Greetings from New Member

[Outdoorsygal]

Hey there Daybreak,

Thanks for all the good 411. I will be sure to look up mods in those forums.

And I do see your point about the splash well keeping water out of the cockpit. Then again, perhaps a good way to keep water outta the cockpit would be to not have a huge opening in the cockpit.

With the aftermarket mounting brackets, wouldn’t the water pour out over the bracket? Then the splashwell space could be put to use chilling fish, or whatever.

Am thinking of these hollow, buoyant Armstrong bracket extension thingys:

Oops . . I can’t seem to post a photo. Anyhoo you have seen them. Methinks aluminum framed glassed platforms with a hollow box under. . Supposed to permit motor to mount up a couple of inches higher for better performance and fuel efficiency. They say it helps get up on plane with the added lift in the back. Anyhoo it.seems water would pour over the bracket and out the sides.

[Teufelshunde]

[Outdoorsygal]

Hey Fishwisher,

Thanks for the tip about the kill bag. What a great idea. I can see how that would be easy to move around the cockpit as needed.

Yes, such a painful trade off, more fishin space vs kitchenette.

Pretty sure I will never be able to afford a 23’, so I will probably end up with an older 22’. Gotta be able to make some coffee and scrambled eggs in the morning!

[hank clow]

Welcome to the club. At age 60 you have many years of great boating ahead of you. The 22 is the perfect boat for single handing although you'll probably get an argument from Cliff on Ocklawaha Queen. You'll get so much advice from the C-Brat family. Your contact with Colby will prove to be most helpful as he traveled all over making needed adjustments to improve his single handing skills. I'm located in the UP and have hosted many C-Brats as they learn the joys of cruising Lake Superior and look forward to adding you to the gang.

My 22 is currently located on the Tennessee River with my son and his family. Sadly, at age 86 I've discovered these old bones are no longer capable of the single handing life. One bit of advice I can offer is to stay fit.

Pat Clow
Meri Aura

[thataway]

Teresa,
Welcome aboard. My wife has also solo operated the 22. Ladies often make better skippers than men. It sounds if you have a good handle on what the boats are, and how they work.

I am 84 and still "C Dorying"--so as Pat Clow (a great person to get to know and I recommend a visit to her place), says, you have a lot of years to do that boating.

Many of the 22's have the port lazaretto made into a bait tank. If it is not already done, the conversion is fairly easy. Not a thing wrong with an older boat, as long as it has a good survey by a person who is knowledgable about cored hulls and the C Dory line.

You wil find that the splash well can serve many purposes. We keep a stern anchor there, have our Honda Generator mounted there, plus a "handle to help boarding from the water or dinghy, and keep small propane bottles for emergency stove, plus a gas can for the generator in the splash well. There are also some real disadvantages to bracket mounted outboards. The Tom Cat 255 is one boat which uses the bracket properly and enhances the boat's usefulness.

Your search may take you many miles, but the journey will be worth it.

[Outdoorsygal]

Hey there Pat of the Meir Aura,

Thank you so much for reaching out. I hope this finds you safe and well. Point well taken about staying fit. It sure gets harder as we get older.

Did you fish much aboard the Meri Aura?

[Outdoorsygal]

Hey there Thataway Bob,

Thanks for all the great 411. I love reading all about the boats, but also getting a little ahead of myself. I suppose there will be time enough to think about modifications once I actually have a boat! Til then it is hard to stop dreaming about it.

I watched a video on YouTube of a couple of young kids who had rented a 22 C-Dory in Seward, and went out into the bay after halibut. Oh those kids were having a ball!

When I am ready to start shopping in earnest, I hope I can ask for your opinions, including maybe hiring you to give the boat a good looksee, or to recommend someone else near wherever the boat may be.

Take care and be well.

[hank clow]

Hey Teresa,
Fishing wasn't our primary goal, but a few lovely lake trout and salmon made their way aboard out of the cold waters of Lake Superior.

Looking forward to welcoming you.

Pat
Meri Aura (Finnish for Sea Plow)

[tsturm]

Welcome Teresa,

This will be a great adventure!!
My first ride in a C-dory was in Resurrection Bay (Seward)
with a buddy of mine. A few months later he moved down to
America & My wife had to have his 1991 22 cruiser that was
2001 & I have not regretted one minute of the C-dory line of
boats (now in a 2003 25') Welcome again & have fun on your
journey!

[hardee]

Hi Theresa and Welcome to C-BRATS. By now you have seen how nice this community is, and how much you can learn here. Great place, great folks and great boats.

