C-Dory 16 Cruiser Question

[PatrickInEverett]

Hello Everyone,

Other than the four years I spent on an aircraft carrier, I'm new boating. I've been canoeing for years but wanted to try a power boat. I haven't decided how "into" boating I want to be when I've never owned one. At first I wanted to go small and get something just for exploring the Snohomish River Sloughs, mountain lakes, and maybe go over to Whidbey Island. My requirements were that it had to be towable by my Subaru Forester, would fit in my garage, and be economical to own. I've put down a small refundable deposit on a new Boston Whaler 150 Montauk, but I won't get it until August. Although I'm sure it would be a great boat, I have a concern now that the open center console design would limit my boating season to summer only. Now I'm looking at maybe going with a C-Dory 16 Cruiser, even though it's too tall to fit in my garage and I'd have to pay for dry moorage. I do believe I could still tow it with my Forester at least. I'm thinking it might be a more practical boat for exploring the San Juan Islands than the BW would be. I have a couple of questions for the group:

- Although I see one dealership selling a new one, the 16 Cruiser has disappeared from the C-Dory website. Did they stop making them?

- To me the front berth seems like an awkward space. I'm not sure I'd ever want to sleep anywhere that didn't have a toilet, so I'm not sure how practical it would be. Does anybody else think it's awkward or do you actually use it?

- How practical would it be to put some kind of portable toilet in it? It seems you'd have no privacy if you had passengers aboard.

- How many people could you practically fit aboard? I know it's rated for more, but it seems like there's really only room for two.

Thanks,
Patrick

[dotnmarty]

I have owned both 22 footer and 16 footer C-Dorys. For me, the 16 footer is the perfect boat for the waters around where you are. Everett has a wonderful marina and great accessible ramps.
I loved it's simplicity, it's relative affordability, it's ease of loading and unloading, it's towability and frankly, it cuteness. I towed ours with a 4 cylinder non turbo car. Our 22 footer required a Toyota 4 runner. OK, it is only 16 feet long. I have had canoes that were bigger. It will hold two people comfortably, three.adults probably less so. With a 6 gallon gas tank (we most often carried two of them) you can go all day. We, my wife and I, would like to rent a small slip at Everett for a month or two and explore the waters from Seattle to Coupeville and everywhere in between. In the other months she rested under cover on a small pad beside our garage.and, on a moments notice, we would trailer her to Lake Washington for a nice few hours on the water. I did sleep on the cruiser at C-Brat gatherings a few times. I found the bed just OK and access improved if I took the table down. When our grandaughter was young she loved to curl up on the bed as we motored along. As for the toilet, we used the porti potti a few times (the same one we had on the 22) but i also carried a plastic urinal. Oh, yes, they are no longer building new 16 footers. Keep an eye on this site, Craigslist, etc. for used ones. You can also let some dealers know you are looking for a used one . There is a lot more to say but that's enough for now. Good luck and welcome.

[MikeR]

Welcome! Another big fan of the 16's here. After buying a 22 and selling my first 16, couldn't resist buying another 16 and now have both. Yes, the one you saw for sale at Master Marine was the last one made and is now sold, so you'll be looking at the used market for a 16. Plenty of good ones out there if you watch the ads daily and have cash ready to spring on one as soon as it pops up. They've been making them the same since the mid 80s (my current 1989 is "like new" thanks to her original owner Brock aka Catman).

Since you are looking at a Montauk which is completely open, why limit your consideration to only the Cruiser? The Angler affords the same weather protection as a Cruiser, and it might even fit in your garage! A cruiser will not fit in my garage, but the Angler clears the height by about 1/4" and with a full camper back enclosure I've done 3-4 day cruising trips. Also have towed both of my 16's with 4cyl Mazda CX5 rated for 2000 lbs, as well as a RAV4 rated for 1500 lbs. As Marty said, two people is about the max for longer cruising but can do 3-4 for shorter trips on a lake.

