Canvas

Tom Hruby · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 3:36 pm Post subject:

Bob, I quite agree the enclosed cockpit is great when cruising in a deep keel large boat. Unfortunately the 22' C-Dory is light and has a flat bottom. That means that it has very little lateral resistance to cross winds. I have found that I have to roll up the top and fold it around the bimini bows when cruising, even in winds as low as 8-10 mph, and forget about leaving the side panels on! We extend the top and put on the side panels when we get to a marina or anchorage. In that case the "privacy" panels we have work just as well at keeping the rain out. They are easier to roll up and store than the clear vinyl sides. That is why we keep them at home for the summer.

thataway · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 4:38 pm Post subject:

ssobol · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 4:55 pm Post subject:

Tom Hruby · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 5:30 pm Post subject:

Bob, you are correct. I have to cruise like a sailboat; watching wind and tide. BUT, I have been doing this for 27 years now in Puget Sound (all electric). This is a different kind of cruising than high speed planing, and I find there is increased interest in this kind of cruising. I do have solar panels on the cabin top that give me about 1hr of cruising for 5 hrs of sunlight. The 22' C-Dory is well suited for this low speed electric cruising if I work with its limitations. I have estimated that the absolute energy consumed per mile traveled (kWh) at 5mph is 10 times lower for electric (0.400 kWhr/mile vs. about 4.0 kWhr/mile) then for gasoline - also at 5mph (using the estimate of 33,000 kWhr stored in a gallon of gas).

JamesTXSD · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2025 10:41 pm Post subject:

I'm with Dr Bob on this - the camperback we had on Wild Blue greatly expanded our comfort. Ours was made by King canvas and had the eisenglass plastic panels on a section of the sides and back. Those panels would roll up with a screen underneath that allowed good air flow, even on hot days. In fact, we'd put a navy blue beach towel to cover the sunny side eisenglass, and that helped keep it cool, too. When in a marina, we'd sometimes put the towels up for the privacy.

Most of the time, we would have a Honda 2000 generator in a RubberMade bin, a large cooler with a pad on top that we used for extra seating (and storage inside, mostly for dry food and paper goods), and a couple comfortable chairs in the cockpit. Never had an issue with any of that stuff "walking away" - I credit the camperback/privacy thing for that.

That camperback provided more square footage for living when we were out cruising. Being on the boat for up to 6 months at a time was easier thanks to having that extra covered space in the cockpit.

Tom Hruby · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2025 12:18 am Post subject:

Oops the energy stored in a gallon of gas is 33kWh . I put a comma in instead of a period. The other numbers are ok