I single-hand my 22 Cruiser almost exclusively, probably 98 % of the time. Easy to do, launch, handle, docking and retrieve, and towing. AND, that brings me to something no one has mentioned yet. Yes, a CD-25 is nice, can be single handed, has an onboard head and water heater, BUT, you will need at leas a 3/4 ton tow rig, F-250, RAM 2500, equivalent or larger for the 25. Even the Cape Cruiser or Venture 23 will be pushing the line on most of the less than 3/4 T trucks.

While you are rubbing those nickles, keep in mind, there are basically 3 versions of a 22 foot C-Dory, the first one and older model is most often referred to as the Classic. It will have the cockpit most like the Angler, and the cabin will be shorter, with out the galley and rear passenger side set or table. It will also have a flatter bottom, will have a narrower well for the outboard -- so not set up to mount twin OB's. The Classics will often sell between 12 or 15 to 20K.

The most common C-Dory is the 22 Cruiser model. The cabin will have the port side aft passenger seat, and a table on the port side. ON the starboard side there will be a galley set, (sink with water, counter and most often, a Wallas heater). On some, the forward passenger seat, (Port side) will be reversible, called a Barber Chair, named for the guy who designed the mod before it was accepted by the factory. It can either face aft to the table, of forward with the table at it's back.

The Angler is less popular. The hull on the Cruiser and Angler ar the same so the differences are where the aft cabin bulkhead is and what is in the cabin. The Angle bulkhead is just a few inches behind the helm and passenger seat. There is no table, galley or rear passenger seat, BUT, you get that space added to the cockpit, (and I should know but don't have it right in hand) the cabin is 3 feet shorter on the Angler.

Forward of the helm bulkhead, the V-birth is the same size on both boats. On the true Angler, the hull is the same as on the Cruiser so the stern and transom are similar on each. Standing on the sole or floor of the cockpit, you are literally standing on the top of the hull, about 1.5 inches from the outside water. (On the newer boats, some have leveled floors so there may be some space there but you are only looking at a few inches. Not enough for any type of hold. The Cruiser of Angle will generally be $20K an up, depending on condition, and that often depends on storage and care, hour age on engine(s), and electronics and trailer condition.

You asked about singlehand ladies. A few years ago there was a flotilla of female singlehanded C-Dorys on a cruise in the San Juan Islands. I believe there were both 25 and 22's on that trip and about 5 or 6 boats.

You can do it. Do you have a tow vehicle currently? and if so, what is it. If you are going to trailer, you will need that to add into the rubbing nickle mix too.

Best in your research, saving and search.

Harvey
SleepyC

[colbysmith]

[DayBreak]

As a midsized truck, we found that our 2002 Dodge Dakota, even with a trailer tow package was too light for towing our 23 Venture. We loved the Dakota but had to sell it. It was like the tail waging the dog towing DayBreak. Out 2010 F-150 with tow package and 5.4 litre engine tows DayBreak like a dream! Our Venture towing weight fully loaded with water and fuel is about 5000 lbs.. We have an aluminum trailer and work hard to keep the weight down on towing. Colby is right about the F-150 being able to safely tow a 25 Cruiser but things are getting close to the tail wagging the dog again doing so with the F-150. A heavier duty full size truck, especially with a diesel engine would do a much better job.

[Baxter]

Welcome you need to find someone that needs a deck hand and will take you along.

I am deck hand already and the admiral lets me sleep in v berth for past 54 years, not all C Dory ones.

Best of luck maybe one of the nickels will be collectible and Pay for a boat.

Be safe.

[hardee]

[thataway]

The 22 is certainly the ideal boat for a single lady. You can tow it with a vehicle rated for 5,000#. We towed our first 22 a few miles out West, including over the passes, with a Honda Pilot a few times. But a larger vehicle is more desirable.

We did tow both my son's 25 (Cruise Ship 1995 version) over a steep pass (with some transmission over heat--and our current C Dory 25 with a Yukon XL which is a 1/2 ton GMC chassis SUV. It was marginal--we had air bags in the rear to give needed support.

Last year it was time for an "up grade"--and we went with a 3/4 ton Ford 6.7 L diesel. (we had towed our first 25 with a 3/4 Ton Ford Excursion with a 7.3 L diesel.). There is a lot of difference in the towing experience, and I felt much safer with the heavier truck suspension. No "sag". But the 1/2 ton did the job.

There are a few down sides to the diesel--they are considerably more expensive. They are probably slightly more expensive to run (depends on the cost of fuel and who does the service). They use the emissions DEF fluid. The Diesel truck is not as good as an around the town vehicle. They need to be run on the highway regularly to get the exhaust gas temperature up to the level needed to burn off urea and particulate matter from the emissions system. Also a 3/4 ton truck with dual cab and 6 1/2' bed is a large vehicle to park in many parking lots. Even going thru some ATM, I pull in the mirrors.