Cape Dory 25 info?

[Razman23]

I am looking for any information on the Cape Dory 25, not the 25D. I was wondering if this would be a good coastal cruiser with potential on doing a semi-offshore crossing.

[DeepFrz]

CDSOA, Inc. -- About Cape Dorys

[s/v 'Faith']

The CD-25 is an great small boat. There are two different CD-25's (The 'S' and the 'D' which were designed by different people but both excellent boats. A couple of the members on the SailFar site have CD's and are very happy with them.

I had my Pearson Ariel tied up next to a CD-25 's' and they were very much the same boat from the deck down (the CD has a smaller cabin top)... so I may be a little biased.

[Pura Vida]

Razman,

If you could only talk to Ed Campbell. Ed is a great guy, helpful friend and knows what there is to know about the Gulf Coast. And he has sailed it all on a Cape Dory 25 (not the D). He has taken his boat across the Gulf to the Bahamas. And if I remember right he even talked the officials for the Veracruz race to let him sail that on his 25. He has a bone chillling story about hitting an underwater cable strung between two offshore oil rigs that really says a lot about the quality of the little Cape Dory.

He spends a lot of time in Port Lavaca these days. Only showing up in Galveston Bay if there is a major storm in the Gulf. You may want to find a copy Campbell's Guide To Cruising Texas.
Campbell's Guide to Cruising Texas

Anyway the only thing you may want to consider is that the 25 does not have standing headroom and the motor well is too small for a four stroke outboard. (At least some Hondas).

pv

[Razman23]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Razman,

If you could only talk to Ed Campbell. Ed is a great guy, helpful friend and knows what there is to know about the Gulf Coast. And he has sailed it all on a Cape Dory 25 (not the D). He has taken his boat across the Gulf to the Bahamas. And if I remember right he even talked the officials for the Veracruz race to let him sail that on his 25. He has a bone chillling story about hitting an underwater cable strung between two offshore oil rigs that really says a lot about the quality of the little Cape Dory.

He spends a lot of time in Port Lavaca these days. Only showing up in Galveston Bay if there is a major storm in the Gulf. You may want to find a copy Campbell's Guide To Cruising Texas.
Campbell's Guide to Cruising Texas

Anyway the only thing you may want to consider is that the 25 does not have standing headroom and the motor well is too small for a four stroke outboard. (At least some Hondas).

pv

I have that book! It was the reason why I wanted to see about a CD25.

I cant remember off hand what size the interior is. I have been on a 25 but never entered the cabin.

[rtbates]

Here's the CD board link.http://www.capedory.org/board/

Very helpful group. I own Seraph, a 25D in Austin. By the way, I believe that Cambell also owned a 25D.

[Razman23]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Razman,

Anyway the only thing you may want to consider is that the 25 does not have standing headroom and the motor well is too small for a four stroke outboard. (At least some Hondas).


pv

Hmmmmmm, wonder if I should look at the 25D instead?

[s/v 'Faith']

My Ariel has the same set up.

The 'outboard in a well' is a pretty good set up. You don't have the cavitation problems like with an outboard hung off the transom. The bigger 4-strokes like the Yamaha 9.9 do not fit without modification, but the 'classic' Honda 4 strokes and the Nissan / Tomahsu's fit just fine.

I have a Yahaha 6hp 2 stroke and it moves the boat nicely.

[FrankZ]

As the CD25D and the Ariel are both Alberg designs one would see similarities, Alberg being Alberg and all.

They are pretty boats and fun to sail.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by Razman23

Hmmmmmm, wonder if I should look at the 25D instead?

i looked at a CD 25D years ago and liked the idea of the head being all the forward.

[Pura Vida]

Raz, Which edition do you have? The older version (early '90s) has the story about the cable in it. If you have the older one check out the photo of "two old sea dogs", Ed and Puddin.

Randy, I can vouch for Ed's boat not being a D, although the D is a fine boat. We're all a bunch of old "Pier 2" guysat one of the big marinas in Clear Lake. Fifteen years ago I purchased a Catalina 25 not knowing squat about a sailboat I didn't have to take off the trailer. I ended up on Pier 2 with Ed and several other interesting fellows. They were a bunch of good mentors. I was really lucky to have met them then. BTW Did you keep Seraph on the bay at any time? The name is familiar.

