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westward



Joined: 18 Feb 2005
Posts: 718
City/Region: Seattle
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 1985
C-Dory Model: 16 Angler
Vessel Name: TBD
Photos: Steady Eddy
PostPosted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm probably not gonna score any points here, but I also find the exterior cabin configuration and proportions of the Marinaut a bit odd. To me, the rectangular side window is too large without enough of a fiberglass margin to properly define it, and the round window strikes me as random for lack of better description. I have no doubts, however, about its build quality or the quality of its builders. The beauty of its quality will shine through for the owner with every use. Fact is, very few boats "nail it" in the looks department like the C-Dory 22's and 16 Angler. I just took delivery of a new boat that many would find odd looking, if not outright ugly: a Stabicraft 2050 supercab. But in sea trials this weekend, as I blasted over 1-2' chop at 30MPH in complete comfort, and was able to maintain almost 5MPG at 24MPH over the same waters (per NMEA), my purchase decision was absolutely confirmed IN MY MIND. I don't care what other people think it looks like; its seakeeping is suberb and I love it! Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Cheers, Mike.
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Bess-C



Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 459
City/Region: Anacortes
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2003
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Bess-C
Photos: Bess-C
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought the proportions of the Marinaut looked a little unusual too, from the pictures that I had seen. Then I saw the boat in person at EQ and thought it was a great looking boat, with a lot of personality.

For some reason, the boat doesn't seem to come out as good looking in photos as it does in person.
Lyle

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C-Nile



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 638
City/Region: Connecticut
State or Province: CT
C-Dory Year: 2012
Vessel Name: Betty Ann
Photos: C-Nile
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

westward wrote:
I'm probably not gonna score any points here, but I also find the exterior cabin configuration and proportions of the Marinaut a bit odd. To me, the rectangular side window is too large without enough of a fiberglass margin to properly define it, and the round window strikes me as random for lack of better description. I have no doubts, however, about its build quality or the quality of its builders. The beauty of its quality will shine through for the owner with every use. Fact is, very few boats "nail it" in the looks department like the C-Dory 22's and 16 Angler. I just took delivery of a new boat that many would find odd looking, if not outright ugly: a Stabicraft 2050 supercab. But in sea trials this weekend, as I blasted over 1-2' chop at 30MPH in complete comfort, and was able to maintain almost 5MPG at 24MPH over the same waters (per NMEA), my purchase decision was absolutely confirmed IN MY MIND. I don't care what other people think it looks like; its seakeeping is suberb and I love it! Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Cheers, Mike.


No insult intended, but you are in a very small minority of people who think that way, and I think that the issue is that you have never seen a Marinaut first hand. Pictures fail to do her justice. If you see a Marinaut up close, enter her cabin and sit in the dinette in front of that round window, you may think differently. The most common comment we receive is, "what a cute boat!" Now, I've mentioned this in the past, and many people have stated they would not want a boat that others would find cute. Woman really dig the Marinaut, which is a particularly good thing. My wife does not like camping or the outdoors, preferring hotels, and recently large cruise ships. But she spends up to 21 overnights per year on our Marinaut. So to those of you who want to get your wives to go cruising with you, if she likes the boat, whether it is a C-Dory or a Marinaut, and she thinks its cute, get it!

Rich

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CD 16 Cruiser "C-Nile" Sold 06/2011
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C-Nile



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 638
City/Region: Connecticut
State or Province: CT
C-Dory Year: 2012
Vessel Name: Betty Ann
Photos: C-Nile
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bess-C wrote:
I thought the proportions of the Marinaut looked a little unusual too, from the pictures that I had seen. Then I saw the boat in person at EQ and thought it was a great looking boat, with a lot of personality.

