cc25 inboard

[hurricane]

Hi,new to this forum and hope you guys can help me out. I have decided to purchase a cc25 which will be mostly used in the chesapeak bay. My budget dictates I buy used. The comments on this board make me shy away from volvo gas engines because of the water ingestion problems. All the crusader repowers I/O that I looked at were fished out poorly maintained boats. This leaves me with a newer inboard. My question is low speed handling and possible prop and shaft damages in shallow bay. I would appreciate any advise from cc owners of both inboard and I/o. The question is should I continue to look for a good I/o or would an inboard be ok?

[Tswann]

I/O vs str inboard

What is the minimum water depth you are dealing with??? If it is 3' or more inboard will be ok from a draft standpoint - less than that you are watching the tides or going to an i/o boat. Low speed handling with the inboard in my opinion is fine. There is a bit of a learning curve around the dock, but we can usually get our customers comfortable in tight quarters in an hour or two of practice.

Jackshaft boats tend to be quicker and if it were in good shape or priced right for a repower project I would not hesitate.

Give Scott a call at Va Bch Boats (757.962.8710) he has a line on a few used 25s and owned one for many years (and fished the heck out of it) and will point you in the right direction.

[InTheNet]

25cc

There is a 2002 (i beleive) at south shore marine in Huron Ohio. It is a freshwater boat. I looked at it, but not real closely ,and it looked okay. Call Steve Carlson at419-433-5798

[Shrinkage]

Straight Shaft vs. Jack Shaft

I personally own a straight shaft with a crusader for power. I find that I don't have anywhere the wander that a traditional outdrive boat has. The propulsion is in two different locations at different angles, so naturally you will have more speed in the jackshaft boat. I knew that I wanted the straight inboard as soon as I knew it was available. There are much fewer moving parts and for the most part, draft isn't much concern. The other point that I think should be considered is how a boat equipped with a jackshaft system does with auto pilot when trolling. I think it would be worth asking a few of the jackshaft boat captains how their boat handles at slower trolling speeds when equipped with a newer autopilot system. I have heard of complaints with this issue. Please let me know if you are interested in locating a used freshwater boat. I know of several options that you may find worth while to consider.

[Shrinkage]

Jackshaft vs. Straight Shaft

Another option to consider is the straight inboard equipped with a bow thruster. I am sure that In The Net can attest to how easy it is around the docks. I try not to use mine, but it is sure nice to have when a stiff cross wind is present. The jackshafted boat with the duoprop outdrive is also very user friendly.

[JuliaGCC25]

Straight Shaft

I love the Yanmar 315 / straight shaft combo. But...should have gotten the thruster. A bit of a "sail" in the wind and with backing to port it sometimes has gotten a bit tricky.

[Little Dandy]

...The other point that I think should be considered is how a boat equipped with a jackshaft system does with auto pilot when trolling. I think it would be worth asking a few of the jackshaft boat captains how their boat handles at slower trolling speeds when equipped with a newer autopilot system. I have heard of complaints with this issue...

I have the Furuno 511 Autopilot on a jackshaft boat. Works great at all speeds including slow troll (idle), no problems whatsoever. I also deploy two 36" trolling bags (amishoutiftters.com Beefy Bags) to slow the boat even further. These aren't any problem for the autopilot either.