C-Dory 16 Angler Purchase Advice

S

skagerrak

New member
I'm a new member, been reading posts here for a while, so I'll start by thanking everyone in C-Brats for all the great info that's helped get me here for today's question.

My wife and I have been thinking about a C-Dory 16 Angler for a while. We live in DC three blocks from a marina and are looking for a low maintenance little hard top boat to be out of the sun while we cruise the Potomac for a few hours at a time. This seems like the perfect fit for a C-Dory 16 Angler. We're thinking we put a couple small teak chairs in the cockpit, have a porta potti in the bow storage to take the stress off of not getting to a dock in time, a thermos of coffee, and we're setup for early morning cruises sipping coffee that sounds like perfection to us. Key to us is a well-built boat without a bunch of unnecessary luxuries that we don't need and don't want to have to maintain. Allowing us to focus time/money on just keeping it clean, waxed and the essential mechanicals in great shape.

With all that in mind including the boat linked below, what are peoples' thoughts on year-round wet slipping? There's a marina nearby that can lift it out of the water for routine maintenance (cleaning, bottom painting, waxing/compounding, etc.) that I can afford to do annually if necessary. Visited the marina today and the power pedestal has 120-volt power (not just 30-amp) so we could connect a battery tender, and we'd get a full cover to protect from sun and keep rain out of the cockpit and overrunning the bilge. Living in DC, I've got no place to store a trailer, so I'd just sell it.


https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2018-c- ... r-8399192/

P.s. seeing the pics in this C-Brat entry was really helpful, thanks everyone:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _photo.php
 
We bought a 16' cruiser 6 months ago, and although we love it, sometimes I wish we had been able to buy a 16' angler.

The cruiser is great if you want to stay overnight, which we don't, we took the vberth cushions out so we could store more gear up front. Although we've never had an angler, I'll hopefully be corrected if I'm wrong, the center of gravity is more forward on the angler, as the helm section is about 2 feet further forward than the cruiser. You have more room to move around in the aft. On the other hand, from the pictures I've seen, the items stored toward the bow are more difficult to access than in the cruiser.

The 16' c-dory, whether angler or cruiser, is a great boat if your only intention is to go out for 3-4 hours at a time. We call ours an motorized cork - it bobs and rocks in the smallest waves and swells. But, it is easy to manuever at dock, just grab a hold of the rope and pull it in :)

My opinion is the price of the one you are looking at is quite steep for a 16' of either kind, we got an excellent deal at $15k, but even between $20k and $25k for the right one is good.
 
No more 16's are being built currently. Even though this 16 angler is 4 years old, this does seem like a steep price, and I would consider finding a 22 Angler or Cruiser at that amount of coin.

Yes the chairs would work fine. But I probably would not use teak, I would use some of those nicely padded fold up chairs. A chair like the Kingfisher or Kingfisher II from West marine would be comfortable.

You want at least a "slant back cover for the cockpit. Also you would need bottom paint if left in the water year around.
 
Thanks for the responses. I figured I'd try and negotiate a few thousand down, but looking at 10+ years older 22' C-Dories going for low-to-mid $40's, a 40-year-old 16'-er asking $13k, low $30's didn't seem too far off for what's effectively a brand-new boat (based on pics and 20 hours on that motor). But both of you think it's significantly overpriced so that gives me pause.

Anyone know what brand new 16'-ers sold for the last couple years they were made?

Also, thanks for the Kingfisher chair recommendation, thataway. That fits with the style of the boat better, and my wife immediately liked it better when I showed her.
 
I do understand that you want to keep the boat in the water year round. For me, one of the advantages of the 16 is it's easy trailerability. (is that a word?) as well as launching and retrieving.
Granted, it's an added cost, but there is usually storage available at the marina or close to it. .To get the boat out of the water during the winter is a plus. Also, as you get more into it you my wish to attend C-Brat gatherings around the Chesapeake and the east coast. Beside the comradery and new ideas, the oohs and ahhs your boat will get will buoy your spirits.
 
