C-Dory Ventura 29 in Valdez, AK $85k

Kushtaka

I have no association or knowledge of this boat, but I thought I'd pass along the info in case there was interest. I kind of doubt most of you obsessively check the Fairbanks Craigslist ads for new boats like I do:

http://fairbanks.craigslist.org/boa/4860359239.html

breausaw · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:03 am Post subject:

Boy that looks like one sweet ride! In today's dollars it seems like a bargain. The trailer alone is probably worth 10-12k. I would really like to see the cabin layout, sounds similar to the Ranger Tug in it's birthing arrangements.

tsturm

tsturm

Byrdman · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 10:24 am Post subject:

Is that a opps...you just bought it opps? Gift

tsturm · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 11:18 am Post subject:

Byrdman · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 4:18 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the laugh! I have had one of those oopps with a boat before and I thought....well thank God I ain't the only one. Good luck!

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 5:22 pm Post subject:

That boat has been around - not in a bad way or anything.... It was for sale in Anchorage for a year or maybe even two for a song and a dance as of last summer or the one before. I wonder why people don't like it???? Are 29s just poorly laid out, handle horribly, and generally too big? Anyway, it seems like a good deal on a nice boat for folks wanting to go big. I am perfectly happy with my good old 22 Smile

JamesTXSD · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2015 8:13 pm Post subject:

Do a search on here for the 29. A few months ago, a 29 owner talked about having the aft keel fin installed on his boat and how it improved the handling.

I don't think the 29 is a bad boat... it is very different from the typical C-Dory. It has a couple unusual styling/layout features that some of us who first saw the boat didn't care for (the position of the head between the v-berth area and the co-pilot, and the helm wheel positioned quite low)... neither is a deal-breaker in my opinion, if you like the rest of the boat. The proportions of it are different from the 22 and 25... I had called it a "Baby Huey" look, and that got repeated a lot. That is just an opinion.

At a time when the C-Dory factory was expanding while the market was contracting, spending the money on design and tooling of the 29 didn't help their economic situation. Perhaps not the right boat at the right time, but it sure looks to be capable... while not as easily trailerable (the beam is over 8.5').

That iteration of the factory seemed determined to not listen to its customers - there is probably room for a bigger C-Dory in the family. It seems to me that they were looking for different buyers instead of moving up current owners. And this boat was the result.

Jim

breausaw · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:22 am Post subject:

I swapped a few emails with the owner out of curiosity, and possibly testing the waters a bit. He now lives in Hawaii and only plans on using the boat during the summer if he doesn’t sell it. He had a 25 and loved it but this boat is totally different in that it handles the seas way better, which I can understand from looking at come pictures he sent me; raked more like an Osprey or Sea Sport

Has 150 gal. of fuel, 60 gal. water, 4 KW diesel axillary gen set. Cruise 75% around 18-20mph, tops out between 25 and 30. Forward V-birth is private with full head.

Yea I remember seeing this boat on Craigslist a year or so back.

If I hadn’t put so much time and money into my 25 is the last couple of year I’d give this boat serious consideration. If my family was bigger than 3 I’d probably be up close and personally inspecting it next weekend.

thataway · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:11 pm Post subject:

To expand on Jim's excellent post; The naval architect who designed the boat posted a bit about the design, and how it was meant to be built. Apparently those who have done the modification feel that it makes the boat much better in the handling category.

One of the issues for me, was the height of the head roof, being in a place which obstructed the navigator view (Port forward seat). I think that this could be approached in several ways, and the issue resolved. The low wheel, also could be resolved--or using an auto pilot, with jog stick control would make handling much easier.

Hard to know what the true value of one of these boats is, since there were so few built. But a replacement, such as the Cutwater 29 would be in the $250,000 plus range.

Byrdman · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 2:33 pm Post subject:

Do not mean to bring up bad things from the past...but does the name Tom Lathum and this boat have anything in common? Those were very interesting days at the factory and I just can not keep in my mind who was responsible for what back then.