A face only a mother could love

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AFineRide

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Started looking to replace my boat. Have been struggling to find something that meets mulitiple needs. Wife likes to sit out back and sun, I like to be in the shade. The typical cruiser is great (Luhrs, SeaRay) but we both like the idea of getting out of the surprise rainstorms on Florida's west coast. Can't do that in an express or convertible. So, my friend tells me about C Dory. Now, I have to tell you, and I apologize to all Dory owners in advance, that at first glance, all I could think is, "this is one ugly boat". Not sleek, Not "luxurious", Not fast, nothing. However, the more I look at her, the better she looks, and I haven't been drinking.

From reading posts, I can see that Dory owners love their boats. Reliable, Well built, Solid are words that I read all the time. Not seeing comfortable, fast, well appointed...

Here's what I would like to know. 1) Can you put air conditioning on the 25'. If so, where does unit go and where does gen go. 2) anyone have twins ob's AND has been onboard with same boat with single ob. Any recognizable difference. 3) We routinely get 3-4' rollers in the gulf. Where (speed) does the 25 run efficiently in that enviroment?

I am really trying to justify performance and practicality over appearance..
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And many would say that beauty is in the wallet at the fuel dock. We are new owners (sailors for many years, this is our first powerboat), and were immediately taken with the C-Dory's salty look. I never had any inclination towards a go-fast boat... most of them are so butt-ugly that I'd never be able to look back at the boat when at the dock. Our CD-25 has a single Honda, so I can't give you any advice about the twins. We are very pleased with the performance. And regarding comfort: we've spent the last three weeks living aboard... some anchoring, mooring, and in a slip; the boat is very comfortable for a couple. Most of the water we've encountered thus far has been pretty flat, but we have seen some 3-5' closely spaced chop; you do have to slow down for it, but the boat handled it fine. We live on the other side of the Gulf (deep south Texas), see more wind than FL, and certainly understand what wind and waves do with shallow water... that was one of the reasons we bought this boat. Can't wait to get it back there.

I was originally thinking: trawler. Then a friend told us about the C-Dory. It looked kinda small, but really intrigued me. More research. Saw an ad for the 25, calling it "a trailerable trawler." Perfect! It took us a while to get a chance to see one in person. We were sold. "Well appointed" is also not a term I'd use to describe the C-Dory interior... functional, sturdy, and easy to maintain come to mind for me.

If you think pointy boats with long swooping lines are attractive (and feel the need for a bunch of gold chain necklaces), this may not be the boat for you. If you want comfort, economy, great protection (especially for this sailor boy) from wind, sun, rain, and chill (and I've been cold in Florida), and a well-proven classic design... well, this boat is worth the time it will take to you to get to the Florida dealer.

We'll be looking more into the a/c situation when we get the boat home. Do a search here, and you will come up with different a/c installs.

Good luck with your decision.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

PS - No offense taken. My Mother does think I'm cute. :wink:
 
So you prefer Euro/Yacht, reverse sheer, pregnant penguin looks to Down East, Pacific NW pilothouse, workboat/tug boat appearance? And I apologize to the penguins.

Not sure if you can be converted or if you should be.

However you wrote,

Here's what I would like to know. 1) Can you put air conditioning on the 25'. If so, where does unit go and where does gen go. 2) anyone have twins ob's AND has been onboard with same boat with single ob. Any recognizable difference. 3) We routinely get 3-4' rollers in the gulf. Where (speed) does the 25 run efficiently in that enviroment?

Yes to AC. There are threads on that. Most use portable gens and mount them with exhaust over the side of course. There are recent threads about this.

Twins v single. This hasn't come up. :wink Both are great on these little boats. Put whatever your like best back there. Actually there are many threads on this and some great comments by experienced users. Les's soliquoys are unmatched.

Speed in rollers is pretty much you choice. My 22 would run at my favorite speeds of 14 to 19 mph. Faster would likely still work. Steeper waves would slow you down. The 25s would likely run a little faster in these conditions, but not all conditions. One of the great things about these boats is that they perform well at a variety of speeds. If you need to go over 30 then check the Tom Cat. That may be where you belong, it would be a sweet gulf crossing delight.

Best wishes,
 
As for looks--it is functional pilot house. The air conditioner I went with is the Coleman Polar Cub RV AC. It is 8300 BTU and will run on a Honda EU 2000i, which will sit on the swim step. The EU 2000i is quieter than many "built in" generators, especially inside of the boat, and is not objectional to others outside at a short distance (much quietert than most "contractors" generators used during Hurricanes). The RV AC can be run with the boat beached, with the boat on a trailer (and allowing it to be used as a "camper" when on the road). It also is not susceptable to fouling with jelly fish and sea weed or mud, as many interior AC's are. It is quieter inside the boat than many built in AC's. The air is put in High, and sinks, instead of being low and going up. We have found it to be enough to be comfortable in the heat of the day, and has to be turned down at night. We have a Tom Cat 255, which has only slightly larger interior than the CD 25.