For a short time there was another 25 on the dock that was singlehanded by a lady schoolteacher. That is where we learned that you can't stuff some Hondas into a 25 well. We tried a lot of ideas to get that motor to fit. She even paid a professional to come out and tell her it was too big. She ended up adding an outboard bracket to the stern of the boat. Sad huh?

pv

[Razman23]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Raz, Which edition do you have? The older version (early '90s) has the story about the cable in it. If you have the older one check out the photo of "two old sea dogs", Ed and Puddin.

Randy, I can vouch for Ed's boat not being a D, although the D is a fine boat. We're all a bunch of old "Pier 2" guysat one of the big marinas in Clear Lake. Fifteen years ago I purchased a Catalina 25 not knowing squat about a sailboat I didn't have to take off the trailer. I ended up on Pier 2 with Ed and several other interesting fellows. They were a bunch of good mentors. I was really lucky to have met them then. BTW Did you keep Seraph on the bay at any time? The name is familiar.

For a short time there was another 25 on the dock that was singlehanded by a lady schoolteacher. That is where we learned that you can't stuff some Hondas into a 25 well. We tried a lot of ideas to get that motor to fit. She even paid a professional to come out and tell her it was too big. She ended up adding an outboard bracket to the stern of the boat. Sad huh?

pv

That is the book I have. The story was he was sailing to Florida or coming back when he sailed between two oil rigs. That screeching noise would have scared the **** out of me too!

Pier 2? Where is that one at? I was at Seabrook Shipyards for several years. Right next to Two Amigos.

I put a 'WTB' ad on Houston Craiglist to see if I get any bites.

[Amgine]

And I think the boat is wonderful!

Okay, the galley was given short shrift, but the one doesn't expect a full galley on a weekender, which is probably what the CD 25D was designed to be. The ice box is large, the two-burner alcohol stove works, and the position of the sink is designed to convince you to eat ashore at nice restaurants.

The hull is fairly bullet-proof, being a heavy lay-up. The deck has coring - but the CD idea of a core is solid marine plywood, which gives strength, some insulative benefit, but no reduction in deck mass. The rig is somewhat conservative, but the low-aspect ratio has other benefits. It might be improved with a short bowsprit and an inner break-away stay, if you're one to poke and tweak at the rig (which I am...)

I've been sailing the boat in the Pacific Northwest, and summer of 2005 I solo circumnavigated Vancouver Island as my "shake-down" cruise. (The locals consider this to be a trial by fire, suitable to test the ship and crew's readiness for off-shore work.) The inside portion of the trip was extremely challenging, and the inboard diesel made the annoying motoring portions bearable. Tankags is 12 gallons, and consumption for me has been about a pint an hour. I did run out of fuel last summer at the end of a 3-week trip; I can tell you the boat can be towed reasonably easily with a walkerbay 8 rowing dink but I'm looking at maybe adding oars to the cockpit.

There are few boats in this size range with 6' headroom. There are few boats up to 40' which have as luxurious a head.

In my sailing area, a heater of some form is necessary but you'll need to be creative to find a good position for it. The footwell port settee is actually reasonable to sleep in, to my surprise, but my favourite berth is the stbd quarterberth, a torpedo-style quarter. The slide-out double to stbd is where I sleep with my partner when family cruising (and we go for a couple three weeks plus the odd weekend every year with one teenager and the two of us), but I hate setting up and taking down the berth every day. Both settee berths have hinged seat backs which swing up to give plenty of width.

The boat I have has the two-battery arrangement, which gives her a list to port of several degrees, since the heavy cabinetry is all to port as well. I'm working on a way to move one or both batteries inboard or to stbd. The ballast is a solid lead fish.

My biggest annoyance with the boat is the fiberglass liner, which is separated from the deck by poured-in insulation. Yes, the insulation is wonderful, but try running new wiring! and pulling out all old wiring and installing new is one of my projects.

I'm working on some systems upgrades, and then plan to take the boat to Hawaii. The basic design and hull are solid, but my boat is 20+ years old and somethings should be replaced at this age.