Coke or Pepsi.... 22 Cruiser vs. 23 Venture... and why

[Devonaire]

Not that I think it hasn't been said but at just over six foot in height I can't sit up in the v berth of my 22 and I can in. 23. Having to kink my head around to sit and slide out of the v berth is getting harder as I reach closer to 70. By the way I sleep sideways in the V berth to make it easier for that midnight bladder relief seems easier to get in and out.

[Devonaire]

Not that I think it hasn't been said but at just over six foot in height I can't sit up in the v berth of my 22 and I can in. 23. Having to kink my head around to sit and slide out of the v berth is getting harder as I reach closer to 70. By the way I sleep sideways in the V berth to make it easier for that midnight bladder relief seems easier to get in and out.

[JonO]

Excellent point... Any reason why you wouldn't bed down in the cabin instead? (Other than the hassle of moving the table to the lower position and moving the cushions?)

[jennykatz]

Having driven every c-dory product except the Cats and 29 ..I find the CC-23 venture and cd23 venture to be heads and shoulders above the CD22 I usually run my venture 23 at 4000 rpm and get about 18-21 mph depending on Sea conditions Try that with aCD22 usually your running about 15-16 mph for a good ride The 23 just handles the chop so much better Plus you can put 4 chairs in the cockpit vs 2 chairs in CD22 . Sitting up in v berth also 6ft4 in headroom I can’t tell you how many times I hit my head in My CD 22 when a rogue wave hits the headroom is not as good For my $$$ I would buy the 23 before it is sold beneath you Just my 2 cents Jim W

[baensch-ak]

From Al & Karen B., who had a 23 before the present, second 22: Most of what can be said has been said above, save for one item: The height over the V-berth. Someone already suggested that you try it in both boats - good advice. One of the appreciated differences in the 23 for us is the more ample height above the V-berth. Another is the flat floor, and the cabinetry. Good luck. Main thing: Get out cruising!

[Pat Anderson]

We are C-Brats #62, and have been in this forum since the beginning. We bought a CD22 in 2003 and a CD25 in 2005. The Venture was originally the Cape Cruiser, designed and built by Ben Toland, the original designer of the C-Dory (or one of them?) and some former C-Dory employees, including Buck Williams, who was in charge of the build of our CD 22 at the old Kent factory. As such, you could call the Cape Cruiser the C-Dory 2.0.

C-Dory was then owned by the Reynolds family, and they sued Cape Cruiser, the Ben Toland company. There certainly are some more than superficial similarities, but I thought the Cape Cruiser was enough different. The jury apparently disagreed. Strangely enough, a Google search now turns up nothing on the lawsuit (if it does, could somebody post the link you were able to find?). The upshot of the lawsuit is that C-Dory ended up owning the Cape Cruiser molds, renamed it the C-Dory Venture, and is doing very well with Ben Toland's C-Dory 2.0.

This thread from about seven years ago has a bit more information and initial opinions. There is a lot of history in this thread that new C-Brats might find interesting. The consensus then seemed to be that the Cape Cruiser aka C-Dory Venture was a superior boat in a number of respects. I personally still believe the Venture 23 is superior to the C-Dory 22 but they are both excellent boats.

That said, we are VERY happy with our 2005 C-Dory 25 Cruiser that was built in the Reyolds C-Dory company's Auburn factory, but only (we think) because we visited the factory frequently and Andrew Custis, now with Ranger, took good care of us.

Here is the photo album (2 pages) of the build of Daydream, from the hull coming off the mold to emerging from the factory 's "birth canal" and our first sundowner (first of many!) in the cockpit at home!

[JonO]

I've watched two of my homes from start to finish just like you watched the factory build your boat. Really interesting stuff about that, and the history of the 23 Venture. (I've read that thread.)

One factor not mentioned, but obvious, is tow weight. From what I've read the difference between hauling the 22 and the 23 is fairly significant. I'm running an older V8 4WD club cab pick-up as my tow vehicle. From the specs, it should be just fine with the 22.... the 23 might be border line, given that the spec says 6,050 pounds.

[hardee]

[jennykatz]

We have weighed our cc23 venture it came in at 5400lb

Boat 3000 lb
Trailer 1500 lb this is a continental aluminum trailer 15 in wheels with brakes
Engine 400 lb with cables and controls Mercury 115 ct
Misc 500 lb fuel life jackets batteries etc

My cd22 was 3800-4000 lb on a single axle galv trailer with a 90 Hp Suzuki
So about 1500 lb difference bigger trailer bigger engine on 23 vs 22

[DayBreak]

[PaulNBriannaLynn]

The 23 is significantly bigger than the 22. It was always apparent when I step off my friends 23 after fishing all day and go check on my own boat (a 22) in the marina. My 22 seemed like a toy. Them sitting side by side on trailers it's also pretty apparent. The interior of the cabin feels much more roomy and the presence is just much larger.

Contrary to what others have said, I'm not convinced the ride quality is much different between the two boats. While the feel inside the cabin is different due to the size, both handle basically the same in short interval chop and overall has a c-dory feel, which is unique (both good and bad).

This comparison comes up frequently and I don't really get why the comparison is always between the 22 and 23, and not the 23 and 25. Asking prices of used 23s are usually closer to the cost of used 25s than the 22. I would probably pick the 25 due to the taller headroom and extra foot of beam for elbow room, not to mention the head of course. Also if you have a truck that can tow a 23, you probably can pull a 25 as well. On the other hand you can easily tow a 22 with a much lighter vehicle. Anyway that's my 2 cents. They are all great boats and an excellent choice whichever you choose.

[JonO]

Hi Gary/Daybreak... I'm in exactly the same boat as you were for tow vehicles... V8 4WD club cab - Dodge Dakota. The tail wagging the dog part was my concern. Thanks for the real-world experience with that.

[DayBreak]

Hi JonO,
The purchase of our Venture was for the long-term. Trucks can come and go. You may find that the 22 Cruiser meets your needs and not hesitate to keep the Dakota. Take things slow and continue to ask questions like you are.