I can address the 22 C Dory in 3 to 4--you do slow down. If you stay on a fast plane it will pound. A semidory hull forum is a float over the top, not cut thru boat. We cam back from the San Juans (PNW) last summer in 4-6 seas with 3 + surface chop and averaged 15--some slower, some faster. Top speed in the 22 C Dory was 30, we cruised often at 25. The Tom Cat is 47 MPH, we are cruising in the mid 30's.

We had a Rinker 270 express before we pruchased the Tom Cat, and the C Dory was different, but in many ways more seaworthy than the Rinker.
The Rinker might go a little faster in 2 foot seas, but had to go down to 7 to 8 in four foot seas and was miserable in those conditions/speeds. In flat water the Rinker cruised in the 25 to 27 MPH range...slightly faster than the C Dory.

If you want the best boat going into 3 to 4's, consider a center console Regulator or Contender center Console or a Glacier Bay 2690 cat. If you want a more comfortable boat with more interior functional amenities go with the C Dory or Tom Cat 255....Down or across waves the Tom Cat holds its own. Over 3' into it, you have to slow down, but it will behave at 12 to 15, as fuel effecient.
 
I appreciate all of the replies. It's obvious that those of you that have Dory's have had a lot of cruising experience and know from where you speak. I respect that.

I guess I need to take a second look at the CD 25. It does seem to combine the best 2 of 3 worlds. While I am not a "gold chain" kind of guy (JamesTXSD) I do appreciate fine lines on a boat. Given that I am not retired, I do need something that will get me some distance in a shorter amount of time.

I appreciate all the info. I am liking her more and more. Going to go see one at the dealer this weekend.

Thanks again
 
This is interesting, it was the APPEARANCE of the C-Dory that got us hooked in the first place, and the quality and functionality turned out to be just added bonuses! Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. I look at the express cruisers and think they are butt ugly, especially seeing them wallow until they get up to a gazillion mph to reach plane, while we are on plane at 10, and I think why would anyone want to put up with that!
 
Pat Anderson wrote:
I look at the express cruisers and think they are butt ugly
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Couldn't have said it better myself Pat. I also enjoy watching how much they rock and toss at anchor with their deep-V bottoms that in reality act like a 'round' bottom while at rest!
 
Pat Anderson":1xcmhe0y said:
This is interesting, it was the APPEARANCE of the C-Dory that got us hooked in the first place, and the quality and functionality turned out to be just added bonuses! Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. I look at the express cruisers and think they are butt ugly, especially seeing them wallow until they get up to a gazillion mph to reach plane, while we are on plane at 10, and I think why would anyone want to put up with that!
Click to expand...

Your boat is just beautiful. I like the bimini setup in the back.

You're up on plane at 10 knots? That's amazing!
 
If I am to decide on the "trailerable trawler" concept, I would like to think
I made a good decision there. Compartively, on this coast, I see lot's of Parkers. Has anyone researched those before coming to the decision to buy the Dory?
 
There are year's of comparisons to other boats, esp. Parkers, in some of the archives. I think the old C-DOG site is still accessible. Many C-Dory owners have owned or fished in Parkers. You can search this site also.
I think they're a bit more of a vee hull, heavier, higher horsepower, and smaller cabins. Pretty good reputation for quality, so it's mainly the design differences you need to decide on.Also, I think I remember ppl referring to the Parker boats as being designed more toward fishing. John
 
AFineRide":ajzb9qai said:
Compartively, on this coast, I see lot's of Parkers. Has anyone researched those before coming to the decision to buy the Dory?
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My stepson has a 2005 Parker 25 with single Yamaha moored in Barnegat Bay NJ. His is better for day trip fishing, mine is better for several day outings. He can comfortably fish with 3-4 fishermen, I can comfortably fish with 2-3. He gets 2 mpg, I get almost 4 mpg. I can't speak to the rides in heavy weather. Both are well constructed boats but I chose C-Dory for its versatility.

Oh, on edit - he had several issues and was left stranded by loss of hydraulic steering well out to sea. I had a gunnel crack and defective fuel tanks. All issues were satisfactorily (and quickly) addressed by their respective manufacturers.

Don
 
I looked very hard at the hard-top Parker's and finally concluded I'd be better off with a cruising boat I could fish off rather than yet another fishing boat I could modify and modify and modify and still not cruise in all the places the CD (22 cruiser) would go. (planes at 9, very shallow draft, much less HP needed (fuel), increased range on the fuel carried, etc.,) I had tried to modify the last Whaler WA for camping/cruising, and it just doesn't work. For me, having that comfortable cabin and living ability meant a lot (and means more everytime I go out).
 
FlaGold, I see you are on my coast so maybe you can answer this for me.

Our waters generally don't produce "rollers". Our waters are frequently "confused", producing small chops, very infrequent rythym, with contrary winds.

I am still not convinced that the deep v boats, with a bigger deadrise wouldn't cut this type of water better than the Dory. Any insight you can offer would be appreciated.
 
