Help a guy and his gal become C-Brats

S

Sir Mac

New member
I sure hope no one get's upset with me. I signed up as a member even though I don't currently own a C-Dory. My wife (the FisherGal) and I have considered and desired to be bonnafide C-Brats for coming up on a decade now. We really like these boats you guys/gals have chosen. We are lookng at the 25 to 27. Currently own a different brand which is our second boat. We like it just fine but we are making plans to travel, tow and cruise all over and where ever and want the extra room to allow for extended stays. As a referrence point I'll reveal our current boat is a Reinell 200B (20')which is actually a GlasPly hull which I have found to also be sold with a Beach Craft label affixed. We like it just fine yet it will not suit what we would like to do.
Here's what I am requesting. Will you kind folks please educate me on what you like about C-Dory's? I am particularly interested in how they handle in snotty water. Every boat rides like a cloud on soft riffle. Any and all opinions regarding other aspects of C-Dory's you want to share are desired. If anyone also has experience traveling and towing with a motorhome I would really appreciate your input too.

Thank you,

Hal
 
Hal,

No one will be angry with you for joining without a C-Dory boat! So no worries there. The questions you ask are commonly asked one and a quick search on the site will find you the answers you need. However, I suspect that if your biggest concern is how C-Dory's handle in "snotty water", you may be disappointed. In brief, the C-Dory hull is fairly flat. With that you get great fuel economy but unlike a deep V, it won't cut through snotty water very well. The standard C-Dory hulls are great in 1-2 foot chop but much over that, and you're down to 12kts. In bigger swells or bigger waves (when everyone is slowing down), the C-Dory is fine. In fact in following seas, the hull rides a bit better than deep V-s as it floats more like a cork and the seas roll under it.

I've been in 10' (long period) swells with a couple feet of wind waves and in 3' wind waves in my previous 22' CD with no real concerns about safety. I just had to go fairly slow. A few years ago at the end of the strait of Juan De Fuca an easterly wind came up while I was out at Swiftsure bank and when combined with the incoming tide, we had 3-4' of short confused waves. I had to slow down to 5kts, but after 1.5 hours of beating my way into the lee side of the cape, I continued south for a nice afternoon of fishing. I've never felt I was in any real danger and the boat could always handle more than it's occupants could stand. It just takes a bit of getting used to and a willingness to take it slow when needed.

What most of us like about out C-Dory's is that they are utilitarian, inexpensive to operate, easily modifiable, tough, trailerable, enclosed and good looking (amongst other qualities). I think of them as the "Jeeps" of the boat world. They also hold their value really well. In addition, the C-brat community is a hugely valuable asset when it comes to help with repairs, modification etc.

If how the boat handles snotty seas is your primary concern, you might consider a Tomcat (the C-Dory catamaran). That's what I now have and (IMHO) it's a huge upgrade relative to a CD-25 if fishing and getting around in snotty conditions is your main concern. However, it's more expensive to buy.
 
Welcome! Like Roger said, you have to slow down in the chop. The boats are very stable and great to fish from. You can modify them to suit your particular needs and they are very economical to operate compared to a deep V. That means you can actually get out and use it even when gas is stupid expensive.

They are easily trailerable and easy to launch. We used ours as a boaterhome when we moved cross country (twice) and you can do just about anything with them except go faster than about 30mph, at least in the 22. When the weather gets crappy we go home anyway! :roll:

Rick
 
All good stuff you gave me. I am familiar with the water of Cape Flattery and beyond and know how chunky ( I think you used the term confused) it can get. I am not sure those guys with their 28+ footers being pushed by twin 250's or larger and weighing in at #10,000 have a comfortable trip. With as thirsty as those things are I am not even interested. I don't have any problems with slowing down. In my motoring around the sound I am usually running at about 22 mph. The truth is, the fact the C-Dory planes at such low speeds and so easily is one of the things which attract me. I would like to be able to be on step at slower speeds. I have operated a big heavy boat and found it felt like running my truck into a curb every time it pierced another wave. I was just out in a 42' Bertram in Kauai pushing 6-7 knt in 6 + foot water. It was at least soft but that much weight caused it to nose deeper into the bottom of the water between the waves than a lighter/smaller boat. It is all a trade off. Back to C-Dory. do the sneeze on themselves much. It is one of the things I wish my boat didn't do so much. Mine handles 2' and 3' chop ok but I have to keep the wipers running all the time because it throws the water out off the bow so far and the wind pitches it up on the windshield. My previous boat didn't but it also didn't ride as flat and level.

Gotta run. Grandkids birthday party to attend dressed as Santa.
 
Thanks for the welcome.
I like it. Boaterhome. at one point I was considering a 30 foot trawler, and oversize permit and one hell of a pickup. I figured I could make extra money sending homemade videos to Dodge or Toyota.
What do you consider "slow down in the chop". When the bumps get to about 2 feet I'm already cutting back. I haven't found kidney pounding fun and nothing I've owned yet eliminates. The Reinell 200B we have now planes (tabs and drive foil) at around 20 and that is often too fast. If I could stay on step at 15 or less I'd be thrilled. What do you (or others) say? If it gets too bad I'm willing to drop even lower. I just would prefer to not be coming in at 6 or 7 just because the wind picked up to 25.

Input welcome any and all
 
I'll second the vote for a tomcat. I just sold an older 24' tomcat for about the price of a newer 22. The tomcats have much more room and can handle moderate chop much better. At 2-3' chop we could run at 20 knots without too much pounding. Great boats and a great site!
 
Hal -
We lived on a CD-22 many years and cruised her tens of thousands of miles on America's waterways - marvelous experience with wonderful shared memories. Our advice? Keep it simple, travel slowly, and share every sunrise from 'your' cove.
 
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