Wish me luck!

C

C-Gypsy

New member
After looking at C-Dory's on the Internet for years and seeing a couple in person I finally signed the papers today. 2006 C-Dory 22 Cruiser with 90 Honda and 8 Honda kicker.

I have a question though... Can the aft steering station be added by the dealer? I really wish it had that.

Thanks! :thup
 
Al-

Congratulations, you'll love the C-Dory! Welcome to the site!

As to your question about the dual helm-

Depends on the dealer, to some extent, anyway. Most could do it, but I'd like to see mine done by someone who's done it before! The difficulty also depends on whether you have a dual motor installation, or a main and a kicker, or ?

Where did you buy the boat?

Joe.
 
Joe - Thank you for the reply & the kind words.

I bought the boat from Mobile East Marine in Alliance, NC. They are wonderful people & I feel comfortable purchasing the boat from them.

I did not buy any electronics for the boat yet, I want to use it a little while before deciding what to buy & where to mount them.

The boat has a 90 Honda & an 8 Honda kicker. Wallas stove/heater, shore power, fridge, dual batteries, dual bilge pumps, raised roof, etc.

One thing I REALLY want though is the aft steering station.

Regrettably I also own a Potter 15 sailboat (that I have a buyer for), a Boston Whaler 13 (that is now for sale) and a Nor'Sea 27 sailboat (that I will NOT part with!).

Wish I had just the least bit more common sense and 1 or 2 less boats... :crook
 
AL congratulations on your new C-DORY good choice, give me your email and I will give you all the info. My dealer wanted 5000 to 6000 CA. to install electronic dual control . I installed push pull cable system myself, my son could have done it. The system is flawless ,I just love it . Like I told Sharon would not buy a cabin cruiser without cockpit control! All the dealer has to do is synchronize the cables to the throttles and engine, and if you are fussy you could fix it when it gets back home from the dealer! This system will be great on your single engine and lot cheaper than my dually, it is all brass and stainless it will last for ever comes whit a full 5 years warranty.


Gary SEARAM
 
Al- The simple solution to the dual helm steering is to use two hydraulic steering stations (helms), and then to just link the two motors together with a connector arm. No real problem here!

Where it gets tricky is dual throttle/ F-N-R controls on one or both motors.

If you do some research here on "dual helms" with the search engine, you can find discussions on how it can be done. Gary (Sea Ram), and Digger/Ron (Snoopy C) have such set ups as do several others that I can't name off the top of my head right now. Read all about their set-ups and the discussions about them.

Then go talk to your dealer about what he and/or you can devise for a system. Next, come back on here with a new thread on " Al's Dual Helm Proposed Station" and describe exactly what you have in mind and let the experts who have these systems, and have been through all the mental gymnastics of figuring out how to do it, help you evaluate the proposed system.

Do you need full control of both motors from both stations or could you get by with steering both motors (linked) from either station and have the throttle/FNR for the big motor forward and the throttle/FNR for the kicker at the rear station only? If the latter, the design of the system is much easier, of course.

Lots to figure out!!! Joe.
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies & kind words. I am apprehensive about purchasing a boat I have never even ridden on...

Joe - The kicker motor will not be tied in to either helm. I am only buying it so I can take my dad fishing on his favorite lake, that just happens to have a 20 hp limit.

ANY advice anyone can give me on any topic would be greatly appreciated.

As for a dinghy, I am thinking of buying a Fatty Knees 8' model with sailing rig. That way I could use it on my Nor'Sea and the C-Dory.

Anyone have suggestions or thoughts on that subject? I am always open to ideas...

Fair Winds,

Al
 
Al- Your going to love it. Good motor combo. :wink:

Now you need to buy a bunch of stuff to go on the boat. Fire ext., flare gun/signal kit, radio,gps,fishfinder,fenders, lines, compass, horn, tool kit with proper wrench for emergency prop. repair, hook or pike pole. Ect..........................

