamet sounds like the weather was great all over the NW.
 
What a glorious Easter Weekend!

Jon and I decided to take full advantage of the very flat water on the Strait so Saturday we decided to brave a trip to Victoria B.C.

There wasn't a stitch of wind or ripple on the water & the trip was fabulous! It took us a little over an hour and a half on the way over & a little less on the way back. We logged 40 miles & total engine time of 3 hrs 3 minutes. Totally unheard of time for the crossings! This is faster than the ferry!

This was definately the trip. We checked in with Canadian Customs (no hassles), and tied up right on the dock in front of the Empress Hotel. (No cost for the day). The great weather brought out tons of tourists and great shopping. We had a ringside spot next to the street performers from our boat. And, I couldn't help myself; Dana & Robbin, there were cute shoes to be bought ! ! ! :smiled Cynthia
 
Last weekend while at the Cathlamet cruise we really had a chance to put the Denebola :star into action. This was the first time we had been able to use the 5hsp Honda kicker and it performed well. Even with the wind and tide movement, idle speed was all we needed to push us along. The port mounting made the weight distribution just right and being able to troll with the rod in my right hand was perfect. Sitting on the splash well wall was nice with the main trimmed up to make a nice back rest. Need to come up with a splash well cushion for my old keester.

When heading out Sunday morning for the fishin' hole we needed to make about a two mile run. The water conditions were exciting! There was an incoming 9ft. tide which was really moving and the wind was blowing directly against the tide creating that 2-3 ft. chop. There were also other boats wakes to contend with that create those 4Ft. pyramids. I relied on the driving tips from this site to set my trim at the best angle for these conditions and at no time did I feel that I needed to grip the wheel any harder. She just gobbled up everything and took us where we wanted to go. Also, we were able to stay on a plane at these slower speeds which was a great feeling. We watched as other boats (deep vees) had to slow and could not maintain a plane which forced them to be more at the mercy of the water conditions. The Columbia does not show much mercy and we were glad to be in a C-Dory :mrgreen:. The dual wipers were a great assistance as well due to the water being blown over the bow while heading across these conditions.

Jon
 
WD Jon, one thing I've noticed is often time when a person gets a new toy, the toy joy starts wearing off after a while, however, with these durn boats it seems the more you use them the more you appreciate them. Don't you just wish you where in an open sled the other day :)
 
Really liked how the Teak rails turned out

Jon And Cynthia , way to go on Crossing the Strait!! Sounds like it was a great trip.

Fred , Great to hear you got into Twin Bridges, way to go.

Jon and Terri it was real nice to mee you in Cathlamet..hope to see ya up north here.

As for what did I do today? Hmm ,well finished up painting the Transom Board. Installed Laurie'ss "Oh Jesus" Hand rail. Installed Keel Guard...ordered Swivel mount for downrigger, and renewed fishing licenses.
Now back to Truckin to pay for it all.
 
Jim and Laurie,
Nice to meet yo folks too. Not sure that we will be up that way this year. I started a new job 7 mos. ago and Cathlamet was basically my only vacation. I'm looking for another gig right now so leave-time may be a ways out. :D.

B~C,
No way on the sled :shock:. We saw a couple of those wet faced white knuckled crews on the way out that morning. They were probably soaked and cold until that tidal wind stopped blowing. Those sleds are a great ride in the tiny choppy ripply water and can get you there real quick, but not in the big stuff. As the saying goes: Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. A C-Dory covers both scenarios :mrgreen:.

Jon
 
Ran both Honda 45's in the test tank today, out of hibernation for the spring!! Ran great. The cooling water telltale seems to get plugged up a lot, :evil: keep a small piece of wire handy. The test tank is neat, I like it a lot better than the hose connection, seems better somehow. Plan to launch tomorrow!! :lol: :lol:

Still can't get the hang of posting the pix here tried the "Img" box but couldn't get it right, but it's in the "outboard's and Systems" album in the tech library, here:

Link to picture

Charlie
 
My brother came down from Everett yesterday and we enjoyed a 45 mile beak-in cruise around the south sound. What a beautiful day to be on the water. :hot Today, he helped me install the depth sounder-fish finder, VHF radio and antenna, GPS, anchor chock and the mounting for a Force 10 single burner cook stove. Everything is wired and working!!!! Brothers are very cool. :D Robbi
 
Spent the afternoon breaking in a new generator while I rewired the battery isolator switch and master circuit breaker. The previous installation left a lot to be desired.

