Prospective owner seeks performance data

kapitano · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

Hello Everyone:

I'm a prospective owner and have only recently discovered the C-Dory world. I've done some research and am quite impressed with the design and apparent handling of these fine boats but I can't seem to find one bit of info I'm looking for. Please don't laugh too hard but I am curious about top speed and the possibility of pulling my kids on water skiis, wake boards and tubes. I do know that this is outside the normal use intended but if it was possible it would allow me to buy this boat now rather than in 3 or 4 years when they're out of the house. Primary use would be on a lake doing things listed above but I do live only 5 miles from the Atlantic ocean so I could of course get much use there that I couldn't with the standard family bow-rider. I'm thinking of the 16' or 19'.

Thanks in advance.
D

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:38 pm Post subject:

I don't know which model you are looking at, but I can't see why any of them couldn't pull a tube as I pull my 12 foot zodiac with my cd 22 at 20 mph with ease when the seas are flat. It has two twin honda 45s. I could go even faster, but what is the hurry. I bet a 19 or a 22 could pull a skier pretty darn well as my 22 will go just over 30 mph with 4 adults and a light fishing load. I ski all the time with only 85 hp on my very heavy 16 foot lake boat (not a dory). I say go for it! I have never seen a dory with ski tower.....you could have a first!

Larry H · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject:

kapitano,

Welcome to the board!

How fast does the tow boat have to travel to pull the kind of water toys you are interested in pulling?

How much reserve power does the tow boat have to have at the towing speed to compensate for the extra load of a single skier doing turns or tricks?

These answers could help with your selection.

kapitano · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

Hello Larry;

Thanks for the quick reply and also for the "welcome". I guess the speed range for skiing is about 15 to 30 mph. I don't think much reserve is needed for recreational skiing - the pros pull hard in the turns and the boat might need reserve to handle that but for me I don't think it's a consideration. I think what I need to find out is the minimum planing speed and the top speed that is normal for a lightly loaded boat.

Thanks
Doug

Doryman · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:53 pm Post subject:

My previous boat, a 22' aluminum Hewescraft, was powered by a Honda 130. I used this boat on many lakes in Utah. What I found was that experienced skiers could get up behind this boat but novice skiers needed a boat with more of a holeshot to yank them up.

The C-Dory 22 weighs 1925# and the Hewescraft 22 weighs about the same. Because the C-Dory maximum hp is 100 I conclude that you will have a suboptimal experience pulling water skiers with one. The performance with the 16 or 19 will be correspondingly worse. Now with a 300 hp Tom Cat, that's another story.

Keep in mind that this was at elevations of 5000' and above. How much more power you will have at sea level, I do not know.

You do not need much power to pull a water toy. We had one and my kids and their friends had a lot of fun with it. You are not supposed to pull those faster than about 20 mph but there isn't a kid out there who won't plead and beg you to go faster. Laughing

Larry H · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:29 pm Post subject:

kapitano,

The minimum planing speed for a lightly loaded CD 22 is about 12 knots. If a strong 'hole shot' is needed, consider a Suzuki 90 which swings a larger diameter prop than other 90hp motors.

The other motor that has lots of torque is a 115hp Evinrude E-TEC fuel injected 2- cycle.

thataway · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:57 pm Post subject:

I have been water skiing for a long time. We have skiied my children with a 12 foot inflatable with 9.9 hp, I skiied a number of years (long ago) with 25 hp on a 13 foot boat and 35 hp on a 15 foot--including slalom skiing. Most of the time in these low powered boats one has to use two skiis and drop one for slalom skiing. We owned an 18 foot moderate V, which weighed as much as a CD 19, and the 115 hp was plenty to skii behind, including getting a skilled skiier up on a single slalom.

The CD 19 or 22 with max hp should be OK for skiing or tubbing. The only problem is that the boat has a very small keel, so that a heavy skiier can pull the stern of the boat around, especially a heavy skiier on a slalom.
The other potential issue, is that you will have to have have a seat/chair for the observer in the cockpit.

