22 cruiser and kids??

D

droz

New member
I'm looking at buying a 22 cruiser - just wondering how well of a fit it is for a family of four. My husband thinks it's a little small but I'm willing to have a tight fit - I really want a C-dory! have a 7 and 8 year old and my hubby is 6'1". I'd love to hear any input.

Thanks!
Mary
 
My wife & I have 3 kids and have done many 3 day weekends with the kids along. They are now 11, 14 and 17 so the last several trips have been either just my wife & I or the two of us with the 11 year old. When we got the camper back for the cockpit in the back it made all the difference in the world. With little kids u blow up an air mattress and lay it in the cockpit and they think they are in a tent and love it. While u & your hubby have the entire v berth to yourselves. Don't forget the dinette also drops into a nice single bed very suitable for a teenager. Lots of luck on your new boat.


Joe R.
Soapy Joe
22' Cruiser
 
I have two small boys, ages 6 and 4 and we seem to do pretty good. Usually the boys will sleep in the V berth with my wife, and I'll bunk out on the dinette, but they are still just little guys, as they get bigger, they will stay out under the camper back on an air matress as well. If you are used to camping out in tents etc.. it really is no big deal. We have a blast when we go and love our Cdory. I would look at the 25 too if it is in your budget, it wasn't in mine, but they do seem to grow quite a bit for that 3 feet. Good luck.

Sark
 
You will get a lot of different opinions on this - but as a person who had a CD22 for two years and now has a CD25, I have to say the CD22 is a perfect three person boat! Two in the vee-berth, one on the dinette. It all depends on your level of comfort sleeping in the aisle or on an air mattress in the cockpit (assuming you have a camperback). But it can be done - read this for inspiration. In fact, read the rest of this site too!
 
I'm relatively new, but I'll say that four in the CD22 can get a bit tight. My kids are 7 and 3. You can make it work, which I intend to do, but you need to establish some protocols. We're still figuring these out, but here's a start:

One adult and all kids evacuate for meal preparation. Get 'em the heck out! Playing on the dock is fine, but you can't have four people trying to move through the boat while one is preparing food. At anchor, this would be a good time for the kids to play in the dinghy.

Ditto for mealtime cleanup. You just cannot get it done with a boat crammed full. Leave the oldest kid aboard to dry dishes, maybe:-)

There also needs to be a half hour to prepare the space for sleeping, and another to change it back to daytime/underway mode. Get the kids out for that, too.

These were the real bottleneck/headaches we experienced at the Lopez gathering, but that's been our ONLY overnight with all four aboard. If I'm out with one child, the boat's just perfect.

I'm about to try it with two children and no other adult. Pray for me.
 
I weekend cruise with 3, 4 and sometimes 5 on board (including myself). For sleeping, depending on genders, 3 in the V-berth, 1 or 2 on dinnette bed (with extended seat mods). You can also utilize the floor and cockpit as others and I have done.

A bigger problem in my opinion is where to seat them underway. If only traveling for an hour or so, no big deal to stand up or sit on an ice chest, but for longer, much better on a nice seat with back support. My 2c.

Oh, and for the problem of too many kids/people in the cabin before or after dinner, not a problem for me -- I put them to work either fixing portions of the meal or helping do the dishes, like drying! Makes everyone feel they're contributing...
 
Mary, my wife and i have two daughters ages 4 and 1 and a 65 pound lab. we find the 22 cruiser to be plenty of boat for us. my parents have a 25 but i think if we had to choose we would stay with the 22. we like the simplicity of the "camping boat". the camper back canvas is a must for the rain. its nice to be able to utilize the cockpit in the rain. good luck.


karl
 
Mary,

We have a 12 and a 14 year old, plus two small dogs. When the weather is cold and wet, everyone fits inside but you will get some condensation. I'd recommend you purchase the "Canvas Back" option for the cockpit, then the kids have their own room to hang out in. If you have decent rated bags, even the cockpit area is ok in chilly weather if you can get them up off the deck via an air mattress or something of that nature.

Our experience is that the kids prefer to hang out outside as they get older, unless we've told one too many bear stories. Plus, it seems that most Alaska kids tend to put up with rougher accomodations without making a stink.
 
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