Poor Handling

[cislander]

I am a new owner of a 19' angler with a 90 HP Honda on it with permatrim, and after taking it out today on my first real outing with it, I am not very impressed at the boats handling ablility. It is very unstable at high speeds, scary in fact. Does anyone else share this opinion? Don't know if I will "hang in" with this boat. I miss my Alaskan Bulkhead Trophy, it could handle high speed turns and all without scaring the rat out of the wife. Any advice would be appreciated before we decide to bail.

[Jack in Alaska]

Welcome to the world of C-Dory owners. You will find the answer to your problem here. Maybe not from me but someone will chime in after me..............

You have advanced from a deep V high speed hull to a flat bottom dory type boat and in my opinion a too large engine.
It will NOT perform at high speed like your previous boat but it will perform flawlessly at a medium speed(20 mph) and do it much more economically. You purchased a great boat but if you can not drive it at a speed mentioned you should probably put it up for sale. It is not a high speed boat.

Good luck................

Jack in Alaska

[Captains Cat]

That's just the way they handle. On a sharp turn, the corner of the flat hull will "grab" and give you an uncomfortable feeling. My 22 was the same way. You get used to it.

I assume you sea trialed the boat before you bought it?

Charlie

[Fishhawk]

cislander,

I've never ridden a 19, but Jack is spot on.
No one around here ever claimed their boat to be a high speed vessel. Lots of us have experienced the squirrely behavior at 35 mph and above. JUST SLOW DOWN!
You have to be willing to give up something to get the C-dory fuel economy.
Save your 90 horses for flat calm water and/or heavy loads and...............................................don't give up on her too soon.

Dan

[JamesTXSD]

Boy, did Jack come right to the point with that. A deep-V boat will certainly handle high speed better... at a cost of much higher fuel usage. Let conditions get really snotty, and you will begin to appreciate the C-Dory hull design. Yes, it is slower... and as conditions require you to slow down that deep-V, it will wallow and be an uncomfortable ride. The C-Dory will slog through the crap and get you home safely... but, slower. And at half the fuel usage.

We generally run our CD-25 in the mid to upper teens as our "high speed" cruise. I can get it above 20 knots, but the ride gets rougher and the handling feels less precise. We knew that going into it.

If high speed is more important than being able to handle most of what Mother Nature might throw at you, then the C-Dory might not be the right boat for your usage.

Give it some more time to discover the virtues of this hull.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[Ron Cowan]

Agree with all other comments, and also found that the engine trim made a great difference in feel of stability. More so than any other boat I had ever had.
Ron

[Robbi]

My first ride in my 19 was exactly the same experience! I thought to myself, what have I gone and done! At that time, the boat just had trim tabs and not the permatrim. Aggressive use of trim tabs on the 19 is a real adventure!

Take your time to learn the boats characteristics at different speeds. The 19 is very sensitive to motor tilt angle. I use the tilt button almost as much as the throttle. There is a fine line, but it is easily learned. Bow down too much at speed will scare the little willies out of you. The bow grabs and will turn the boat sideways with the smallest input from the wheel. Bow up too much at speed and the flat bottom won't hold well and turns are loose.

After some experimenting time, you will feel in control of the boat, and understand the differences between hull types. A C-Dory is not a WOT boat, this is not to say that you can't run at 30 mph, you just need to get the feel for the conditions that allow that speed.

I find that most of my running time is at about 18 knots. If it is smooth, I can raise the bow, gain a knot or two and feel perfectly comfortable. The boat will handle quick S type turns, those used to miss debris in the water, very well.

I also think that the feel of the steering wheel gives you the best input for handling of the boat at speed. Too heavy (bow down) and you get into the bow steering, too light (bow up) and you can loose more control of the stern.

I now have a permatrim which I think is the best addition you can have on the 19. I find that I don't use the trim tabs much at all, mostly to balance the boat, but I try to do that will weight placement. I think the trim tabs do add a bit of "hull length", which doesn't hurt the 19 at all. The 19 is the same hull at the 22, just with 3 feet "cut out", probably not the best way to design a boat, but it works.

Robbi

[cislander]

Thanks to everyone for some good feedback. I hope in time I will get the feel of the Dory and like it. Otherwise I spent a lot money and may not see it back.

[rogerbum]

You'll see the money back - every time you motor past a fuel dock and don't need any.

[Captains Cat]

You'll also see your money back when you sell. These boats hold their value better than any make I know.

Charlie

[ghone]

the 19 is a superb handling boat with the static balance even side to side. I have several 5 gallon water jugs I shift to compensate for list due to passenger load. And 90 is way to much power you won't be needing it but good to have for quick launches and then back down. Tab deployment is truly useful at lower speeds and if going wide open lift them up. You can look a bit like Bob Hoovers aerobatic show if lowered. One of my first trips I went wot with one tab down a bit and carved a turn opposite the helm movements and tipped way over. Not good. WOT is only possible in flat calms anyway and how often do we get that? Being a dory hull they want to slow down in chop. That being said I see the same speeds in 3-4 foot slop that the deep vees if they have a brain as do as I trim the bow up a tad and run at 10 knots and have a good time the c-dory doesn't care about it. Like others have said the c-dory is not for high speed cruising. I have seen 30 mph with me aboard and light on fuel the handling moves into the squirelly side of the envelop.
At the designed correct speeds of 16 to 20 knots the thing is superb. I rarely use my tabs but tilt the engine, I have the stingray stabilizer much like the perma trim and it's all the boat needs. Slow down enjoy life and get the c-dory grin going. It's all good, George

[patrick and linda]

JUST A NOTE ON THE HOLDING of VALUE THING. recently sold my 22', for 19k less than i had in it. sold fast, so, maybe priced to cheap, however if i had held my price of 4k more, i might still be sitting on it. these figures are current and real.
pat

ps: just to keep it honest, i've never sold a boat for a profit and equally never sold a boat for what i had in it, and never had a boat that satisfied all of my demands!

[cislander]

Lots of good feedback coming from people who seem to know their subject when it comes to boats. I just have one question though, how many of you have had a good deep hulled boat like the Bayliner Trophy? I don't know how much I will like using water jugs and moving people around to get my boat to ride like it should, After all this is the Northwest, and we need stablility out there, this is a serious game.
I still need to be convinced, however, I am going to give it a fair chance to please before it hits the market again. If I don't have that patience then I stand a chance to lose a bundle of $$$.
Cislander

[Sneaks]

[ghone]

Hi there the moveable ballast is just for the comfort of no list at rest . The bayliner at slower speeds will wallow and wander in a chop and wear one out. They are meant to plane. The dory is hugely stable much of it's weight is down low and when discussing the merits with deep vee owners who have just had a beating out there, I'm happy to run a dory. For truly fast running in chop one could use a cigarette or donzi or other go fast but different boats for different folks. The C-dory is for those that want to arrive alive and fresh, and if we look at the huge amount of experience of owners who have been there ..done that in all manner of boat, the c-dory is a winner. Give it some hours and try 14-18 knots for a while George