What to look for in a used CD?

W

Witbeck

New member
Hello all, I'm a new member, David Witbeck from Providence, RI. A few weeks ago my wife, Barbara, said those magic words: "I think we need a bigger boat".
I first saw a CD at a Providence boat show several years ago. It was about the only boat there worth looking at in spite of its West-Coast kind of look, but at the time, we had yet to cross over to the dark side...we were a died-in-the-wool sailors.
This past July, when we were poking around the islands of the Mussel Ridge Channel while vacationing at Owls Head Maine, we spotted a CD about to round lighthouse and head in toward Rockland harbor. West-Coast styling considered, it looked pretty good in Maine waters. We tried to come alongside with our little wooden 16' West Point Skiff, but failed to engage them in conversation...didn't notice the boat's name. That sighting and subsequent research and discovery of this site has convinced me that the CD22 is the right boat for us ( now we're really on the dark side...power boat AND plastic!)
I'll be looking at used (1995) one next week. It seems to be a simple enough boat that I can be my own surveyor. Are there any potentially serious flaws I should look for? What kind of non-serious flaws can I safely overlook... where am I likely to find the usual gel-coat stress fractures etc. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Hope to be an owner/member soon.
 
Hi David and Barbara! My wife is from RI (Barrington originally) and we have a home in DownEast Me, as well as a couple of places here in VA. I bought a used 1994 CD 22 about two years ago and it was the best thing I've done in a long time. We too, were rag haulers but have lived up creek from a RR bridge with 20 Ft clearance for about 15 years and I needed a bigger boat than would fit under the bridge.

As for what to look for, there's lots of stuff on the site where you can find things. Try the search function for things like "used", "gel coat", stuff like that. One of the biggest, is a breaching of the fiberglass and subsequent contamination of the balsa core with water. That can be bad. Obvious places to look are inside the cockpit at the floor level, the transom, inside and out, the underside of the hull and anywhere there is a hull penetration for an overboard or a fastener. Somewhere here are some pictures of a boat that was horribly damaged in a storm and you can see some of the hull damage. The cabin was completely sheared off. Someone is restoring it but haven't seen anything on it in awhile. It was sold on E-Bay, thank goodness I didn't bid enough to win it, my wife would have disowned me (again).

The other major thing is the engines, or engine, hours on it and condition. If you're not a mechanic, I'd take it in and pay for an inspection, oil sampling (look for water/particles), engine compression, etc. Worth the $$. Peace of mind whether you buy the boat or not. The owner should be willing to let you do that, if not, walk away.

Just a couple of thoughts, I'm sure others will join in with things you need to look at too. Good luck on finding a boat, it's not easy but not impossible either.

Welcome to the site, it's a great resource! Mike and Bill (Tyboo and the Head Nerd) are great shepards.

Charlie
 
Charlie, Thanks for the advice. The one thing I do find curious about this boat is the use of balsa core instead of a closed cell foam core below the waterline. I used to own a Stone Horse sloop which was cored with foam below the waterline. I will certainly give that area of the boat a close look.
 
David,

When I purchased my 1983 CD at the factory the original designer of the C-Dory, Roy Toland, was there and told me that it was an east coast design that he modified to suit his requirements.

The older models such as mine has a plywood encapsulated floor. It has a weak point in the design inside just in front of the motor well box where it meets the floor.. The fiberglass seems to crack there allowing moisture down into the wood. I watch mine carefully and have it sealed up.


Hope this helps and enjoy your dory which ever one you buy.
 
Thanks for the tip Jack.
You're right about the design now that I think of it. Without the superstructure a CD is essentially just a big Amesbury skiff.
 
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