Sorry, didn't mean to rain on your parade, it looks like it's in great condition, has a simrad chartplotter or mfd, which are pretty expensive, and overall just very clean. It doesn't, however, have a kicker motor for emergencies. That's about $1500, and a full cover will cost your several thousand also. If you do buy it, I would think twice about selling the trailer. It would be very valuable if you ever wanted to resell, apparently trailers are very hard to come by lately (and cost a few thousand).

When we were researching before buying our cruiser, I went through all the sold listings here back to 2015, and didn't find any 16' that sold for more than $20k, although the most recent year model of those was a 2004.

The best thing to do is find a way to get yourself aboard one so that you see if you really love it, they are really a lot smaller than they appear in a photo. But, we love ours for that very reason :)
 
I lived 2 years in the Richmond area and spent another Winter in Norfolk. I had a 16 foot boat when in Richmond. I rarely used it after Oct. or before the middle of April. The winter in DC can be brutal on a boat. I would want to find a nice place to store it for the winter.

I cannot address what the cost of a new 16 was when the last were built. There are a few members who did buy new ones, and they may step up. Prices of boats in general have been inflated during the Covid epidemic. The "value" of a boat is what it is "worth" to you... Many times to have an item and not loose that time in life is far more important than the monetary cost.
 
No worries about raining on my parade, I came to this forum because I wanted honest opinions from people that know way more than me about these boats, so I really appreciate all the thoughts.

The trailer situation is a tough one, for the re-sale reason alone. We're looking at the Wharf Marina in DC, because it's 3 blocks from our house so we can easily go out for a quick ride here and there, and actually use it regularly. The marina is right in DC, so the marina has no storage, only does year-round slips (no seasonal), and there's no place at our house we can store a trailer.

https://www.wharfdcmarina.com/

Another reason having this boat having so few amenities (sinks, fridges) means there's almost nothing to winterize, just a few things with the motor. I have a motorcycle and don't have a battery tender--I find at least one day a month in the winter when it's above 50F to go for a ride--and never had a dead battery. If a day is nice enough to go 60 mph on a motorcycle, should I be able to take a quick spin in hardtop boat?

And so I agree about the small size being a benefit to us, not a negative. We're city people, have a small car, etc., and we prefer the convenience it affords. We need the boat to be big enough that we can use it to do the things we enjoy, any bigger becomes a downside for us (cost, maintenance, ease of getting around a crowded marina/river, etc.).

We're scheduled to do a sea trial of it this Saturday to really see how big/small it "feels."
 
No worries about raining on my parade, I came to this forum because I wanted honest opinions from people that know way more than me about these boats, so I really appreciate all the thoughts.

The trailer situation is a tough one, for the re-sale reason alone. We're looking at the Wharf Marina in DC, because it's 3 blocks from our house so we can easily go out for a quick ride here and there, and actually use it regularly. The marina is right in DC, so the marina has no storage, only does year-round slips (no seasonal), and there's no place at our house we can store a trailer.

https://www.wharfdcmarina.com/

Another reason this boat having so few amenities (sinks, fridges) is a positive to us, among other things it means there's almost nothing to winterize, just a few things with the motor. I have a motorcycle and don't have a battery tender--I find at least one day a month in the winter when it's above 50F to go for a ride--and never had a dead battery. If a day is nice enough to go 60 mph on a motorcycle, should I be able to take a quick spin in hardtop boat?

And so I agree about the small size being a benefit to us, not a negative. We're city people, have a small car, etc., and we prefer the convenience it affords. We need the boat to be big enough that we can use it to do the things we enjoy, any bigger becomes a downside for us (cost, maintenance, ease of getting around a crowded marina/river, etc.).

That's what I'm thinking right now at least, welcome any thoughts on where I'm off or not being realistic from people who have a lot more real-life experience with this.

We're scheduled to do a sea trial of it this Saturday to really see how big/small it "feels."
 
oh good, getting on one is the most important thing you can do. As far as my experience in pricing, we've only had ours six months, so I'm certainly no expert, hardly even a novice :) And I appreciate what Thataway said: Prices of boats in general have been inflated during the Covid epidemic. The "value" of a boat is what it is "worth" to you... Many times to have an item and not loose that time in life is far more important than the monetary cost. Let us know how it goes Saturday!
 