And you are absolutely right about the weather protection - still remember that first trip out on my first 16, it was so incredible to be completely protected from the wind and spray while sill out on the sound on what is basically a skiff. It really opened up cruising in months I had previously avoided.

-Mike

[Marco Flamingo]

I have travelled a lot in my CD 16, both solo and with my wife. In fact, we are planning another +10 day adventure right now. I took the table out about day one and haven't put it back in. It's highest and best use is as something for the passenger to hold on to in rough conditions. It makes getting into the V berth challenging, especially with two people.

I have a tiny folding table and tiny folding chairs for the cockpit. The cockpit is covered with a full standing headroom Bimini with side curtains. It more than doubles the livable space on the 16, although it makes serious fishing more difficult.

We never had a porta-potti and I never saw the need for one. The area under the berth where it was originally stowed has now been semi-permanently filled to make for better sleeping and a place to store the anchor line. We use a 2 gallon bucket (with a gamma lid) lined with a plastic bag with Poo Powder. We have a his/hers urinal that is basically a funnel and a hose through the scupper. Without urine, the bucket lasts many days.

We do sleep two people, but not on the original cushions which were 4 inch foam. We use 1 inch thermarest pads which gives more space and I think are more comfortable. We have group 24 house and start batteries, a pure sine wave inverter for the induction burner, and a 23 gallon fuel tank (plus the ability for 2 x 6 gallon tanks in the splash well) for a range of about 200 miles. The trip we are planning has a 153 mile leg. I also have forced air heat diesel heat that can dry the cabin and clothing out in sloppy weather.

I tow with a Santa Fe Sport 2 liter turbo which has a 3,500# tow rating. It has a "sport" setting for the transmission that shifts down sooner and stays in a lower gear longer. I have to remind myself that I'm towing 2,000#. I put disc brakes on my trailer which really helps when descending steep gravel roads. I assume the brakes would also help in an emergency stop, but luckily I've never had to. Coming back from Lake Powell a few years ago, I kept track of my mileage (with a detour to Lake Yellowstone and crossing the continental divide 4 times). I got 20.7 mpg on the over 1,000 mile trip.

Obviously, we are on the outer edges of what can be done in a 16 foot boat. But, it can be done and in comfort. In fact, way more comfort than motorcycle camping, backpacking, kayaking, snow camping, etc. It feels kind of decadent, depending on one's past outdoor experiences. It has opened up boating areas that I would have never had a chance to see. Some of our trips are in my photo album.

Mark

[lloyds]

Forget the garage, the pilot house is too tall by about 6".

[PatrickInEverett]

Thanks everyone for your responses, and for giving me a feel for what the 16s are like. A few comments:

- I think I would definitely consider an Angler as well as the Cruiser. I can see some advantages.

- In Washington you are technically required to use a trailer with brakes if your load is over 1000 lbs., so I would want that almost regardless of the boat.

- I also have a canoe that's longer than a C-Dory 16

- I found another excellent thread on this site that contrasts the BW Montauk with a C-Dory. It was enlightening.

- I'm starting to think that the cramped nature of a CD 16 might be a deal breaker for me, at least until I'm ready to upgrade to a full cruiser someday. Part of the reason I'm getting a boat in the first place is to enjoy it with my friends, many of whom are taller or bigger people, and most of which are couples. An open boat like the 150 Montauk can seat four in relative comfort, if only on a nice day, or me plus one couple and their dog.

[Catman]

Marty, MikeR and Mark, (3M), I sure enjoyed reading your perspectives on the 16', sharing the places you cruised, the way you utilized space, its trailerability, and just the joy of owning that spectacular little boat.

No doubt the four of us know at least another dozen guys who'd also add paragraphs of praise for that pint-sized paragon. Pat and Patti among them.
Hey Mark, you're going where, now? Do tell. A circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, perhaps?

[Marco Flamingo]