C-Dory 22 searching

JeffK

New member
There is a nice looking CD 22 for sale in South Florida that has caught my eye. I haven’t had a boat this small in decades. But at 77 it is time to throttle back, or so says my wife. It is powered by a Suzuki 90. I assume that will get it up on plane without a struggle. I see lots of CD22s online pushed by 90s. What kind of performance does a 90 hp give a CD-22? I also like the idea of a get-home 9.9 for insurance. The thoughts of being protected from the sun, wind, rain and cold grows more attractive with each passing year. And maybe spending a comfortable night out in the back country of the Lower Florida Keys sounds good too. Thanks in advance for your knowledge and advice.
 
JeffK,

If the 22 Cruiser is in good shape it will probably sell rather quickly. Have a professional Survey done after you make a refundable deposit to hold the boat.

Lightly loaded, the Suzuki 90 should push the 22 Cruiser at 30 Knots with a properly pitched prop. This top end speed for a 22 Cruiser or 23 Venture is pretty fast and uncomfortable in my opinion for an extended period of time.

Having a 9.9 kicker with a lower pitch prop is not a bad idea. It is comforting to know that you have a motor that can be lowered into the water if the main becomes inoperable.

Let us know how it goes.
 
Thanks very much Gary. 30 knots is more than enough speed for me. I generally run my 26’ panga in the low 20s. Some of the You Tube videos show all the nooks and crannies in a C-Dory loaded with cruising gear. I assume all that weight would slow the boat some. But we need less stuff here in warm South Florida. And I will of course hire a surveyor to check out any boat before buying. Thanks again for your reassuring reply to my question.

Best regards,
Jeff Kelly
 
DayBreak":1jrfws3b said:
... Lightly loaded, the Suzuki 90 should push the 22 Cruiser at 30 Knots with a properly pitched prop. This top end speed for a 22 Cruiser or 23 Venture is pretty fast and uncomfortable in my opinion for an extended period of time. ...

When my boat is light, my Honda BF90 will get it going into the low 30s (mph). However, this requires pretty flat water and the boat is pretty much just skipping along the surface due to the flat bottom (at least that's what it feels like to me). IMO, it is pretty nerve-wracking to cruise with the boat in this state. The boat is more stable under 30mph.
 
Yes as c-dory’s become loaded their performance suffers even a 9.9 with remote, throttle and cables can add 200lbs. Everything adds up as far as weight and 25% of speed and economy can be lost.

Perfect boat for Florida’s inside. I would go for a self bailing 25 if I was fishing the outside, or if I was a fair weather boater I’m sure the 22 is fine for the east coast.

Good luck with the boat.
 
On my earlier 22, I had a Tohatsu 6hp kicker, which was plenty for that boat. Lighter weight than the 9.9, but without all the bells and whistles. (No tilt/trim, starter, etc.) I did have a Merc 115 on it, but wasn't much faster than the 90's'. 21-24mph was a very comfortable speed on that boat. Colby
 
Good point made by Colby. The 6 hp Tohatsu weights 55 lbs. vs. the Suzuki 9.9 at 108 lbs. which is a savings of 53 lbs. on the transom. Both motors would do well with a lower pitch prop.
 
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