For some reason, the boat doesn't seem to come out as good looking in photos as it does in person.
Lyle


Our posts crossed in the mail, Lyle, but I thoroughly agree with you. I've tried panoramic pictures and even movies, but all fail miserably at conveying the feeling of seeing the boat first hand. It's frustrating, but then again, when we take a two-dimensional photo of a person, no matter how good the photo, we can't capture a person's soul -- that presence we feel when we look into the eyes of another person. Perhaps, the same is true for the Marinaut. To see her soul, we need to see her in person.

Rich





Rich
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chromer



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Posts: 952
City/Region: Anacortes
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 19 Angler
Photos: Checkpoint II
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the Marinaut has to look this way. It avoids a legal battle over copycats.
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Checkpoint II (SOLD 10/2020)
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Jake



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 171

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The bigger the window the better for me. I like to see the sea. Smile Not a fan of skinny "jail" windows.
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C-Nile



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 638
City/Region: Connecticut
State or Province: CT
C-Dory Year: 2012
Vessel Name: Betty Ann
Photos: C-Nile
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jake wrote:
The bigger the window the better for me. I like to see the sea. Smile Not a fan of skinny "jail" windows.


That is a very good reason why we love the windows. The other thing is that I have a large frame, so when I pull a 24 foot OAL boat into a dock, it is easy for me to lean out the window to grab and then tie off to a cleat. The windows are tinted and have screens, so this promotes better air circulation over smaller windows. My wife Betty sits in the dinette in front of that round window. She likes it because it feels cozy in that corner with the round window, and it makes one feel that one is not on display.

Rich
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C-Nile



Joined: 09 May 2008
Posts: 638
City/Region: Connecticut
State or Province: CT
C-Dory Year: 2012
Vessel Name: Betty Ann
Photos: C-Nile
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

chromer wrote:
I think the Marinaut has to look this way. It avoids a legal battle over copycats.


Other than the distinctive round windows, sharp deadrise at the bow tapering into 3 degrees of deadrise at the stern, no lapstrakes, fully enclosed space between the hull and welded-into-the-hull floor pan, saddle fuel tanks, open berth, Mascoat Delta-T insulation in the cabin, closed cell foam coring throughout the boat, large windows and deep splashwell with lots of storage beneath it, the Marinaut could be accused of copying a C-Dory. Thank God it has those features, or else the manufacturer and designers could have had copycat lawsuits on their hands! Laughing
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Jake



Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 171

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also,

1. I think the black "frames" on the tinted side windows of the Marinaut make the windows appear even larger compared to a white frame.

2. I don't think any boat maker has a patent on the pilothouse style boat.

3. Personal preference. I'm not looking for a hard core fishing boat which looks like it can handle 8 foot seas. So the smooth lines and curves of the Marinaut are more to my liking. But I do prefer the square over round window if just for added light and visibility. I would also add a couple of hatches in the cabin roof.

4. I realize I'm in the minority of what people are looking for on this site. Smile
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redbaronace



Joined: 29 Aug 2012
Posts: 581
City/Region: Puget Sound
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Photos: redbaronace (Name TBD)
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like the look of the Marinaut especially this one with the grey hull. Bigger windows are in my opinion better for light and visibility.

Can someone tell me how the cockpit size varies between a 22' Cruiser and the 23' Marinaut
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My IRA



Joined: 18 Dec 2003
Posts: 233
City/Region: Springfield
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 2013
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: Aidiam
Photos: My IRA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Without a doubt, the 215 Marinaut is the best looking of all of the C-Dorys and their cousins (IMHO). My wife agrees (at least on this point).

The Marinaut has very pleasing lines with it's design form following intended function (great handling small boat design).

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Jerry and Helen
1984 Arima Explorer sold 1985
1985 Arima 17 SR sold 1992
1992 C-Dory 22 Cruiser sold 8/96
1992 OLympic 26XLF Sold 10/2000
1989 Arima 19 SR sold 2003
2004 C-Dory 25 sold 10/05
1992 Bounty 25 Offshore Pilot sold 6/2010
2006 Arima 17 SC sold 9/2012
2013 C-Dory 23 Venture
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rogerbum



Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 5922
City/Region: Kenmore
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Vessel Name: Meant to be
Photos: SeaDNA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

C-Nile wrote:
chromer wrote:
I think the Marinaut has to look this way. It avoids a legal battle over copycats.