Installed paired rod holders for my poor man's downrigger setup, a halibut rod with large weight for depth, 4 lb test leader to fasten the salmon rod to the weight.

Hopefully will be trying for a chinook in Kachemak Bay weekend after next.
 
Today was mostly spent stuffed behind the bulkhead in the bow of Navicula. Man, there's just not quite enough room to cram my 6 foot, 240 pound, not nearly limber enough body up there for any length of time. :| But I got done what needed to get done. Sure took a lot longer than it should have though...

I untangled the rats nest that was supposed to pass for wiring. :evil: Then, since there was no room to add anything, I installed a new fuse-block. (That way, I'll have plenty of room to install windlass and heater circuits. 8) )

I thought it would be a good idea to have a horn. So I added one, installed a push-button on the dash, and switched it through a relay. It works great, once I hooked up the relay the right way... :oops:

Then, since the port transom light wasn't working, I re-wired the transom lights while I had the electrical tools out. Yea! All my lights now work like they're supposed to. And, as a bonus, I can actually hear my VHF radio when the light switch is on. :thup If only I could figure out how to eliminate the radio noise when the wiper is on, I'd be really happy!

Now, it's :cocktail time...
 
I pulled the boat out of the "Costo Garage", washed and waxed all but the cockpit and transom.(Next week). Greased all the fittings on the BIG HONDA. Drained the old gas,(destined for the lawn mower).
 
Halcyon, at Lake Powell, impatiently awaits our return in mid-week to get back on the water. Santa Fe is a great town, and we've enjoyed our stay here, but Powell beckons. Meanwhile, we're plotting waypoints in British Columbia for this summer's cruising.
 
AK Angler

The noise on your radio(s) from the windshield wipers is caused by the brushes imperfect electrical contact with the armature of the motor. The usual solution on motors and DC generators is to place a condenser across the terminals that will at least partially absorb the signal generated. Does anyone out there already have such a capacitor installed, and , if so, what are the specs written on it? If not, I'll experiment with some capacitors on my boat the next time I'm up to the marina. Joe.
 
SW Joe-
Thanks for the tip. :thup Your idea of using a buffer across the brushes jogged my memory. :idea We used to do the same thing years ago when we were racing radio controlled cars. It cut down on radio interference. Some of those old cars could get pretty twitchy without the bridge.

Anyway, I went out this morning and pulled the cover off of the wiper motor to find that it already had one installed. Well, I flipped the switch to check out the motor operation and WOW! There was pretty severe arcing at the brushes! So I squirted 'em with a little CRC Lectra-Motive electrical cleaner. What a difference. The arcing was reduced to almost nothing, and the radio noise went away. Then just a little squirt of WD-40 on the moving parts to clean and "lube" 'em (I know- WD is not a lubricant, it's a Water Displacer. But it does penetrate and clean pretty good...). It was like I had a new wiper motor. Smooth, quiet, and no more sounding like it's bogging when I wipe a dry windshield.

I sure do appreciate having a forum like this, with so many people willing and able to give input. I'm sure my wife will thank you too when I tell her that I "saved" $100 on a new wiper motor... :lol:
 
What a great weekend in VA. Was 90 degrees here today!! Launched Capt's Choice on Sat about noon and went for a check ride. Always a good time to figure out what I didn't do (remembered the drain plug this time!! :lol: )

On Sunday, went across the lower Potomac to St Marys River (about 15 NM across the River at that point) and had lunch at Horseshoe Bend off St Marys College and Church, what a beautiful spot! Will try to take the Pot River Cruise there in June!

Found out that with the engines (Honda 45's) running better than ever, my new props are probably under-pitched. Could have gotten over 6000 RPM at WOT and didn't try to get that far. Need to figure out what I've got on there and increase the pitch. Have got to find the receipt for what I bought last year!

Any of you folks got twin 40's or 50's and can tell me the pitch you use??

Charlie
 
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