From 16' to 22'?

T

TimOb

New member
Hi All,
Here's the situation: Many years ago (10+) we had a 16' cruiser. Loved the boat. When it was just my wife and I it worked great. We camped, cruised, fished, gunked, etc... As long as we kept out of big water, we never had a problem. Once or twice, we put it at it's limits (us more than it), and learned some things that we shouldn't do with her. Then, we had a kid and the boat was suddenly much too small. We reluctantly sold her and have since been boatless. Once, we rented a 26' Nordic Tug for a week up in the San Juans and loved it. What a difference, not only in the size of course, but the ride. That thing just chugged thru seas that would have tossed the C Dory (and maybe my lunch!). So, now we're once again thinking of a boat. My wife really wants something that will cruise like the Nordic Tug, in fact, that's what she wants! I want something easily trailerable and I can moor in my garage. We both want something bigger than the 16 footer that we can all go out on (3 of us now) for some long weekends and maybe a week or so once in awhile. So, my main question is this: Have any of you folks migrated from a small C-Dory to a larger one? What was it like? Obvious or not, I would love hearing what you might have to say.

Thanks,
Tim
 
TimOB,

Have you seen the new 21' Sea Ranger Tug that C-Dory is doing together with Sea Ranger? It is on the factory website. I have seen it at Les's and it seems really nice. There is also a new 25' Sea Ranger Tug, sort of a pocket Nordic but the factory told me a week ago that they are sold out through the rest of this year.

We are new to C-Dory and have a 22'. Plenty of space for us and one big factor in our buy decision was seating room.
 
Tim, Look on this site for the several threads like, "C-Ranger 25 on the Water" and others. Someone posted "Trawlerfest" photos of the new C-Ranger 25 on one of those threads. I think you can "search" for them.

The C-Ranger 25 should handle chop very well, but many owners of the CD22 and CD25 report good performance with cruising speeds and varying weight allowance. The 22 just has to be about the most economical, easy to handle pocket cruiser around with pretty good seakeeping when handled correctly.

I have often thought of getting a CD-16 since it seems so easy to trail, handle, load, and low fuel use. The bigger we get in our boats, the more hassle it is....

Good luck on your quest! John
 
Hi Tim,
We purchased a 16' Cruiser in '99 when our daughter was 10 yrs. old. We managed ok with it initially for day cruises. However, for overnighters we either camped on shore or stayed at a marina where there were lodging facilities. In '04 we transitioned up to the 22' Cruiser and are very pleased with it. Since, we have the "camperback", we are able to move belongings to the cockpit during the night when we need to clear the v-berth for sleeping. It is manageable for the three of us and our cocker spaniel.....(daughter is now 16 yrs. old). I find the 22' easy to tow, maneuver, and keep at home, (we are fortunate to have a large enough structure to store the vessel in).
The only drawbacks, we've come up with is, that do to limited space, we've not been able to take any of Jessica's friends with us on overnight trips. However, she seems to be content and happy to spend time with us as her "playmates" as she does enjoy the trips that we make. (On a few occasions there have been other friends her age on other vessels, so she has had "age compatible" buddies).
We also are enamored with the Nordic Tug, however, trailering and the ability to keep the vessel stored at home is extremely important to us.
The new C Ranger 25 that is very similar in appearance to the Nordic Tug appeals to us, however I'm not certain that I would want to tow and launch that as often as we do the 22'. (The Dodge Diesel would probably have no problem towing it however.....and unlike Tyboo's Dodge, my horn doesn't honk when it is in reverse and the driver's door is opened... :roll: ). Additionally, if we were to transition to a larger vessel now, I would have to add a larger bay to our shop.
 
Excellent reply Dave, thanks for the info. Your situation seems to be pretty close to mine. How do you compare the 22' vs the 16' boats in various sea conditions?

Thanks again,
Tim
 
I feel that on occasion I was out in conditions that were "marginal" for the 16'. So far, I've not had that feeling with the 22'. I feel that for the most part the conditions in the greater Puget Sound area are amicable for the 22'.
Additionally, since I opted to include all the "bells and whistles" on the 22' (ie: chartplotter with radar overlay, auto pilot etc. etc.), that I am ready for most conditions that come our way. (Don't think by any means, that I knowingly venture out in conditions that I don't feel is safe, but I have been "caught" out in changed conditions).

An additional plus for the 22' is that I'm now able to get the family to join me on day cruises in the winter (do to having the Wallas stove/heater and the enclosed cabin). Even though I would cruise during the winter in the 16', they would have no part of that!

On Memorial Day weekend, we spent one night at the Kingston Marina. After cooking and eating dinner on "Sea Shift" the weatherman presented us with torrential rain so we made the dinette into the bed configuration, placed pillows along the port side for back rests thereby creating a "couch", then all three of us sat on the "couch" and watched a movie on a DVD set up on the "kitchen" counter. At the movies conclusion, we changed the "couch" back into "bed" mode, and all retired to our sleeping areas for the night. (The rain poured all night long, and we were dry and comfy in our "cabin of the sea").
(The total cost of this overnighter trip was the launch and overnight parking fee in Everett, $16 slip fee in Kingston, and less than 10 gallons of boat fuel). (Oh yeah, forgot the diesel fuel for the Dodge from Arlington to Everett and back at 16 miles per gallon). (Seems reasonable to me for a family of 3 plus a dog). (We would have eaten at home so I'm not counting that expense).
 
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