posted 07-13-2004 10:40 AM ET (US)            

These were his comments (regarding the 22):

On the plus side ...

1. Pretty to look at
2. Light weight, single 75 or twin 40 is all it needs
3. Nice pilothouse, dinette does double duty as a chart table
4. Resale value held up well

On the negative side ...

1. Unique "single hull" construction is too light. Anything you cross (chop, wake, waves, etc) is very noisy. The whole boat shudders. Speed must be reduced to nothing to cross wakes.

2. Feel closed in at the wheel. There is no side door to step out of.

3. Took a small standing wave coming through the Boca Inlet at approx 5 knots. This caused the pilothouse to shudder so much that he noticed small crack lines appear where the pilothouse joins the deck.

4. The rub rail was cheaply put on with adhesive. Needed to screw it in when it started to come off.

5. The v-berths in the forward cabin barely have enough room to sit up in the morning.

posted 07-13-2004 11:01 AM ET (US)            

I never test rode the boat but looked at the info on-line and ordered the brochure. Their website is:

http://www.c-dory.com/

I haven’t even seen one up close but only caught a glimpse of the 22-footer rolling down the highway. They seem to be very seaworthy boats but I suspect they are designed more for long range cruising rather than riding around or fishing. That’s why they have such small motors for their size and most of them have a kicker and main arrangement. I’m not sure if they have performance data on their site but I doubt that they are rockets. Some people think that the new Montauks are slow at 40 mph. I doubt this boat will do even that.

They seem like nice boats especially the 22-footer, but the smaller ones may be too small for cruising. My experience with the 19’ West Wight Potter is that, unless you and your spouse are fairly adventurous (and flexible), the cabin is wasted space since it is fairly uncomfortable even for overnights. The cramped quarters also complicate maintenance. The pilothouse may be nice in the rainy Norwest but impractical everywhere else.

I have no doubt that the C-Dory like the Potter could be taken almost anywhere by a skilled skipper and there’s certain pride in owning a boat like that, but I think most people would be better off with a Whaler for everyday use. If you need overnight accommodations, you can always camp on shore or buy the Mills canvas package. I’m sure it will be just as comfortable, if not more, than a cabin on a 16’ boat.

posted 07-13-2004 04:24 PM ET (US)            

I had the opportunity to see one up close and personal at the ramp in Bayfield on the last day I was up there. The owner was very passionate about his little cruiser, and though it was hot and humid that day (high 80's and 75% humidity - sweltering for that geographic location), he commented that the closed pilot house was the big selling point for him, as he boats on Lake Superior all season long in rain and sleet and even snow.

Nice little boat. Sinkable...but nice.

Dave

posted 07-13-2004 04:35 PM ET (US)            

I've never been in one at sea. I like their looks, but I've never really poked around or examined the boats very closely. They're not really inexpensive, and I can tell you this: If given the choice between a brand spanking new 22 ft C-Dory and a decent classic Revenge 20 or 22 for about the same price, it wouldn't take me but a split second to grab the old Whaler.

Tony

posted 07-13-2004 06:54 PM ET (US)            

A Revenge would be the likely Whaler for me unless I cane across a larger Outrage cuddy.

posted 07-14-2004 12:06 AM ET (US)            

It is a very strong book for vocabulary, too. Sent me to the dictionary at least one hundred times. I had to look up the third word in the book, in the dedication:

"To my lotic mates."

Scroll down for the definition.

posted 07-14-2004 11:53 AM ET (US)            

The berth area in these boats is very small and requires strong denning tendencies (it's small and low). It can also get hot since there is little room for air circulation.

The enclosed cabin does make for a noisier ride, which can be solved by adding a cover over the engine or adding a drop curtain. Here's a great website about a guy who made a home-built version with both of these modifications: http://www.egyptian.net/~raymacke/index.html

Well placed handholds on the cabin top make it very easy to get to the bow or you can pop your head out the forward hatch to anchor. High cockpit sides make it very safe. The bottom is 2" of fiberglass and balsa core with no bilge, so a pump is needed in the cockpit. It's not self-bailing or unsinkable.

Here's another C-Dory owners group: http://www.c-brats.com

Every boat is a compromise. I would definitely consider this boat for cruising in colder climates.

posted 07-14-2004 12:37 PM ET (US)            

http://www.orkneyboatsltd.co.uk/

I used to go fishing with a friend who owned a 16-ft Orkney longliner with tiller motor. It was a displacement type hull and could handle some serious rough stuff.

The Orkney performance line however leans more towards the C-Dory's.

I would estimate that 75% of all recreational fishermen use these type of boats here in Central-Western Europe. Some of the brands are: Rana, Beekman, Orka, Pilot, Shetland...

http://www.totalfishing.nl/boten/Rana/rana-default.asp
http://www.beekmanboten.nl/Beekman_boten/alfa505_fish.htm
http://www.orkaboten.nl/
http://www.shetlandboats.co.uk/boats.htm

I guess they are very popular because of the low price and low weight, allowing to use a small motor.

I feel safer in my Whaler though. :-)

Erik

posted 11-02-2005 11:07 AM ET (US)            

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/index.htm

I have owned:

17 Montauk
13 Dauntless
91 21 Walkaround
93 21 Walkaround -- both were used commercially as was the 17 Montauk
170 Montauk

and since 2003 have owned a C-Dory 22 Cruiser and must say (heresy I know) that I love this boat just as much as any Whaler I've owned! It is great.

