C-Dory in the Tropics?

B

Bill3558

New member
Hi folks. Im a newbee and thinking of a 22 Cruiser. I live in Savannah Ga and its hot here in the summer. Most of the cruises and pictures I see on this site have the boat next to glaciers and other chilly places. Its obvious the boat is well suited to those areas. But Im an older guy that loves being on the water but have doctors orders to stay out of the sun. Im thinkng the C-dory 22 with bimini might be just the ticket. But I am wondering how comfortable the boat is in hot weather.
The cabin appears to be well ventilated and its my understanding I can even air condition the boat with a roof mounted unit and a genset or shore power.
Thanks for any suggestions or comments....
 
Yep! There are plenty of C-Dorys in Florida (and the Tropical Tip of Texas). The cabin really does a great job of keeping you out of the sun. We don't have air conditioning on our boat (check out the Thataway photos for a nice RV type A/C install), but as long as you are moving, it stays plenty comfortable. Open the front center window and the side windows, and there is plenty of controllable air flow.

Check out the Brat Map above to see how many boats there are along the "south" coast.

Best wishes,
Jim B. (in the currently unusually chilly Tropical Tip of Texas, but heading to FL soon)
 
Bill,

Although we live in Ohio, my wife's folks live on St. Helena Island, outside Beaufort, just north of you.

We've stayed on board at Port Royal marina and fished in your area and the boat has been fine, although the bimini does help quite a bit.

There is also a a 25 near Charleston, but can't remember the name.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
It gets pretty dang hot and humid here in the Montgomery area, and we've been ok. Heck, we moved here from Alaska.....in July! We open the windows and hatch, and have a 12v fan for sleeping out on the lake. No problems. The bimini helps, and the cabin is usually quite comfy. A quick dip in the water helps when you do get too hot. Most times there is a bit of a breeze out there and it helps, too.

If you could get out on a CD in hot weather, you'd get a better idea if it is going to be suitable for you. We find our boat quite comfortable, and have no A/C. It depends on what you and your doctor think is acceptable, I guess. A light weight long sleeved shirt, coupled with the bimini, will help with the sun issue.

Rick & Donna
 
Lots of C Dories (and other pilot house boats--including Parkers, Rosborough 246, and even sportfishers with totally enclosed flying bridges) on the Gulf Coast and Down South. We also used our CD 22 at lake Powell in the middle of the summer--not as humid as Florida--but certainly hot. The only objection I had was that the hull sides retained heat at night--and we put some pads against the side to deminish this.

The key is shade with air flow. If the boat is not moving, there must be some fan or wind scoop. We also spent several years cruising tropical areas in sailboats with pilothouses--just keep the breeze flowing. The C Dory is probably a better boat than 99% of the usual "express" cruiser you see on the ICW>
 
But Im an older guy that loves being on the water but have doctors orders to stay out of the sun.
Click to expand...

Such was my welcome to Lupus and C-Dory after looking at them for years. I'm in Florida, if you get the tall top (on a 22) it does tend to pocket the heat (a light color boat helps too). You can also run a line from the bowrail to the masthead light or radome (or other -- or other being the best option) to the transom on the centerline and rig a tarp over the cabin and this gives shade anywhere and cools it right down. Overall, it's not bad if there's any wind blowing at all, but in the doldrums, the tarp option or motoring is best as any boat is downright uncomfortable in still humid heat.
 
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