16’ C-Dory handling

D

donhynes

New member
I’ve had my 16’ C-Dory for six years and live in the San Juans where the winds are frequently 10kts or more with a strong tidal current where I live on President’s Channel. The wind conditions often produce a 2-3’ short chop wave set. I love my boat but it is a bear to handle in those conditions as the boat is so light and rolls quite a bit. I thought I’d just post this query on the message board and see if anyone had any suggestions about handling this small boat in the short chop San Juan conditions.
 
I boated and fished the San Juans in my 16' Angler for 12 years before I moved to Ohio. The wind chop can be nasty. I had a heavy deep cycle battery in the front cuddy along with a bunch of other stuff which helped keep the bow down. I also kept the motor trimmed down when it got choppy which helped keep the bow down as well. Ultimately, I just had to be patient and go slower. Your cruiser has a larger pilot house than my angler which would raise the center of gravity and could make for more rolling. I think some owners have put trim tabs on the cruiser model to help balance the boat and keep the bow down when needed.
 
It's been said,
day in and day out, a 14 footer w/ 6 hp captained by a good captain is safer than a 20 foot ranger w/ 250hp captained by a fool.
Click to expand...

So, there's one factor to consider: the operator of any vessel.

Another factor is the vessel.
Basically, smaller vessels are safer near shore (inland rivers, lakes, coastal) in
favorable weather that frequently changes. Further offshore, smaller vessels are more
subject to undesirable consequences, depending on operator experience and
severity of local conditions.

Many references (Google it) say any routine offshore/ocean voyaging should be
undertaken by vessels 30' loa or larger. This is modified by operator experience
level.

Again, the lesson is "Know before you go."

Aye.
 
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