Hello from Texas

jrb2019 · Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2019 10:26 pm Post subject: Hello from Texas

Welp, where to start?

My name is Russ and I have owned cheap boats, expensive ones, comfortable ones, and ones that could rattle your teeth loose lol. I sold the last one, a Triton 240LTS Pro in 2011, bought a ranch. Decided that the kids liked fishing better so sold that and was looking for my next money pit and came across the cutest dang boat I ever saw I could afford lol

So, here I am, 3.5 hours from the coast....thinking “another bay boat with onlt a t-top....or an old Grady with some major tlc needed?”...and I happened upon a Dory.

So, I am in a pickle. With a few upgrades, to accomodate the fact I love to fish...this thing could be just about the most perfect boat I have owned heh.

Here is the problem(s) I face...and I bet you all can help me decide how to handle them.

1 - There is not a lot of room aft. I am used to a CC or walk around. As I never go out alone, how is the room for fishing 2-3 grown people? Any pictures of folks fishing off the back?

2 - There appears to be no live well or fish well on these. Honestly, while folks fish with them, they do not appear to be rigged for fishing. Anyone ever added stuff for that? Not a huge issue, but since space is small, curious how you all deal with it.

3 - If I got one, I would want to add a fridge (I liked that aspect heh), a 10-12” fish finder, an a/c (that is so my wife and kids go more often), and I saw some cool solar setups. Where might one add more batteries?

I am looking at two 22’ Cruisers, albeit I like the dual outboard one best.

Thank you for any insight!

Trying to make sure I get a boat that has room to fish off of without being crowded....and I like the fact I can tow it and launch it on a lake too! Smile

Russ

hardee · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:10 am Post subject:

Well Russ, Welcome, and you jingled my bell, "Like the dual outboard one best". Me too, I love my twins. And I am sitting here laughing because you ask about fishing, and everywhere I go, I get asked about fishing and I don't fish. "But that boat want's to fish" I have heard more times than I can count.

So I will leave it to the fisherman to explain to you how that works, (but my boat was set up by a gentleman who had owned 34 boats prior, and was getting ready to fish his way to Alaska from Washington State. AND my boat has downrigger gear for 2 down riggers.)

Without a camper back, there is room for at least 2 stand up fishermen in the cockpit, and it is 3 stems from the helm to the stern, either corner.

I single hand 98% of the time but I have had as many as 6 adults on board, and we all had a place to sit --( extra camp chairs in the cockpit). 33.5 hours from the coast, no problem, the boat sits on a trailer and does 60 miles and hour and gets 10 - 15 mpg there, and you can sleep on it (boaterhoming) on the way to the coast and back if you need to, or stay a few days at the coast and sleep on it on the water, --aahhh what a concept.

A/C, Solar and fridge are all doable (already done a bunch) and in most anyway to suit you. The more batteries, depending on what type, determines where you put them, (weight aft and all).

The site as a ton of photo albums. You could spend several hours a day, for several months looking at those. Lots of pix, and lots of ideas. There is also a search function box near the top of the home page. You can search for Fishbox or Fish AND box and see what you get.

Enjoy, and be careful. C-Dorys are habit forming and can lead to an acquirement syndrome that is catchy and communicable.

Wish you all the best.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:57 am Post subject: Re: Hello from Texas

jrb2019 · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:33 am Post subject:

Guys, thank you so much for the info and help.

I am 52, I have a 9yr old boy and an 11yr old girl. When they were born, I was fishing a lot. I got the ranch for the peace and solitude, but found that, as they got older, it was harder to take them out of school to join me, so...a boat offers me the chance to do that, and they beg me to take them fishing a lot. Since momma only lets me have one "toy" at a time.. lol.. the ranch goes, a boat comes along heh.

I seriously never pictured myself in something like a c-dory, but I am the kind of person that loves old cars and would rather "tootle around" in an original Duesenberg than speed around in a '57 Chevy, so when I saw this.. I was hooked.

That being said, I have to be practical because "Daddy loves to fish" lol.. and I need to be able to be back there with those two to help, and not tie them up all the time.

So, what I am "giving up" is the ability to spread people out fore and aft to fish. Not a big deal because, what "I" see is the ability to bring my wife along, maybe even her parents, and they can sit inside in comfort and enjoy a ride, while the kids fish with me... something they cannot do near as comfortably on a CC.

So, trying to figure the logistics out of no live wells etc.

I was able to google a lot of videos...but it is flat out amazing how few pictures one sees of people on the aft section, to be able to get some sort of size understanding. I see a bagillion videos etc of people driving around.. lol.. nothing of anyone fishing off the back.

Also, my buddy.. I know him... he'll grab his pole and go walk up to the bow and drop a line and sit there if need be....which is fine because he tends to bring 40 rods and cast on top of me.. lol.

So, I see where people stick a small ice chest between the gas tanks and a couple lawn chairs. imo.. lawn chairs would tend to slide around too much, but, I can work ways around that.. pretty handy Wink

Live wells.. not a big deal, I can turn the ice chest into one.. easy. Gotta figure where best to set a large ice chest for fish that will also not eat up the last of the space on that back section.

Also, the 22 Cruiser is just way too nice to go with the angler.. I do not want to give up that space for my wife. Happy wife, Happy life.. lol.. She will let me buy any boat I want and she will go along....just makes me happy thinking of her doing so in comfort.

This boat is .. "an acquired taste".. I get it.. a couple of my fishing buddies already laughed when I showed it to them...but I do not care....I could pay the thing off and get a dang bass boat on the side if I really wanted to...this boat just screams, "fun" in my mind.. so.. going to figure a way to make it work out if I can.

Thanks. Hope to inform you all of joining the family if I can heh.

Russ

Sea Wolf · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 8:58 am Post subject:

Russ-

I forgot to mention that I had a live well bait tank in my 1987 Cruiser (sold in 2015). It was built into the port side lazarette locker and was either a factory or dealer installed option. Worked well for small baitfish, but due to the smallish size and non-circular shape, would not have been suitable for ocean baitfish such as anchovies that require a large round tank with continuous circular current and a light source to simulate the sun.

And, hey, wuz I right about that Harvey Guy, huh??? Laughing

Joe.

jrb2019 · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:18 am Post subject:

ssobol · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 10:41 am Post subject:

The port lazarette on my CD-22 cruiser was set up as a live well when I bought it. It may have been a factory installation. The PO used the boat for fishing. I don't so I converted the live well to conventional storage.

hardee · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:00 pm Post subject:

to JRB2019,

My apologies, I (nearly) always sign off with my name, but some how I missed it on the first post, after your OP, in this thread. Sorry, for the confusion. I did post some photos and the first one has my twins featured.

I did put in a small hint (in bold in the quote below) that I am a confirmed twinaholic, and many of the folks here are good about warning the new comers that I might have bit of a "twins" bias.

DayBreak · Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:33 pm Post subject:

Welcome Russ. We have a good friend who is a professional fishing guide. When he stepped on our boat at home he made a comment, "Where are the fish lockers?" He liked the boat though and did remark that we should take it and go catch some tuna. To get around not having fish lockers, we take along a large Igloo Cooler, put a little water into it along with some ice. As we catch fish we throw them in, close the lid, use it as a seat platform and continue to fish. I feel the deck space for fishing is good for two but may be a little crowded for three though.

Like Harvey remarks, they are great boats for overnight stays and even longer.

C-Dory boats have a very stable platform while fishing in the ocean but will pound more in wind waves when compared to a deep v hull. To trim the nose down a little and slow your speed takes care of that. The fuel economy is a big plus!