first C-dory

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nimrod

New member
Question for all you "old salts" out there: Would a 25' Cruiser be too much boat for a newbie or would a 22 footer be more appropriate? I've operated lots of small boats but nothing over 16'.
 
Answer is, it all depends on what you are looking for and want to do.

A CD25 is pretty much the perfect couples cruiser, ideally suited for overnight, weekend, weeks or month onboard. More elbow room and more amenities than a CD22 (we have owned both and know whereof we speak). We are cruisers and can truly say this is perfect for what WE want to do. You can certainly fish off it too. The CD25 is NOT well suited to going out for an afternoon of crabbing or fishing, it is just a bit of a load for that (that is why we also have a CD16!)

The CD22 has less elbow room and amenities, but is a great all around boat. You can cruise comfortably on it as well, just ask El and Bill. And it is well suited for a quick in and out for crabbing or fishing as well.

Best advice I can give you is to hitch a ride on each. See how each one feels. With current deals (I can't believe some of the prices on used CD25s these days), I think price would not be the main obstacle any longer.

nimrod":3f1uk1cb said:
Question for all you "old salts" out there: Would a 25' Cruiser be too much boat for a newbie or would a 22 footer be more appropriate? I've operated lots of small boats but nothing over 16'.
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My only experience with boats in the past was ski boats on fresh water 16ft or less in length. We bought a 25 last month and are having fun with it. We are having a camperback built as I write this! There is a lot to learn with books, manuals, c-brats, .... but it is fun taking it all in. We feel better every time with go out and we have put as many hours on the boat in a month as the previous owner did in 4 years. We do keep it moored and that makes shorter duration trips more feasible.

Greg
 
nimrod,

We went through that dilemma for years...22/25...25/22, etc. Being somewhat of a minimalist at heart we settled on a 22. In March we found a good deal on a barely used 2006 22 Cruiser. In thinking back about our decision it probably would best be described more accruately as marine head/porta potti...porta potti/marine head, etc. That seemed to be the real issue that confounded us.

A few years ago we rented the 25 Cruiser that Mark Grove of Wefings had and spent a week on it. It was a great experience. But then, with a 25, we were faced with having to buy a larger tow vehicle and concern that we would not use the 25 as much for day trips as perhaps we would with the 22.

Well, we just returned from our first week long cruise on the 22 (Placid C) and are more happy than ever we bought the 22. The porta potti is not an issue at all. There is total privacy and comfort with the privacy curtain zipped in the V berth. It's easy to dump and clean and it goes in the cabin isle or cockpit at night.

Placid C seemed to get bigger all week during the cruise. We have used our boat for lots of day trips and it is simple and easy to launch and retrieve and it is relatively fuel efficient.

As with Aurelia we have already put more hours on our boat than the first owner did in three years. My suggestion is buy the boat you are likely to use more.

Harper
 
nimrod":38ncrj6i said:
Question for all you "old salts" out there: Would a 25' Cruiser be too much boat for a newbie or would a 22 footer be more appropriate? I've operated lots of small boats but nothing over 16'.
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I personally think the learning curve moving from a <16' to 22 or 25' would not be that different. You will need time and practice with either vessel.

With that in mind, I don't think you would regret moving into a 25 . You never regret more space and more comforts but it of course depends on your needs. If the 25 would require a new tow vehicle or if you only plan to keep it on a trailer when not in use, etc. the 22 may be better. What are your cruising plans?
 
I have heard many times that when thinking about the size of the boat you want.....STOP and add 20% to the length of what you are thinking!!
Good Luck
 
Thanks for all your replies. Very helpful. Way back when, my wife & I were very happy living out of a VW microbus (and could get all of our possessions in there too). We were kind of thinking that a exploring Puget Sound in a c-dory would be like those old VW days. We do want to do day trips and quick outings to the crab beds and troll for salmon, so it sounds like the 22 would do the trick in that regard.

jd
 
We just traded our 16' Cruiser in for a 25' Cruiser. The head/porta-potti factor and extra storage space were the biggest issues for us.

The 25' is much handier for entertaining 6-8 people in comfort which we will be doing each summer. 22' or 25', you can't go wrong either way.

Good luck & enjoy!
 