In reading some of the above there are a few things that might need explanation and one big one to right: THE C-DORY WILL NOT SINK! Beginning about 2001 or so (the factory simply started adding it and forgot to tell anyone) foam flotation was added under the bunk area. It will keep the boat floating, but you'll have to sit on the top to remain dry (floats at an angle).

Finish: these boats were made to be economical to buy, a true "pocket cruiser" that you can live on and cruise for extended periods without busting your budget. As such, they are fashioned from the Alaska fishing models Mark Toland designed (and he took his design from some of the European high-bow dory designs) during the gas crunch of the 70's. They are a boat you modify to suit your needs -- if you want a finished, you can finish it -- or, if you want to leave it bare and hose out the whole boat -- you can do that too.

Use: these make excellent all-around "boaterhomes" -- they are simple, simple to live on, simple to maintain, and with a diesel stove/heater (Wallas - 40 hours on a gallon of diesel) will keep you toasty in the 20's. Here, I'm camping (for a week) on a mountaintop in Colorado: http://www.treasuresites.com/DEFC10.jpg Went from there to California and up Lake Oroville, then on to Washington and the Columbia, then back to Florida, and paid not one hotel bill the entire way and few restaurant bills.

Ride/hull: this is a 22 foot Dory hull, the boat weighs 1925 lbs and full loaded weight is 4500 (more than double). Dory hulls are designed for loads -- the more you load them, the more they squat and the more hull area is in the water (beam wise -- they flare out) and the more stable they become. Mine is usually loaded with a hookah, possibly a gold-dredge, fridge (I have a Norcold installed) and all the living and cooking gear you'd expect for 2 week living at a crack so when I hit a wake, it just goes through it. Unloaded, it will hit the wake just like any other lightly loaded boat. These aren't "go-fast" boats, so most are cruised around 16-20 mph (although it will plane at 9). In rough conditions, you simply reduce speed to 13-16 and slog on in. I have never been in anything in it or the Whalers that made me feel unsafe for a second.

posted 11-02-2005 01:33 PM ET (US)            

http://www.arimaboats.com/frames/index.htm

I see lots of these guys out on the salmon fishing grounds. Whaler does need to address the pocket cruiser market again.. If I were to choose any other model other nan my 16 classic, it would be a menemsha for its foul weather capabilities.

posted 11-02-2005 02:40 PM ET (US)            

There's another boat that has come out recently that has a liner (the fit & finished look): that is the Cape Cruiser, made by the same folks that originally came up with the C-Dory (not associated with C-Dory now though). The boat is 1 foot longer, 1,000 pounds heavier, is wider, has a taller cabin, a longer cockpit, isn't towable with a small vehicle, needs more engine power, and costs $15,000 more, but does give the "finished" look if that's what a person needs. I must caution that a longer cockpit comes at a price -- more limited storage, smaller table, one burner stove, etc. (so it may do fine for weekends, time will tell as a long-range cruiser, an area in which the C-Dory is well proven).

I'm lucky to have two of the best boats in the world at the same time -- the C-Dory and my Whaler.

posted 11-03-2005 01:20 PM ET (US)            

Granted, I'd also rather have a 22' Revenge, but for what they are, they're a great little boat. Actually having an enclosed pilot station like the C-Dory, would be an advantage. The Revenge has always lacked cabin space for it's size, in my opinion. Much like all Whalers.

posted 11-03-2005 05:56 PM ET (US)            

http://www.raysriverdories.com/

PS: I agree with you -- but you have to be very careful with glass around rocks and snags in rivers. There's a company that makes a product that attaches to the hull (kind of like a bedliner) that I'm thinking of putting on the Montauk since the chart note for the area I'm in is "The Devil's Rock Garden." Might do it on the CD too if I head to Alaska with it, since it might come in handy judging by Greg's beaching method:

posted 11-03-2005 06:38 PM ET (US)            

These are permanently cemented/glued on, but I *believe* the glue can be compromised with a heat gun.

I love your cruise logs-

posted 11-04-2005 09:55 AM ET (US)            

Checked it out -- those are the guards I saw. I'll probably go ahead and put them on the CD as well (it does have a brass bow stemguard for beaching, but that's not enough for AK). Definately going to go on the Montauk, since I beach that all the time.

As for the logs, when I read some of the things others do with their boats, makes me feel like a greenhorn (and I'm going on 40 years of boating) . . .

Justin:

That 25TC looks to have a much bigger house than I have (maybe a 25 CD house?), and does have a huge berth (which you'd expect). If anyone is going to order one of these for cruising, check out the 25 Cruiser comments on their showers -- most seem to end up using that space for more storage and some are now ordering the boat without the internal head/shower just to get more "stuff" space. A lot of the 22CD's simply screw a hose into the outboard water-pump exhaust, fill a shower-bag and take a shower that way. I just heat water on the stove, fill the shower-bag and take on in the camper-back enclosure or do a quickie bath in the sink inside when in the back-country and this seems to be the way most handle it.

There's some pictures put up of the TC in the last week (sorry about the long link but not mine):

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=C-DoryFactoryAlbum&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

posted 11-19-2005 12:13 AM ET (US)            

Evidently they are building that 27 boat hull again, as an outboard:

http://www.threeriversmarineinc.com/cd_proang.htm

posted 11-19-2005 01:34 AM ET (US)            

http://www.c-brats.com/