enjoy

Chris
 
Al, "Snoopy-C" has only the kicker rigged for the throttle/shift controls -- for fishing. The steering is hydraulic SeaStar in control of the main motor, and a link between the main and kicker takes care of the steering for cockpit controls. I don't think that the main is totally necessary for the rear helm throttle/shifting because from the cockpit, visability is limited. While underway at cruising speed, I believe it is prudent to navigate from the main helm station. The only way I can see from the cockpit is if I stand on a platform about 10-12 inches high. Using the kicker motor from the cockpit gives absolutely great steerage, and control for docking or whatever -- better than with the main!!! I also would be for using mechanical controls with dual cables tying them together similar to many of the older installations with Morse controls. You'd need a separate key switch with choke control however for that situation. The hydraulic steering is unbeatable. My kicker is also an 8 HP Honda that was originally tiller controlled, but I modified it to accept remote controls with the help of Les Lampman's parts listing for the modification. That mod cost about $100 to convert the Honda 8 HP tiller to remote control. I had to buy the cables and control box separately (on ebay). If you check my photos you'll see the installationl. I also mounted a gps and fishfinder at the rear station for fishing. Ron, aka "digger"
 
Al, "Snoopy-C" has only the kicker rigged for the throttle/shift controls -- for fishing. The steering is hydraulic SeaStar in control of the main motor, and a link between the main and kicker takes care of the steering for cockpit controls. I don't think that the main is totally necessary for the rear helm throttle/shifting because from the cockpit, visability is limited. While underway at cruising speed, I believe it is prudent to navigate from the main helm station. The only way I can see from the cockpit is if I stand on a platform about 10-12 inches high. Using the kicker motor from the cockpit gives absolutely great steerage, and control for docking or whatever -- better than with the main!!! I also would be for using mechanical controls with dual cables tying them together similar to many of the older installations with Morse controls. You'd need a separate key switch with choke control however for that situation. The hydraulic steering is unbeatable. My kicker is also an 8 HP Honda that was originally tiller controlled, but I modified it to accept remote controls with the help of Les Lampman's parts listing for the modification. That mod cost about $100 to convert the Honda 8 HP tiller to remote control. I had to buy the cables and control box separately (on ebay). If you check my photos you'll see the installationl. I also mounted a gps and fishfinder at the rear station for fishing. Ron, aka "digger" IMG_0855.thumb.jpg
 
I do not cruise my C-Dory from the back cockpit , but steer and use the control in the rear when fishing , prawning , site seeing , and don't have problem with good visibility all around at low speed. I also find that standing in the cockpit at low speed gives me more control seeing everything all around me. I agree that speeding while in the rear control would be irresponsible. I have not yet dock my boat sitting at the helm, no need for it as it is lot easier and safer when doing it with rear steering and control.

GARY SEARAM
 
Congrats Al,

I'll answer this as a dealer who does lots of custom work. First things first...nothing's ever easy. :D (Even though it should be!)

The boat comes standard with Teleflex BayStar hydraulic steering which has no support from Teleflex for dual station installation (in fact their satement is "not for use with twins or dual stations"). That means there are no tech specs or parts kits available to accomplish the installation so your dealer (if they do it) has to choose each individual part from Teleflex to make up a system; that really means that the dealer already has to be intimately familiar with the systems and what parts are available or has to be willing to learn it. Most won't go there because of the cost of doing so or because of liability concerns.

The easy way out is to use the Teleflex SeaStar system that is desgined for multiple stations. It costs more than the BayStar system if you look at the price of the components but maybe not by the time everything is said and done since it's designed to work as you intend and the kits to allow dual station installation (and the instructions) are readily available.

The engine control part is relatively easy...the shift and throttle cables from the forward controller go to the aft controller and then a second pair of control cables goes from the aft station to the engine. You can't use the Honda top-mount controllers (as they are supplied) in this installation since their detent springs are much too stiff and it takes way too much pressure on the opposite controller to overcome the tension.

Finally you have to decide how and where to mount the aft station wheel and controller. This is easy if you're doing it on your own boat; you just pick a location and do it. Getting a dealer to do it is another matter; they may or may not have someone on staff that understands how things should relate to each other or have the vision to create a suitable station. You're asking someone to create a unique design and implement it and that's not something that a lot of dealerships are good at. They're fine if something comes in a box with instructions but they may not be comfortable with creating such a thing from scratch.
 
Thanks to everyone for your replies. Snoopy-C's suggestion holds merit and I am going to go that route, only controlling the kicker from the cockpit.

Will my dealer be able to purchase the aft steering station itself (the fiberglass mount) directly from C-Dory?

Next will be trying to find the proper radar unit and chartplotter...

Al
 
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