Should I Get a C-Dory?

[Nordmann]

I think I should get a C-Dory. I've been researching alternatives to my current cookie-cutter and everything keeps coming back to a 22 Cruiser.

Truth be told, the last time I waterskied, Apple had just introduced the iPhone...yet I hang on to my current boat like these last hairs on my head. But my wife and I mainly use it for crabbing and, after taking a bathtub of green water over the bow last summer (again) I know it's time to grow up. So, not only do I continue to come back to the 22 Cruiser, but I've spent hours on this C-Brats site and what a treasure trove! Deep V versus modified, HP, trim tabs, tips on how to skipper...it's all here, not to mention what seems like a bunch of great people! Very cool. But a couple things I can't seem to find:

1. My tow vehicle (2018 Kia Sorento) has a tow rating of 5,000 lbs. Would I be biting off too much with a 22 Cruiser? I still have retirement to save for so I'd likely be looking for a late 2000s Cruiser, if that matters on weight.

2. I'd rather not hear a small craft advisory with only one engine. I read that many of you have 10 HP kickers, is that enough to keep my bow where I want it in a blow? Should I be looking for a single 90 or 115 with a kicker, or two 50s? Is the late 2000s 22 Cruiser even designed to handle two motors?

I sure hope the answers work out in my favor...this seems like a great group and of course the salty look of the CD means I will never yawn when I look at my boat again. Thanks for any and all input.

[-Waypoint-]

Hello Jason,

We bought our C-Dory 1998 Cruiser almost a year ago. We pull it with a 2018 Toyota Tacoma (V6 engine). I really think it will depend on the trailer set up with breaks, number of axels, and how far you plan to tow it. (for the whole rig) We had a duel axel aluminum trailer with hydraulic disk breaks built for ours. It tows down the interstate at 74 mph with no problem fully loaded. I live in Florida where the biggest hills are bridges. The truck will downshift a bit on a large bridge, but I really feel that a bigger tow vehicle would be a waste for our boat.

Our boat has the twin Honda 40’s. We were in the Keys last year and I hit a floating under water crab pot line with one of the engines. It wrapped up the line enough that I couldn’t get it unwrapped safely in open water with the winds blowing 24 Kts. I was able to get back to the dock motoring at 6 kts. with the other 40 hp. motor. (engine was at 3600 rpm.) We had to go dead into the weather back to the dock for 15 miles. This was when I was glad to have the 40 hp. I am a fan of the twin motors and will repower with the same 40 hp engines when its time. Cost is more, but there is never any dead weight engine not being used. I can not imagine only having 10 hp. to power us back to the dock in this situation. I would have called Tow-Boat US if this was the case.

We love our 22 Cruiser and think it’s the best boat we have ever owned. Go get you one and enjoy the C-Dory life.

[Nancy and Bud]

Yes you should.

[TyBoo]

First off, welcome to our group , and yes - of course you should!

Towing - you would be right at the limit with a CD22 but should be OK for short hauls. I wouldn't want to drive I-5 through Seattle towing with the Sorento, but taking a more leisurely route around it to get to the SJ Islands once a year should be fine if you stay mindful of the load behind you. I towed my CD22 all over the place with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 6500 tow rating, and towed the CD25 with it a few times. I never had a problem but then I never got into a problem situation on the road, either.

Twins vs. Single/Kicker is the perennial question! Nobody can decide that one for you but I can say that I feel comforatable with the 9.9 kicker on my CD25. I have not had to use it in heavy seas yet although I am certain it would keep me out of trouble if needed. My previous kicker on the CD25 was a 15 hp and since it could not get the hull on plane it really wasn't any better than a 10 hp. I used it to come back from the middle of the Columbia River bar to my home port about 12 miles upriver when my steering cable broke. It was a calm day and we did it with no trouble.

[ssobol]

My '08 CD-22 with a single Honda 90 on a tandem axle on a AL trailer weighs 4500# with typical towing loading. I tow it with a V6 Pathfinder (6K limit) with no problems. I used to tow it fine with a Sienna minivan.

[thataway]

Welcome aboard. I do believe that the C Dory 22 (any vintage) opens up a lot more cruising as well as crabbing and fishing, than the Bayliner. Plus the C Dorys keep their value.

I towed our 22 over most Western Grades with a 2000 Honda Pilot (Tow limit was 3500 lbs for house trailers and 5,000# for boats....but I suspect that was based on wind profile, so that the C Dory has a larger profile than an 18 foot runabout. (and we have heavy boats with extra cruising gear). Probably the lighter boats have a single axle trailer, which is fine for short tows. I would not rule out tandem axle trailers. I also tow at 57 to 62 mph, even with larger tow vehicles.

