Our Adventures Aboard "Thelma Lou"

We purchased this boat after researching the C Dory brand for nearly 3 years! It is the ideal vessel for cruising America's river system as well as the ICW.

She's a 1994 22' Angler version, and only had 342 hours on her when we purchased her on 8-11-07.

The cabin has a v-berth for 2 adults, a small dinette for 2 on the port side, and the helm seat and small countertop on the starboard side.

The angler version has a slightly smaller cabin compared to the cruiser version, but this gives more room in the open cockpit area aft of the cabin.

She's powered by twin Honda 45 horsepower 4 stroke outboards that will push her to 30mph. She'll get up on plane at 9mph, and only needs about 9" of water to float! Perfect for our purpose!

We had to replace the power tilt/trim motor on the starboard engine, and the carbs needed cleaning.

We built a stainless frame over the cabin and cockpit. The section over the cabing will be used for storage, kayak(s), extra fuel containers, ect. The frame over the cockpit area will support a full camper enclosure, roof, with zip-on side curtains that will have clear windows and bug screens. We also fabricated a cooler rack at the front of the motorwell to hold a 98 quart cooler.

The boat came with a VHF radio, am/fm cassette stereo, basic GPS, and a sounder/fish finder. We re-arranged things in the cabin, and removed the old GPS to make room for a new GPS chartplotter.

The boat also came with a teak floor in the cockpit area which adds a nice touch to the looks, and keeps the feet dry and clean since the floor is not self bailing.

We also added a twin bank onboard battery charger, and a second battery. We plan to buy a Honda EU2000 generator to power the charger, and any 115v appliances that we might add such as a microwave, coffee maker, heater, and possibly a rooftop AC unit.

Update; 10/08/07

We decided to raise the stainless framework in the cockpit area to allow more headroom. In doing so, we added a rear shelf above the cooler rack to store items such as tackle trays....ect.

We also treated the boat with "Poly-Glow" on all areas above the rub rail. This product is a polymer that goes on in 5 coats, and brings back the shine to dull, oxidized gelcoat. It did a great job, but requires ALOT or work!

We buffed the hull below the rub rail, and applied "Rejex" which is also a polymer, but goes on so much easier! It "maintains" the shine, and provides a protective barrier that's much more durable than standard wax. The boat is looking much better than I ever thought it would!

I've installed stainless steel snaps around the framework, getting it ready for the canvasmaker to make our cockpit camper enclosure. Hopefully the boat will be delivered to him next week.

We ordered a new VHF radio, an ICOM M504, which allows us to connect to the chartplotter for DSC service. This will allow us to touch one button in an emergency, and the radio will send a continuous distress signal, along with our location, to the Coast Guard, or any nearby vessel. Kinda cool!

This also allows us to contact other vessels within a programed group, and show us their location, using the vessel's MMSI #.

The existing VHF radio remains aboard as a backup.

We're getting the boat ready for our first real trip, 3 days on the Great Pee Dee River! We'll launch in Georgetown, SC...and cruise up river as far as we can go and return to Georgetown on the 3rd day.

We've entered waypoints on our chartplotter for several plantations along the river, as well as marinas, and possible anchorages.






		Here we'll post text and pictures of our trips, and modifications, aboard our C Dory...hope you enjoy! Click on the links above for specific trip and modification pages.



		Please get in touch with any comments or reactions to my site.

Thelma Lou Pics We purchased this boat after researching the C Dory brand for nearly 3 years! It is the ideal vessel for cruising America's river system as well as the ICW. She's a 1994 22' Angler version, and only had 342 hours on her when we purchased her on 8-11-07. The cabin has a v-berth for 2 adults, a small dinette for 2 on the port side, and the helm seat and small countertop on the starboard side. The angler version has a slightly smaller cabin compared to the cruiser version, but this gives more room in the open cockpit area aft of the cabin. She's powered by twin Honda 45 horsepower 4 stroke outboards that will push her to 30mph. She'll get up on plane at 9mph, and only needs about 9" of water to float! Perfect for our purpose! We had to replace the power tilt/trim motor on the starboard engine, and the carbs needed cleaning. We built a stainless frame over the cabin and cockpit. The section over the cabing will be used for storage, kayak(s), extra fuel containers, ect. The frame over the cockpit area will support a full camper enclosure, roof, with zip-on side curtains that will have clear windows and bug screens. We also fabricated a cooler rack at the front of the motorwell to hold a 98 quart cooler. The boat came with a VHF radio, am/fm cassette stereo, basic GPS, and a sounder/fish finder. We re-arranged things in the cabin, and removed the old GPS to make room for a new GPS chartplotter. The boat also came with a teak floor in the cockpit area which adds a nice touch to the looks, and keeps the feet dry and clean since the floor is not self bailing. We also added a twin bank onboard battery charger, and a second battery. We plan to buy a Honda EU2000 generator to power the charger, and any 115v appliances that we might add such as a microwave, coffee maker, heater, and possibly a rooftop AC unit. Update; 10/08/07 We decided to raise the stainless framework in the cockpit area to allow more headroom. In doing so, we added a rear shelf above the cooler rack to store items such as tackle trays....ect. We also treated the boat with "Poly-Glow" on all areas above the rub rail. This product is a polymer that goes on in 5 coats, and brings back the shine to dull, oxidized gelcoat. It did a great job, but requires ALOT or work! We buffed the hull below the rub rail, and applied "Rejex" which is also a polymer, but goes on so much easier! It "maintains" the shine, and provides a protective barrier that's much more durable than standard wax. The boat is looking much better than I ever thought it would! I've installed stainless steel snaps around the framework, getting it ready for the canvasmaker to make our cockpit camper enclosure. Hopefully the boat will be delivered to him next week. We ordered a new VHF radio, an ICOM M504, which allows us to connect to the chartplotter for DSC service. This will allow us to touch one button in an emergency, and the radio will send a continuous distress signal, along with our location, to the Coast Guard, or any nearby vessel. Kinda cool! This also allows us to contact other vessels within a programed group, and show us their location, using the vessel's MMSI #. The existing VHF radio remains aboard as a backup. We're getting the boat ready for our first real trip, 3 days on the Great Pee Dee River! We'll launch in Georgetown, SC...and cruise up river as far as we can go and return to Georgetown on the 3rd day. We've entered waypoints on our chartplotter for several plantations along the river, as well as marinas, and possible anchorages.

More to come!


				*Our Adventures Aboard "Thelma Lou"*



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