16 ft c-dory v 17 ft arima? Apples to Apples?

[mm916157]

Hi Community. I am not looking to make waves on which boat is better but I am looking for my first boat and 16-19ft is what I can afford.

I live in Santa Cruz, so will be using in the Monterey Bay, where I need a seaworthy boat. I am not taking it 60 miles offshore for tuna...but needs to handle. I also want it small enough to trailer and take inland.

My main questions is if the 16ft c-dory models handle more or less the same as the 17ft arimas. I really really like the full cabin of the c-dory.

Second question. For recreational fishing, is there enough space on the c-dory cruiser models vs the angler. I want to make my search as broad as possible.

Any other advice or stories are welcome.

Thanks!

[jennykatz]

I've owned the 16 cruiser it's a Great little boat the problem is its pretty tippy compared to the Arima 17 The Arima has an 8 ft beam much better platform for fishing plus an extra ft a little heavier doesn't hurt either . Take them for a ride compare then decide. Montery bay can get nasty it's the Ocean .Jim

[thataway]

If you had asked about the 19, then I would have said C Dory 19. But between the 16 C Dory and 17 Arima--I agree with Jim, The Beamer Arima. However both of those boats are on the small side for those waters. I have been thru there a number of times on much larger boats heading to the PNW or Delta--and it can get rough fast.

But I probably would advise Radar for that area having had 18 foot skiffs ask which way was the harbor--when we were a number miles out....

Good hunting...most likely in a few years you will come back and ask about larger C Dory's. One thing to remember that the C Dory holds its value, and many of us are just caretakers of these boats for a few years in the life of these boats. I was the 3rd owner of a 22 about 12 years ago---the 3rd owner since I sold, is a person I have known for many years..All of the prior owners got bigger boats--many of them C Dorys...

Good hunting.

[South of Heaven]

Are you looking at the 16 Cruiser or Angler? I had a 16 Angler and thought it was a great boat and is a bit less expensive to get into than a Cruiser. I think you can find a used 16 A for between $10k-14k no prob, while a used 16 C may be more like $12k-18k or so. It all depends on the motor and the extra goodies.

About the Arima: I did a good amount of research on these. I think they are very cool boats as well. I don't care so much for the Sea ranger model though. I like the HT better because it has a true pilothouse. The HT 19 is pretty cool. I think they are neat boats, I was actually pretty close to buying one over the winter last year but I found a C Dory 19 instead.

Obviously your budget is the deciding factor. A bigger boat is more money....If you CAN go bigger than do it. It may actually save you in the long run. There is a disease called "3 foot-itis" ; to date there is no known cure. Hehe

[mm916157]

Thank for all the great insights guys and I will keep updated my thread as my knowledge, opinion and wallet evolves.

I work at West Marine, so I am getting a lot of good advice, like "buy the biggest boat you can afford, cuz once you are out there you will wish you had a bigger one."

I know Monterey is gnarly...especially by Moss Landing. My coworker who has a 24ft Grady White thinks its"cute" I want a small boat. Since I am a rookie navigator I will surely stay inside the mile marker and find calm waters whenever possible. As I gain skill, we will venture out smartly and thankfully electronics is the one thing easy for me to get .

I will really look at the C-Dory 19ft anglers based off the suggestions here.

I feel good honing in on these two brands. I started with a Whaler search, but the need for some protection from the wind introduced me to these great boats.

[Wandering Sagebrush]

We fished out of Garibaldi, Oregon (Tillamook Bay) with an Arima 17 Ranger. I thought it was a great boat for near shore fishing, say no more than 10-15 miles, usually much less than 6 miles. It was stable, tracked well and fished two nicely, three ok, and four in a pinch. Powered by a Honda 90, with Honda 8 Classic kicker. We replaced it with a CDory 22 Cruiser.

My opinion, having never been on a CD 16, is the Arima would be the better fishing boat. I suspect the CD Angler version would be the better of the two if you went with a CD. The Arima Chaser has more cockpit space than the Ranger, but a tiny cuddly/berth.

Either boat would do the job, both are safe when handled well under reasonable conditions. The CD would be easier to tow, and needs less power. The Arima has more room and comfort, and will handle slop and chop easier.

Edit: I just saw your post on a 19. Look at the Arima 19, too. I think at this length, the two brands are much closer in comparison. I believe there are hardtop options for the Arima starting at this length.

[MikeR]

You've already got some great advise and sounds like you are on the right track! I'll just add that I've had both a 16' Arima Sea Explorer and a 16' C-dory Angler, and there is no comparison between the 2 boats in size. The 17' would be an even bigger difference. The 16' Angler is really more comparable to the 15' Sea Hunter, and even then the Sea Hunter is slightly bigger and rated for 80 hp, compared to 55 hp for the C-dory.

One thing to be aware of with Arima is that despite what their advertising may indicate, they are much heavier boats. My 16' originally came equipped with a 50 hp Honda. It only took 2 years to repower with a 90 hp E-tec, and it made a world of difference. I also had to immediately upgrade from a compact SUV to a full size 1/2 ton pickup in order to comfortably tow it. On the other hand, the 16' C-dory does great with 50 hp, tows easily with my 4 cyl compact SUV, and pushes by hand around the driveway and into the garage.

-Mike