By the way, I did read Bob Austin's (Thataway, Pensecola) post and unless I misunderstood him, he seemed to say that the Dory does better surfing than cutting. Sounds like he gets a pounding when he tries to run higher speeds in 3-4's.

Would you agree?
 
cut this type of water better than the Dory.
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There is nothing I've been aboard (100 ton Master) that cuts this kind of water in bad conditions. We're on the shelf, and like that post on the Great Lakes, it's similar. Normally, flat calm, but all it takes is wind off that (sometimes 100 mile) line of thunderstorms that marches westward in the summer every day and it can go to your worst nightmare in an instant. All boats slow to a crawl in that and the C-Dory is far superior. Our main danger is getting on top of a wave and getting deposited directly on the bottom and breaking the boat bottom out in the trough if we get inshore to far while a big blow is going on (and I once had waves coming from all 4 directions at once in a line of thunderstorms -- simply anchored in deep water and waited it out).

If you want to cut the normal winter wind chop at 30+ to get to the grouper grounds, splash and dash -- abandon all thoughts of the C-Dory. It's not that kind of boat or attitude for that matter.
 
Well, FineRide, You're basically looking at a similar comparison as Deep V's to C-Dorys when you compare the Glacier's to the TomCats. The TomCats plane at a lower speed, use less fuel, and basically behave like two, narrow, normal C-Dory hulls compared to deep V hulls. The deep V design always cuts chop better than the flatter design, but everything has a trade-off of some sort. Of course the narrower TomCat hulls (narrower than a CD) don't pound as much as single hull CD. John
 
Also, having had a planing sailboat on the Gulf out of Panama City for years, I agree with Flagold that that design is superior for almost all Gulf conditons except driving into a chop.

Appalachacola has a bar on the bay entrance that we have bumped a time or two during exhuberant surfing (6 foot draft), but the surfing style hull is great for most handling in deeper water. We too, have had to anchor out in the deeper water during large storms to be certain to avoid overzealous surfing in shallow areas, but the general nimble handling of the flatter hulls gave us alot more options in most situations. "Confused Sea" is sort of the name of the game in the Gulf of Mexico.

John
 
but the general nimble handling of the flatter hulls gave us alot more options in most situations.
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I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. The V's basically have two options: wide open (or close to it) and take a terrific beating, or crawl.

Our water here is much shallower than most of the water in Florida (even the Keys). In winter tide conditions, you can walk out into the Gulf for a couple miles at times. Tampa and south, they have blue water, compared to ours up here in this pocket (St. Marks to Tarpon Springs).
 
AFineRide: I am not sure what you mean by "cutting" the water. A deep V planes and a C Dory planes. Any boat which planes will pound under the right conditions. But the extreme deep V will pound in steeper seas. A Semi Displacement Cat, like the Glacier Bay or displacement cat (World Cat) more "Cuts thru the water"--Many cats do not plane--there are a few exceptions and the Tom Cat is one of those. True displacement monohulls do not get much beyond 1.34 x the sq root of LWL--or a boat with 25 foot waterline, will have a max speed of about 6.7 knots. Cats act differently because of the very narrow hulls and a high water line to beam ratio. There are semidisplacement boats (Rosborough 246) which given enough HP will get up on a plane--simmilar are the New England Lobster boats. (Down East boats). This is also a good boat--but I prefer the C Dory.

You have to go to a very deep V (23 to 26 degree deadrise) to get a decent ride in 3 to 4 foot seas--and that will be about the max you can run in without pounding, with out slowing down to a displacement speed, and a sloppy ride.

Please understand no one is trying to "sell" you on a C Dory--This group is very experienced and realistic. The C Dory does plane at a low speed, because of its flat bottom--it is a modified semi dory, with slight modification of some V Foreward. (a true semi dory would have a flat bottom all of the way to the stem, with some rocker on the bottom). A Dory or semi dory (cut off dory with a flat transom, so it can handle a large engine--and a real dory is almost a double ender) goes over the waves in its low speed mode. You can run a semi dory at 8 to 16 knots and be comfortable, depending on the conditions. The Deep V either runs at a planing speed, or a displacement speed. There is not much in between; the boats are "mushing". The extreme deep V's--23 to 26 degrees--are often in the mid 20's before they are on a plane.

You also have to look at what cabin accomidations you want. The Parker is a good fishing boat, but minimal amenities. Run on up to Wefing's in Eastpoint, FL for a weekend--enjoy Apalachacola--and look at the C Dories as well as the Orca, and some other of the boats he has up there. Take a ride.

If you want an all out fishing boat--then it will be different than a boat where you can cruise with comfort and take the family--stay over night etc. Although I mentioned the San Juans and PNW, I kept a C Dory on the West Coast, but live on the Gulf Coast of Florida (Pensacola)---so am very familiar with all of the waters in this area (we have had motor sailors and trawlers in the past, so have covered all of the Gulf as well as the East Coast).

Good luck on finding the right boat (and compromise) for your needs!
 
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