A fast hole shot is good for skiing--and a lower pitched, larger prop, plus one of the fins (Dolfin/permatrims) and trim tabs will help with getting up on a plane faster.

As these flat bottom boats get up around the high 20's and low 30's they tend to be a little skittish. There is a minimal speed to get and keep a skiier up--generally that is about 20 mph. Often ski boats run at 22 to 25 mph. I have skiied at 75 mph on a slalom ski (hang on and hope you don't fall), and there are some racing skiiers who go over 100 in the races (such as the round trip race from Long Beach CA to Avalon and back).

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject:

I like to ski behind my 16 foot lake boat at 23-27 mph. Any faster and I feel uncomfortable. I feel like 30 is fast; really fast to me anyway. I really can't believe that a 19 with a good 90 hp couldn't easily do it. I have an evinrude 85 on my 16 foot lake boat and can ski with 6 people in the boat at 25 mph. It is a four cylinder 2 stroke and I would assume it has a lot of torque, but still, you should be able to do it.

starcrafttom · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:09 am Post subject:

I have not skied but have tubed behind the Susan E. I had james in the tube and 5 of his freinds in the boat with me. thats 1200lbs of fun total. We had a great time with no trouble getting the kids up to speed or bumped out of the tube. Pulled a lot of S turns and figue eights without to much speed loss. I also had four of the boys jump off the top of the cabin at one time. c-dorys are a well made boat.

Yellowstone · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:49 am Post subject:

Hello - I have very limited experience pulling water skiers with my CD 22
but more experience with the Honda 90 (1996) and Mercury 115 EFI (2006). Top speed (assuming flat water) at sea level is about 31 with Honda 90 and 34 with Merc. 115 EFI - all of this depending on fuel, water, equipment and passenger load - which is so variable. Eliminating the 20 gallons of water (about 160 lbs) from the CD 22 is significant when going for top speed. I found that the 115 Merc easily pulls a high school boy (165 lbs) out of the hole, (at 3,500 foot elevation) but when he would swing out to either side, it would require oversteering to maintain direction. The towing rope hooked to the rear cleat level - hardly ideal. CD 22's are weight sensitive (as are all boats of this size) At top speed with trim tabs aligned properly, my CD 22 can be a little bit squirrely. Cutting back to 22-25 mph is much more stable. Any CD would be a compromise for water skiing, but no more versatile rig is made today.
Yellowstone

hardee · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:59 am Post subject: Skiing with a CD

Dr. Bob wrote,

The only problem is that the boat has a very small keel, so that a heavy skiier can pull the stern of the boat around, especially a heavy skiier on a slalom.

Good advice, the flat bottom and minimal keel will alow a large skier doing tight turns to pull the stern around some. Now if the tow line is attached to the high radar arch, and all the friends are riding in the cockpit, it could make for some nice wake jumping.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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DaveS · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 1:15 am Post subject:

D,
Welcome aboard to C-Brats! We used our previously owned 16' with Honda 50 for pulling tubers and have used our currently owned 22' with twin Johnson 50's for pulling tubers. Both vessels worked very well for this. Since these vessels have enclosed cabins, I tape the "skier down" flag mast onto a long piece of dowling so the flag is easily raised well above the cabin height so other vessels can see that you have a tuber somewhere out in the water waiting to be retrieved. (Never tried it, but suspect you could get a skiier up if they used two skis).

kapitano · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

Gentlemen, thank you for your advice and comments. I am now off to the other forums to brush up on all I need to know to pick out a good used CD.

Doug

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:26 am Post subject:

Welcome to the site Doug. All you need to know about C-Dory's you will find on in this forum. Just type in what you want to know in the Search window. Or ask.

rdn4sun · Posted: Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:05 am Post subject:

[quote="DaveS"]D,
Welcome aboard to C-Brats! We used our previously owned 16' with Honda 50 for pulling tubers and have used our currently owned 22' with twin Johnson 50's for pulling tubers. quote]

DaveS,
Do you know Mr. Potatohead personally?

elmo

:^)>