East Coast Equivalent of C-Dory

E

EastCoastNovize

New member
Y’all are a dedicated bunch - I’ll say that. And I see why. Classic lines, utility, function and quality in an affordable US made product. I get it.

But you guys are primarily West Coast and Florida.

Does the C-Dory have a northeast cousin that is manufactured, serviced, and popular up here?

A similar pocket cruiser to the 26’ Venture??

East Coast Curious…
 
The most similar line (IMO) would be Eastern Boats from NH. They have the Rosborough line that includes a 22 and a 25.

https://easternboats.com/boats/rosborough-22-cape-breton/

https://easternboats.com/boats/rosborough-246-digby/

They are similar in purpose to C-Dorys. There are some differences in the designs. The Rosboroughs are bigger (taller) and heavier than C-Dorys. The hull shape is different which coupled with the weight probably makes them better in rougher water. The disadvantage is higher HP req'd and fuel burn. Towing would be more difficult too.

The side doors and available extended hard top on the Eastern boats are nice. They do lack a dinette though.
 
Hey, EC Curious. If you want something like a C-Dory, I'd nicely suggest that you get yourself ready for a road trip to find a C-Dory. While the other boats that ssobol suggested are nice boats, they aren't a C-Dory.

I tried to find a C-Dory in south Texas back in 2005 when we started looking. It took a trip to the Seattle Boat Show to buy one from the factory back then (the factory sold direct at that time - a couple "factory owners" ago). There really isn't any other boat out there quite like a C-Dory... and you will find it will be worth your time and the travel to find one.

Good luck with the search. When we traveled on the Erie Canal and Hudson River years ago, we came across a few C-Dorys in that part of the country; they are out there.
 
Yes, the deeper the hull dead rise (the deeper "V"), the more power is required.
The tradeoff is deeper Vs ride better in the chop; i.e., cutting thru seas vs
bouncing on top of them. Of course, there are limits.
The better the ride, the happier the occupants.
Hence, 'the best rides' cost.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Usually, you don't get something for nothing."
 
East Coast Curious,

Come on down to Wakefield and we'll take a ride on my 22 C-Dory. I used to run boats in AK and OR, and while the C-Dory might not be as common here, it's still well-suited to our waters.
 
Actually there are a number of C Dorys all through the Eastern part of the country. Not as many as Washington State however. There were dealers in New Hampshire, Baltimore, Carolinas, and Florida at one point,

The usual version of the R 246 does have a dinette. The Halifax and Digby have settees with a removable table. The R 245 is a "Down East" semi displacement hull. They do slightly better going into the chop and not as well going down seas, swells. (More likely to broach). Many are run at semi displacement speeds--6 to 8 knots. There is an older low side version and a newer high side version.

One of the models does have an enclosed head, similar to c Dory 25. That means a small galley. One dealer I know stopped carrying the new R 246 because of quality controls in boats several years ago. That may have improved recently. There is a R-246 forum, and they do have organized gatherings.

We had considered one at several times in our lives. The bunk is too short for me, (Unless you remove the hanging locker forward). Also I am not a fan of the side, sliding doors by the helm and navigator seats. However they are good boats and many folks love them.

Also mentioned is the Atlas Boatworks Acadia 25.

There is nothing like a C Dory for a trailerable planing power boat.
 
They do slightly better going into the chop
Click to expand...

Having owned and operated 3 C-Dory's, and now 2 Rosborough 246's, I have to chuckle at the degree of understatement here. Directly put, there is no comparison between a C-Dory and a R246 going into chop. The Rosborough is built more like a commercial boat where the C-Dory is lightweight construction. The only exception would be the ride of a Tomcat going into <2' chop, where the waves aren't yet hitting the underbelly of the hull.

Now there are indeed certain advantages to the C-Dory hull, fuel economy and ease of towing being right at the top of the list.

Not trying to be combative, just stating the truth of my lived experience.
 
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