"Sport" cruiser experience?--looking for a C-22.

[qboat]

Hello--I am still looking for a C-22. One guy has a sport cruiser for sale, which seems to have the long cabin like a cruiser (not an Angler) but without the bulkhead and door; their place is taken by drop curtains. I mostly boat in warm weather, so this may not be a big disincentive, although the full cabin strikes me as more desirable. Are there any downsides beyond the obvious? Does lack of the bulkhead reduce stiffness of the hull, or create other problems? Any opinion of the effect on resale value? Thanks for letting me tap the wide knowledge base here--this group is fantastic. Sam

[thataway]

Although most of us have not seen a 22 without the aft bulkhead, there was some recent comment on a boat like this--which apparently you have found.

Structurally I doubt that it makes any difference. The 22 is also made in a center console model (rare now), with no bulkheads. The hull is inherently stiff.

There ia a noise issue. The aft bulkhead with the door closed significantly decrease the noise at the helm.

There is also the heating and cooling issue. Since the C Dory is a 4 season boat, (with heat and AC), you loose a lot of that ability with no aft bulkhead. There is insect intrusion,

My guess is that the resale is going to be significantly more difficult. Doe the boat have a dinette and galley, or is it the commenter model, which just has bench seats on each side?

Good luck on your search--there are a significant number of 22's for sale currently.

[ssobol]

Depends on where you boat. Plenty of CC, dual console, and other open boats are used year 'round in warmer climes.

The Marinaut has the option of removing the rear cabin bulkhead. You can leave it open or use an "alaskan" (canvas) rear bulkhead.

In some places a C-Dory in this configuration might be par for the course.

[MikeR]

The 19 Anglers have no bulkhead and some have added bulkheads to them. Ari is one example. The other big difference between the sport cruiser, besides the lack of bulkhead, is the interior layout. The regular cruiser has a dinette on the Port side and a small galley on the starboard side, with a sink and a stove, or a sink and a counter top. The sport cruiser on the other hand has 2 bench seats facing each other. Seems like it might be a nice setup if you are fishing in warm weather with friends, perhaps a more comfortable layout for a party of 4, with the hardtop giving protection from the sun and/or rain while being completely open to the cockpit to manage the fishing rods and gear.

Regarding resale value, the boat appears to be in great condition for the price. I would think it should hold value as well as the other models, and might appeal to potential buyers of the 19, who like that model for the open bulkhead design for fishing. On the other hand, there was a boat in the Seattle area last year with the same layout as your sport cruiser (although I think it had a solid bulkhead) and it was on the market for a long time, but there may have been other factors such as lack of trailer and higher price (about $10k more than the one you are looking at).

Here's a picture of the 2004 Sport Cruiser for those who have not seen one:

[qboat]

She was gone before I figured it all out! Thanks for the help.