Yup, I'm another new owner of CP16/2 as of 2 APR 05!

[Nate]

Well, I've been looking for a year or so, almost bought a Monty 17 here in Duluth, but ended up buying this awsome 1988 CP16 with roller furling from someone who upgraded to a 23.  I hope he comes to this site as I've told him much about it.  I think he and his wife are going to name the boat "Whisper"  The compac 16 was called Spirit if anyone saw it for sale.  I drove 6 hours from home with my parents borrowed truck, bought the boat, the sellers fed me lunch and showed me video of the little boat that could just taking on the biggest waves I'd ever dare with ease!  I was impressed.  Then it cut to the tiny boat just screaming through the water.  He filmed while sailing with the other hand...dont really know how.   I didnt think these could go anywhere near "Fast".  But he had evidence to show me!  I hooked up the boat, and my friend and I trailered it 375 miles back home at 75 MPH almost the whole way, and she went right  INTO MY GARAGE!.  That'll save me a ton of money here in MN where I have to store a boat for 6 months out of the year!  OK: Got some questions:  
This boat has a beautiful bottom.  Shiny gel coat all waxed up, but no paint.  If I leave it in my inland lake all summer, will it develop blisters?  \

Do I need to get antifoul paint on it before the big dip, or can I just heave it out of the water every month and clean it all off?
A side note:  I'm going to try to pull this with a tiny tiny car.  I'll keep everyone informed on what happens good or bad!! should be quite fun.  I wont push my car hard to the point of stupidity, but I want to see if it can pull it around the block and with how much ease.  I've seen little 4 banger truck pull these around, even saw a volkswagan gti pull one, and my car's got more horsepower and torque than that.  I had some more questions but that's it for now! Excited to post some pics and messages about the car experiment.
Nathan

[jhopps]

when you back up trailer and boat on launch ramp be sure small car is
not pulled into water from weight of the boat.  BE SURE TO PUT EMERGENCY BRAKE ON.  WHEN PULLING BOAT OUT, HAVE FOOT ON
BRAKE HARD BEFOR RELEASING EMERGENCY BRAKE.

I pulled my cp16 with an OMNI, and almost launched my car once.

[Craig Weis]

I'd keep a cote of bottom paint on her, or heavy layers of Mother's Gold car wax. I even wax the bottom paint on CP19 and rudder. 3 x's at the start of each season.

Both boats are good boats. Towing it can be done. BUT! no fast driving, no fast starts, no lugging the churn.

1~Driving fast allows less time for the valves to sit on the valve seats in the head therefore less time to transferr heat to the head cooled by water. And all this with an enriched fuel load, if your pushing it hard. Making more heat. That is why we have tow packages/more cooling.

2~Minimize the amount of fuel, be smooth, like having a raw ege between right foot and gas pedel.

3~Keep her spinning. No lugging...combustion chamber pressures build, do funny things to valves, like pound them into the seats, as they seal.

OK I'll cool it on how to blow-up the engine. My Ford Expedition will tow the Com-Pac 19 at 62 mph while turning 1650 rpm. It's not working, pulling this boat. But we do apply the binders sooner. In 'A' sport race class, SCCA back in the 70's. [A.H. 100-6, repowered with HiPo 289 and top loader trans], I'm hot shoe skip.

[Craig]

Nate,

Here's the good news. If the boat has been left in the water by the previous owner and has not developed blisters it probably won't. There are lots of theories on what causes blisters. One is that the blisters are caused by problems in the laminate layup and is not really a gelcoat problem. No doubt this is true of some boats.

Here's the bad news. If you put the boat in fresh water for more than two weeks at a time you are asking for problems. The best way to avoid blistering and the expense of repairis to first epoxy coat the bottom, then use some kind of bottom paint. Most use an anti-fouling paint. Ablative paint used in different colors (bottom coat one color, top coats different) will quickly alert you to the need to repaint.

The really bad news is once you paint the bottom you are forever commited.

Since I trailer my boat every time I sail it is not bottom painted. However, the PO plunked the boat in the water for a summer without a barrier coat or bottom paint and I have some interesting dimples. Not bad enough to merit any action, but they are there.

My advice is to barrier coat and bottom paint if you plan on leaving the boat in the water for the season.

Craig

[Nate]

Yes, I have almost launched my car once.  I had a fishing boat I was launching (with my intended launch car now) and since Island lake was so low, I was forced to launch past the concrete.  It launched fine, however on retrival I couldnt pull it out!  My tires were spinning in the gravel.  I tried the slow crawl method.  My car's a stick, and this is hard but I can pull it off pretty well.  That didnt work either...I was starting to dig a hole and I knew that was death so I stopped, and I had to take the boat off of the trailer, anchor it to the shore, leave, put the trailer on my parents truck (the same one that picked up the CP) and pulled the boat out that way.  Needless to say I learned a lesson that day.  IF it turns out my car can pull it to the launch site and so on, I guess I just wont leave it in the water.  That's too bad to hear about the blisters and paint though.  We'll see how that goes.  I was excited to do something with the boat and since I bought it in another state I have to put new numbers along the side.. This looks like a job from hell...unless anyone had a good way to get 4 year old brittle stickers off!?

[Craig Weis]

Sure, take the stickers off by heating them using a hair dryer, or heat paint stripping gun. I have both...? Wait a minute. Why do I have a hair dryer? I don't have hair...oh it's the wife's.

[Gil Weiss]

I keep my CP16 in the water all season. My experience has convinced me that barrier coat (to prevent blisters) and bottom paint are both required. Your boat may or may not blister, but I wouldn't take any chances. Bottom paint really makes keeping the crud off easy.