You are being realistic about the use. I agree if you can ride a bike in the winter, you can certainly take the 16 out (assuming no ice on the river). Your marina looks great--and so convenient. Many docks require almost a 3 block walk from where one parks.

Enjoy the sea trial~. I also will be interested in your impression. Take an a folding chair of some sort for the "extra" person.
 
I saw in another C-Brat thread that a lot of people recommend the Angola canvas covers and they have C-Dory designs. I reached out to them today and they seemed to be pushing the "second tier" Aqualon that has a waterproof layer on the inside that would hold-up for 8-10 years, for ~$700. For the Sunbrella they said the waterproofing would require conditioning at ~4-5 years and was ~$900.

Any thoughts or experiences with them you'd suggest I consider?
 
What gives out in covers is the thread. It pays to use a "Gortex" thread--such as "Tenara". it is a little harder to sew with, and costs several x the polyester thread. But it lasts.

Care of Sunbrella, I wash it yearly (after the first several year, using 303 fabric cleaner. Then saturate with 303 for upholstery in a spray bottle. I buy each of these in gallon containers. You can wash sunbrella with some bleach, and detergents are OK--but Ivory shavings off bar soap or Woolite is better...

The Aqualon does mold on the inner surfaces--especially in the South.
 
$36,000.US does sound a bit high but it does appear 'As new' and it is rigged with quality components. No bow rail? I would hope the ladder is detachable.

A brat down the road from me(Lono) paid $26,000. CAN for one 10 years ago. It was a beauty with a 50hp.

They never were cheap! Sometimes the memories are priceless. Not a lot of options when looking for this type of boat.

Regards,

Rob
 
We have a sunbrella full cover (made by Angola) that is over ten years old. It looks like it also re: stains, the POs didn't take good care of it, but I can't say enough about the sunbrella fabric - it still sheds water nearly perfectly. We're working on re-waterproofing it this summer, I also made a slant back cover myself with sunbrella fabric. The thing about full covers is they are very awkward to take on and off, they are so much bigger than the actual boat - we actually split ours in two and then re-attached with velcro. But in your environment, I imagine you'd probably want a full cover?
 
Thanks all, just got back from the sea trial. It looks smaller from the outside than it feels from the inside for the two of us. And performed well with the two of us plus the salesman. With how that went and with the comments from you all on the price, I think we're going to make a slightly lower offer.

Separately, sounds like a Sunbrella cover with Gortex-like threads is the best option for us. DC has pretty hot and humid summers that have me worried about mold growth. And with year-round exposure, I think the full cover is important, another benefit of a smaller boat, so it's more manageable to deal with that.

On that note, what is the deal with the Dri-Dek deck tiles that all these smaller C-Dories seem to have? Are those mostly useful for traction for people doing a lot of fishing? Are they necessary? If we put a couple of those Kingfisher chairs in the cockpit seems like it might be better to have those directly on the deck. Also, is there no concern for mold/mildew/grime to build up beneath those tiles?
 
The dry deck tiles are a fairly soft plastic and are forgiving. The chairs will be fine on them. It keeps any water on debris off your feet. Pull the tiles every so often and use a vacuum and then a sponge to.clean the area under the tiles. There is no bilge in these boats.
 
Congrats, sounds like you've made a decision :)

The sunbrella is a smart choice. When we had a hard time using our sunbrella full cover (we were in an out and in and out working on our 16'), we tried using both just a tarp, then a truck full cover. Neither of those were able to breathe, and we had water dripping from the ceiling, we're quite humid here. When we changed back to the sunbrella cover all was good :) And $900 sounds like a good deal. I know when I talked with them several months ago, a slant back cover was about $450.

We like the dri-dek because we fish, so any debris falls through to the deck, then we can just take out the dri dek and wash it down. But the MAIN reason we love it (we have dark green) is that it significantly cuts down the glare in the boat.

What, no pictures of your sea trial? :)
 
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