Other than the distinctive round windows, sharp deadrise at the bow tapering into 3 degrees of deadrise at the stern, no lapstrakes, fully enclosed space between the hull and welded-into-the-hull floor pan, saddle fuel tanks, open berth, Mascoat Delta-T insulation in the cabin, closed cell foam coring throughout the boat, large windows and deep splashwell with lots of storage beneath it, the Marinaut could be accused of copying a C-Dory. Thank God it has those features, or else the manufacturer and designers could have had copycat lawsuits on their hands! Laughing

There's a little history to Chromer's comments. When the C-Dory company was acquired a number of years ago, there was a non-compete clause the prevented the former owners of the company from building a derivative boat. The former owners set up to build the Cape Cruiser and were sued by the then current owners of the C-Dory line. They lost that court battle and the Cape Cruiser molds were handed over the C-Dory and became the "Venture" series. I don't know all the particulars of who was involved in that lawsuit and non-compete clause but given that the former original owners were the Toland family and that Ben Tolan was a Marinaut designer, it's possible that some aspects of the legal battle either directly or indirectly influenced the design of the Marinaut (if for no other reason than want to make it different enough that people didn't jump to theories that weren't supported by whatever legal agreements were in place). Interestingly, the 26' Cape Cruiser did have the Marinaut name and that may lead to additional cause for speculation. See this link for some of that history and this link for one of the original ads to the Cape Cruise boats. The bottom line is I don't know and I suspect none of the other posters know if there were indeed constraints on the Marinaut design due to those previous legal battles.

Regardless, the Marinaut is different in a number of ways (as Rich points out above) and to my knowledge isn't and probably never will be subject to a similar legal battle as what took place between C-Dory and Cape Cruiser. Depending on personal preference, some or all of the changes may be regarded as improvements, neutral or downgrades. As was pointed out above, personal preference plays a large role in one's opinion.

Nonetheless, many of us think as fondly of our boats as we do our spouses and children. As a result, we shouldn't be too surprised if someone reacts to a negative comment about their boat's design. It's similar to saying, "to my eye, your wife's a little chubby" or "IMHO, your kid is a little odd looking". No matter how you try to justify comments like that (e.g. "she may be very attractive to you", or "the kid seems very functional in spite of his odd looks"), it's hard to not be perceived as rude by the spouse or parent. Wink

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redbaronace



Joined: 29 Aug 2012
Posts: 581
City/Region: Puget Sound
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Photos: redbaronace (Name TBD)
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like the look of the Marinaut especially this one with the grey hull. Bigger windows are in my opinion better for light and visibility.

Can someone tell me how the cockpit size varies between a 22' Cruiser and the 23' Marinaut
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rogerbum



Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 5922
City/Region: Kenmore
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Vessel Name: Meant to be
Photos: SeaDNA
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

redbaronace wrote:
I like the look of the Marinaut especially this one with the grey hull. Bigger windows are in my opinion better for light and visibility.

Can someone tell me how the cockpit size varies between a 22' Cruiser and the 23' Marinaut

There isn't a 23' Marinaut. Only a 21.5. Here's a nice chart that contains the comparison you're interested in (and some others too).
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redbaronace



Joined: 29 Aug 2012
Posts: 581
City/Region: Puget Sound
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 255 Tomcat
Photos: redbaronace (Name TBD)
PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rogerbum wrote:
redbaronace wrote:
I like the look of the Marinaut especially this one with the grey hull. Bigger windows are in my opinion better for light and visibility.

Can someone tell me how the cockpit size varies between a 22' Cruiser and the 23' Marinaut

There isn't a 23' Marinaut. Only a 21.5. Here's a nice chart that contains the comparison you're interested in (and some others too).


Thanks for the chart. That was very helpful.
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