As for the kicker, I am of the smaller kicker is OK. But I have spent most of my life in sailboats, where we used small kickers to get the boats home when no wind. My dad's 26 foot sailboat had a hull similar to the C Dory 25, small trunk cabin, but high mast, probably gave it as much wind resistance as the 25. He routinely used a 5 hp outboard in. a well as power. I have used a 3.5 HP 2 stroke Merc as my Kicker. I look at the kicker as a method to get steerage way, and get the boat to safety if necessary. Progress would be slow in heavy wind and seas. But it take surprisingly little power to get a boat moving. I got a 62 foot sailboat weight of 65,000# up to 2.5 knots using only a 4.5hp outboard on a dinghy pushing "on the Hip", when I lost the transmission of the diesel engine.

I happen to be a single large motor fan. Modern outboards are super reliable. But when in remote areas, I have the 3.5--and realize it may take hours to get somewhere, if I cannot "fix" the main.

[SnowTexan]

As a total c-dory rookie and c-brat initiate, the twin 40’s have been amazing to me so far. In calm water I am able to spin 180 degrees in less than 3 feet of water with a dock on one side, and hull scraping depth on the other and back into a slip without smashing the sheriff’s boat. The spin brings the bow within a foot of the dock and the stern maybe 5 feet from scraping. For me it is extremely tight. This is the capability of the boat with the twins and has absolutely nothing to do with my skills. I know there are many here who could do this in their sleep with a single 90 and not spill a drop of their coffee, but I am NOT one of them. Just one data point from a new guy. Good luck in your process!

Nigel

[rbfconstruction]

Yes. You should get a 19 ft. angler model (lighter, easier to trailer and back up, big enough) and one with electric disk brakes. HEY... I have one for sale and I am only two states away.

Richard

I took my kicker off as one is not much needed here with sea tow and boat u.s.

[colbysmith]

My CD-22 weighs in at about 5100 lbs. While I now tow it with a Ford F150, prior to the pickup I towed the boat all over the US with a 2010 Toyota Highlander with the V6. It was rated to tow 5000 lbs. It towed my CD-22 flawlessly round trip over the Rockies twice, and easily around the Midwest to the Southeast. I admit now that I have the pickup, it feels a lot more solid, but the Highlander did a good job. I also have electric brakes on my twin axle trailer. As to getting a C-Dory, I've loved mine and glad I got it. I went from a PartyBarge Pontoon, to a 1988 Searay 268 Sundancer, and then to the CD-22 Cruiser. No regrets. Colby

[hardee]

Well you did come to the right place, Oh, and WELCOME to the C-BRATS site. But of course you should get a C-Dory, and the 22 is about the most perfect PNW boat on the water. Cabin to be in, out of the weather, easy to single hand and yes, you can tow it with what you have (5K# max), BUT do that carefully. My 22, scaled on the trailer is right at 5K. I did tow it with a mid 90's Tacoma for a while, but it is much more comefortable behind the Tundra now.

As to single or twins -- most everyone here knows where I sit at that table. Twins, for sure, for lots of reasons, and like "snowtexan" Nigel mentioned, the low speed manouvering is the prime reason. My twin 40's have close to 1500 hours, and I'm still not ready to trade for a single and kicker, OR an only single, (I had a good friend who ran a single only for several years. He treated it just like his airplane engine - never had a kicker in the plane so why on a boat. Take good care of it and it takes care of you.)

All the best in your search. Stsy safe, and good hunting.

Harvey
SleepyC

[BigO]

I have also been researching the 22' C-Dory's, with my 4Runner's 5000 lbs tow rating. As other's have pointed out, the 22' Cruiser tow weight can be over or under the 5000 lbs mark. For your initial "empty" weight, you would need to pay close attention to the motor combo, batteries set-up, type of trailer, and other "fixed" accessories the previous owner has installed. Then you have your variables, such as fuel, water, cooler w/ice, and any fishing/crabbing gear.

Another option too, the 22' Angler is about 500 lbs lighter than the Cruiser. A smaller cabin and no galley, but a larger open area in the back for fishing and crabbing. This is the option I am leaning towards, and then get a canvas top in the back and using a boating grill or camping stove.

[ssobol]

If you find one with an aluminum trailer you'll save a couple of hundred pounds on the towing weight.

[Hunkydory]

Mike Moser, from Minnesota, made the loop from Minneapolis to Yellowstone Park & Lake Powell then back towing with a Toyota Sienna with no problems. The route took him over several high Rocky Mountain passes. Now he’s planning on a trip to Skagway, Alaska & back. Not something, I would care to do, as just like anchors for me it’s the bigger the better, (I tow our CD22 with a one ton Chevy duramax diesel dually), but he has shown, so far it’s doable.

Jay

[NewMoon]

FWIW,

We towed our 22 Cruiser all over the west with an 89 Pathfinder rated IIRC for 3500 lb. Our 22 was lighter than some, with a two-stroke Yamaha 90 main weighing only about 275 lb. Manual transmission, higher-grade off-road suspension, good brakes, good shocks, good tires pumped to their max pressure. With a not-so-powerful v6 we did have to gear down on big hills - no big deal. It always worked very well - felt very much under control, even in rapid braking or lane changes.

Towed up to Prince Rupert with a 1994 Isuzu Trooper rated for 5000 lb. A little more power, but I think suspension and thus control and safety was better on the Pathfinder.

[ssobol]