I have heard many times that when thinking about the size of the boat you want.....STOP and add 20% to the length of what you are thinking!!
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This may be true, but from our experience - do the opposite. I've heard the quote "Buy the smallest boat that you can afford". We went from a 32ft x 12ft beam trawler to our C-Dory 22. I had the same issues in regards to "should I buy the 25 or 22" - it wasn't the money difference, it was the simplicity of the 22 that we loved.

Well, after spending 5 weeks aboard with 4 of us on the 22 - I will say that we are very very pleased with our decision. Now, if we would have purchased the 25 - I'm sure I'd be saying the same thing. Not really that much difference.

Have fun.
 
So, generally speaking, my lack of experience with anything over 16 feet long shouldn't give me pause in considering a 25 footer as my first boat?
 
Asolutely not. You won't be a newie for long and you will overcome the learning curve in short order. The other comments about intended use over the near term and foreseable future prevail. This is not to say the 25 is best for you because the comments might steer you to the 22 when all of the tradeoffs are considered.
 
A LOT of good thoughts here, you won't go wrong with either one.

If day cruising (or day fishing or crabbing), easy in and out, is the major use you project, then a CD22 is clearly the right choice. And it can certainly cruise for extended periods of time too. The CD22 is a marvelous all-around vessel.

If you mainly want to cruise for longer periods of time, then the CD25 offers more elbow room and amenities and would likely be more satisfying. Everything is one notch larger, and having a head and pressurized hot and cold water certainly is more comfortable. As I said above, the CD25 is just a little too much for easy in and out day cruising, but is perfect for extended couples cruising.

But either boat can fill the bill. Going from 16 to either 22 or 25 should not be the main issue, both are easily doable. It is which one best suits what you want to do over the long term with your new boat that should drive this decision. And the only way to really understand how each one feels is to go out on the water in one of each. I am sure there will be lots of folks who would be happy to offer you a test ride. Don't make the decision until you have done that! Be smart, get the one that fits you best first!
 
nimrod":1t6kv8tz said:
So, generally speaking, my lack of experience with anything over 16 feet long shouldn't give me pause in considering a 25 footer as my first boat?
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You shouldn't have any issues handling a larger C-Dory. We had rides on both 22' & 25' Cruisers before making our decision to move up. A lot of C-Brats love the simplicity of the 22' Cruiser. My wife & I just needed a bit more storage space & amenities for extending cruising or entertaining guests. The 25' Cruiser fit the bill for us. We will be berthing the boat rather than trailering during the summer.

We love our 16' Cruiser, & I'll miss the ease of trailering & launching just about anywhere, anytime. Trading it in for the 25' was a bittersweet choice, but we're looking forward to greater adventures ahead.

Whichever model you choose, it will serve you well. Enjoy!
 
I have a personal acquaintance who’s first boat..ever…was 48 footer Yacht. The 25 will cost you twice as much to run and maintain but has a lot more room than the 22. I could have purchased a 25 but for use the 22 was the best fit and we’ve never looked back.
 
nimrod":1fida3l5 said:
Thanks for all your replies. Very helpful. Way back when, my wife & I were very happy living out of a VW microbus (and could get all of our possessions in there too). We were kind of thinking that a exploring Puget Sound in a c-dory would be like those old VW days. We do want to do day trips and quick outings to the crab beds and troll for salmon, so it sounds like the 22 would do the trick in that regard.

jd
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This seems to be a re-occurring theme among more than a few of us here. :lol:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?...ame=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
 
I've had it for >6 yrs now. Got it from a retired guy in Everett who bought it as part of a storage unit aution. He didn't want it and I did. Got it for a steal. It had been stored in there since 1994 and it's pretty rust free, considering. I have the original gas heater for it, but it needs a rebuild. It's all original except the curtains.

Boy, I wouldn't want to tell you what a '64 Deluxe (rag top) bus would be worth now. It may make you ill. :cry
 
No, a 25 is not too big. The first saltwater boat I ever chartered was a 50 foot twin screw Ocean Alexander. Prior to that I had run a 17 foot Bayliner on the Colorado River. We had a trainer Captain aboard for the first 24 hours and then we spent the next 12 days on our own in the San Juans/Gulf Islands. Just take a couple of course in boat handling and practice, practice, practice.
 
localboy":1q0zovif said:
Boy, I wouldn't want to tell you what a '64 Deluxe (rag top) bus would be worth now. It may make you ill. :cry
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I've heard of them going for close to $40,000. Not sure of the condition.

Apologies for stealing the thread!
 
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