Upgrades to an older C-dory

L

Lee

New member
Hi all!
I've been a regular visitor to this site for the past year, ever since I learned that we were moving to Alaska. For a guy with no previous boating experience you folks have been a great help! A friend of mine recommended C-dorys and after about 6 months of looking we found one, by word of mouth, before it was advertised for sale, and bought it. It's a very well maintained 1992 22' with low hours! :D

Alaska waters are pretty intimidating but so far we have had fun and managed to not kill ourselves. This winter I want to do some upgrading, mostly for safety and piece of mind. The boat has the original motors and electronics. Here are my priorities at this point.

Repower - from the old Suzuki 85 to the 90 E-tec or the 90 Suzuki.
Hydraulic Steering - The steering is rough and I figure that cable must be ready for replacement. Hydraulic sounds like the way to go.
Heater - Really needed up here. The Force 10 looks good to me.
Electronics - This will probably have to wait another year. The old GPS, radio and depth sounder still work OK.
Gas Tanks - It has the old 18 gallon gray tanks. I would like to get bigger tanks.
Radar - Would be nice but will have to wait.

I would appreciate any thoughts about options or priorities. Thanks again for all the great information. This site really helped me make the decision to go with C-Dory and I'm glad I did!
 
Lee,

I would repower and install hydraulic steering at the same time.

If the fuel tanks have to come out to install the new motor, then install new tanks unless the budget won't allow.

The Force 10 is simple and works, no electricity needed.
I've used mine a lot.
 
Reliable power and heat are top priorities here. Smooth steering would sure be nice :thup . Fuel capacity can be a major limiting factor for traveling around S. E. Ak. and a safety factor as well. Might as well be able to reach some of the neat areas like Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay etc. :photo .. What with no fuel docks around these parts it would be nice to have added capacity to do some real traveling :smile . Maybe we'll see you on the water.
 
Lee,
Congradulations on joining the C-Dory gang. You chose a great boat. I bought mine new in 1983 and still use I hard fishing.

I suggest that you do the motor replacement and the hydraulic steering at the same time as the motor has to come off anyway to get the tiller rod through the motor tilt tube. I just did that last year. Hydraulic steering is a 1000% improvement over cable.
My motor choice is Honda but the others are fine also.
I use two 12 gal polyethelyene fuel tanks but I do not run as far as you guys do in SE waters. A 50 mile round trip in the Cook Inlet is a big run for me and one tank just makes that. You may need more capacity.
I use a portable Mr.Heater catalytic and it works fine for me.

Good luck with your boat.
 
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