C&C 25 MKI Review

Until owning a C&C myself, I never understood what the “fuss” was all about. Not just in regards to C&C but the Mark I generation C&Cs in particular. The C&C 25 MK I came into my possession by chance. The target of my search was actually either a Nash 26, or a Grampian 26, both highly regarded “Stingy, Sub Compact Cruisers“. At this time neither of those seemed in a hurry to enter the market. Instead I came across a well cared for, well equipped, single-family owned C&C 25 MK I at a more than reasonable asking price. Since it happened to be nearby, it was a quick decision to check this one out.

My initial reaction was: “It certainly isn’t the visual appearance that make them popular”. The almost uninterrupted slope from the cabin top to the bow deck has a distinct lack of character and makes for a decidedly dated look. Irrelevant to me personally, being more of a “Function over Form” kinda’ guy. Once boarded my next impression was: Wow – Solid! Everything seemed “thick” and “Heavy-Duty”. From the well insulated cabin top to the bulkhead with ridiculously oversized beam to support the mast step. In fact I found everything I inspected to be almost excessively solid for the size. The only drawback I could see was lack of standing headroom. Most of the cabin is limited to about 5’8″ while the small spot right under the sliding hatch is close to, but not quite 5’10”. A disadvantage I decided I could live with, since I felt that everything else about the boat was almost too good to be true for a boat built in 1972. The boat was as clean, well kept and tidy as advertised. After a 10-minute “self-survey” I gladly paid the asking price and made arrangements to bring the boat to my yacht club.

Interior

The interior is a fairly typical layout. The V-berth is quite comfortable but the low ceiling height does invoke a slight claustrophobia and made me suspect it might get really hot in the summer. Something I never found out as I chose to sleep on the starboard settee, which cleverly extends to about twin size. Between the salon and V-berth I found the Head (No sink or shower.) to port and a closet opposite. The galley is divided between both sides of the companion way. The small sink with a pump faucet to port and an icebox and room for a stovetop to Starboard. The single step down from the cockpit opens to reveal a surprising amount of pantry space. The relatively small height difference between the cockpit and salon, common in the 70s, makes transitioning between the two smooth. It also reduces the feeling of “basement” in the salon and positions the port lights almost at eye level when seated. The small rotating table is functional and in one position is easily reachable for 4 adults, but can be swung sideways for a more open and spacious feeling. There are no quarter berths. Storage is about as adequate as one would expect from a 25 footer.

Cockpit

Both lazarettes are big and deep extending below the cockpit sole. The scuppers are oddly enough slightly forward in the cockpit and connected to thru-hulls with ~2″ hoses. It would seem to me that regular aft-positioned scuppers without thru-hulls would have sufficed, but I’m not a naval architect am I? There is an additional storage compartment in front of the transom that easily fits a battery, tank for the outboard and a bucket of various chemicals and potions. A 6’+ adult can easily stretch out on either side. Rather than a traveler, the mainsheet goes to a block on each side of the transom and terminates at a block with a cam cleat, keeping the cockpit clutter free. The split backstay is easily adjusted without reaching excessively.

Hull

I believe this is where the magic happens. The modest draft of 3′ 8″ is obtained by sweeping the keel backwards, like an upside-down shark fin, adding significant weight and foil surface without elongating or flaring out the bottom point. This design keeps the wetted surface to a minimum, reducing drag, while still performing like a deeper keel. (More on this further down.) Although quite beamy in the center for a 25 foot boat, the beam quickly reduces towards the transom. This design choice cleverly combines beam in the cabin with an efficient water release at the stern. A design element resulting in narrowly avoiding unnecessary buoyancy, (Causing a bobbing effect in waves.) but rather permits the boat to smoothly slice through the water. The transom hung rudder is as heavy duty as the rest of the boat and very well balanced. Reflecting on the cabin top it’s easy to see that the design slips under the wind from just about any direction resulting in easy maneuvering even in strong winds, reduced drift from close to broad and efficient sailing into the wind. Like her smaller sister the C&C 24, The C&C 25 MK I is a member of the MORC class. (Midget Ocean Racing Class). After my first few sails with some good breezes I can understand how that works. She handles waves and big wind and very easily out-sails her modest PHRF average rating of 222.

Sailing the C&C 25 MK I

sailing the boat back to my club was the first opportunity to try out her abilities, but alas the chosen day had barely a breeze, straight from the stern. With the sails wing-to-wing and a piece of rope as a jibe preventer, I commenced with slow progress. On average it would be a three or so hour sail, but with the lack of wind it took all day. While slowly making progress under auto-tiller, I took the time to explore the boat and take pleasure in all the little surprises left behind by the former owner.

Sail number two luckily occurred on a day with a fairly steady breeze of around 15 knots with gusts to 20 knots from the east. Perfect for crossing Lake Ontario and back in one day. (Oakville – 50 Point – Oakville.) Most of the crossing went swift enjoying a strong beam reach for most of the sail. With a 150 Genoa and a standard main sail, she moved forward with authority. Going through a prolonged period of 20 knot winds, reefing never came to mind. Being a lazy cruiser, I usually trim the sails to achieve a balance between heeling and velocity. Today I wanted to test the abilities though. With the sails trimmed and around 17 knots from the beam I recorded 7.5 knots on Navionics! With no drama or discomfort. Color me impressed.

On the sail back waves had increased to about 2 feet, maybe 3 at times. I made a few course changes to test other points of sail. She bounces a bit heading into the wind when the waves were present, but still less than I had expected. On a close reach or beam reach she drifted noticeably, but again, that is also expected with such a small keel. (My previous boat was a CS 30 so the bar was set pretty high, leading to an unfair comparison.) On a broad reach she rolled slowly and leisurely with an ever so slight “shimmying” on occasion. In a strong headwind you do need to plan your tacks and make sure to be moving forward at speed before tacking fast or she could get “stuck” right after switching the jib sheet. Probably much less of an issue with a smaller genoa or a jib.

Few boats have impressed me as much as the little C&C 25 MK I and I can honestly say that I would likely still have this boat, had the lack of standing headroom not started to cause me lower back problems.

Full specs on Sailboatdata.com