Recommendations and experiences with a 22' or 25' cruiser

[DanTheMan]

Hello,

My name is Dan and I'm new to this forum. I've been reading posts for the last couple of years as I've been honing in on what purpose I really want out of boating and it's becoming clear that a C-Dory or similar style boat would fit the bill.

My two biggest criteria are something that can be used as a fun reliable day boat, and something I can travel with. I'm based in the Cleveland, OH area and my boating is mostly all on Lake Erie. I'd like to explore and go on boating trips sometimes but my working schedule limits me to a week or two off at a time which then limits the range on how far you can go from Lake Erie via water. Couple that with unpredictable weather and a shorter boating season and all of a sudden the trips become tricky.

These C-Dorys or similar boats (I've also been looking at Ranger Tugs and Cutwaters) seem ideal because they'd let me pick the boat up and take it to these cool locations that I likely wouldn't be able to travel to via boat until I'm retired. More inland destinations also seem to be less subject to the whims of the weather than what we get on the Great Lakes which make me think a C-Dory would be the best way to accomplish what I want.

With the backstory out of the way, my question is if anyone could give me any insight to the pros and cons of the 22' vs the 25' cruisers? On paper the 25' cruisers seem more capable but I see far more 22' cruisers for sale. Is that because people like their 25' way more and don't sell them as much? Do people find they outgrow their 22' cruisers easily?

For these trips we'd have myself, my wife, and currently a 1 year old although it's possible we'll have a second kid in the future as well. I was hoping I could hear about some people's experiences that led them to a 22' or a 25' cruiser and how it turned out, if they wished they had gotten a different boat, etc. The enclosed head the 25' seems really nice and is a big pro, but maybe the porta potty isn't that big of a deal. For some of these trips we'd probably be fairly remote for a day or two at a time without power so some of the systems such as a fridge, hot water, things like that may not matter a whole ton if we wouldn't be able to use them anyways.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and I'm looking forward to learning more about these boats.

[Da Nag]

[DanTheMan]

Thanks for sharing those thoughts, I appreciate the insight. Will the 23 Venture be a more similar ride to the 25 cruiser? Choppiness is definitely a reason I was looking at the Ranger Tugs and Cutwaters but given the primary purpose for this boat would be more inland lake and waterway cruising I figured that would be a reasonable compromise.

I'm surprised that the 25' cruiser would have a 3/4-1 ton truck as a recommendation, it seemed like commonly reported towing weights were in the 6-7000 pound range. I was hoping I'd be able to get by with either an F150 or Tundra if they had their respective towing packages.

I agree, it'd probably be best if I could find someone willing to let me come take a ride with them in any of these since the theoretical can only go so far. Maybe I'll make another post in an appropriate sub-forum to see if there's anyone not too far from me that wouldn't mind.

Another thought I had that I don't know if anyone else has planned for is that the 22' cruiser seemed like an attractive option to try out this sort of traveling lifestyle and see if it's really for us due to it's cheaper price before spending bigger bucks on a 25' cruiser which seem a lot harder to find for sale and when you do much pricier.

[DanTheMan]

Something else I didn't think to mention, for these trips I'm imagining at least initially I think I'd have a goal of being out for 1 or 2 nights at a time - not to extreme or too long to get overly cramped with two adults and one or two kids hopefully.

[colbysmith]

I owned a 22 for ten years, and upgraded to my current 25, four years ago. I'm on my fifth season I believe. I do miss the 22. But the 25 definitely offers more room. I am not sold that one rides better than the other. The 25 is more stable in list walking back and forth, as it's a little wider than the 22. But they both beat in chop. I'm finally getting use to the 25's larger size and different turning CG point. The 25's visibility behind is actually worse, due to more fiberglass. As I said, I had the 22 for ten years, and could put that boat just about anywhere. Trailering a lot, the extra 3 feet of length is difinitely noticeable pulling into parking lots. BTW, on both boats I've just had a single main outboard, with a small kicker. The enclosed head on the 25 is nice, and allows a little more privacy. The berth is a little wider, and having the shelves on the side is nice for cloth storage. The 100 gal fuel tank gives a much farther cruising capacity. While the 22 is smaller, both my wife and I did fine on it. (We're both 6' tall, and not skinny folk.) She was fine with the porta potti, while many women are not. We still bump into each other passing in the 25's cabin. The 22 with trailer weighed in at 5100 lbs fully loaded. The 25 at 8100 lbs. My suggestion is to try and get a look at, and a ride on, both a 22 and 25. The 25 will allow more room for kids. However I knew a tall family that traveled with their two kids on overnight trips. I've know folks that traveled with two big dogs on a 22. And the 22 is going to be a little more economical to operate, although not much more. It'll be cheaper to slip, unless the marina has a 25 or 30' minimum anyway. You can tow it with a few more SUV's, that have a 5000 lb tow rating. The used 22 will cost about $25K less than a 25. I do like my 25, but I'd still be fine in the 22. I took the 22 on the Inside Passage of Alaska, so it is just as capable as the 25 on a trip like that. Colby

[Donald Tyson]

I like the 22 for average use and I'm relatively new to power boating. Some folks, I won't say who, but some folks have rear helms and I imagine that would be nice when sailing alone.
We added a Bimini. a tall one. It made a big difference for warm weather boating.
We like clamming and crabbing and although we haven't done so yet in our 22 it will be nice as a platform for that activity. We regularly go into waters less than two feet deep to enjoy swimming and picnicking on shore. Don't try that in a deep vee boat.
I hope your find your dream boat soon.