Hi and questions about C-Dory - any divers out there?

C

CADiver

New member
Hey guys - this is my very first post and I'm glad to have found this site as well as the MSN group. I don't own a C-Dory but I've lots of great things about them after looking at many other manufacturers. The fact that there is such a following/loyalty for these boats seems to attest to their solid build and durability.

I'd like to hear which C-Dory you own and why you like it. Would you recommend it? If not which model would you recommend. But before you can answer that I suppose you will need to know what I plan to use it for.

My wife and I are avid SCUBA divers, but we also would like to take some overnighters at the nearby Channel Islands and do some diving and fishing as well. I saw the Tom Cat 24 on the C-Dory website which has the custom dive ladder. This model appeals to me because of the central location of the ladder instead of the other models which would have to have a custom ladder mounted on the side. I wonder if C-Dory will do a cut-out on the side to make entries easier with SCUBA gear on? What's the consensus of the Tom Cat, other than it seems to be much more expensive than the C-Dory 22? Does anyone else SCUBA dive off a C-Dory? And if so, does anyone have an onboard compressor to fill their tanks?

TIA
Paul
 
Hang in there CADiver, someone will answer you. I know there are current scuba divers amongst us as well as some of us "former scuba divers". "SEA3PO" has a dive ladder mounted on the stern of his 22'.
 
CaDiver-
Welcome. We live in Carpinteria and do a lot of over nighters at the Islands. Just got certified PADI. SaltyC does a lot of diving at Catalina with their CD22. SEA3PO has the dive post mounted on the stern of the CD22, a bit tough getting in and out using the post at that location with twin engines. He wants to make a new mount for the side. I have been looking at the TomCat for the extra room and the dive platform.
 
Hi Paul,

We have used our 22 ft. cruiser for diving for about 2 years (how time flies when your on a C-Dory). 2 diving is fine...3 is a crowd and 4 would probably end in bandaged elbows and foul language. We have a port side, stern mounted swim step with a 3 rung ladder (not an option with twin engines), making entering and exiting the water a snap. Having the optional floorboards has made gearing up very easy. To start and end our dive we suit up and tether our BC, etc. in the water off the stern cleat. We find it easier to let the water help us slide into our equipment and it makes leaving the water much easier at the end of the dive. A Tomcat would have a definite advantage for diving, especially if you want to carry a compressor, but the many other positive aspects of the 22 ft. cruiser still make me love our boat!

-Looking forward to diving with Roger and Joel this year in Catalina!

Sam and Kerry
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! I guess I found the right place to ask my question :) Looks like a lot of you use the C-Dory 22 over the other models they have - any reasons why? One of the things that we've always talked about doing was camping out at Catalina, doing a little diving, lobstering, etc off a boat. We have several friends that are divers so I was a little sad to find out that the 22 is a bit small for more than 2-3 divers. Is the Tom Cat really that much larger?

Salty-Cs - Could you elaborate on the "other positive aspects" of the C-Dory 22 model? As far as gearing up in the water, this was an option that we were thinking off and something we would have to do if we took up kayak diving (which hasn't materialized). The only problem with this right now is that my wife uses a weight harness which needs to go on underneath the BC so she'd be negative w/o her BC. I guess a weight integrated BC would be best for donning/doffing your gear in the water ... I'll have to look into this for her as a possibility.
 
Hi Paul,
As a marine archaeologist, I've done a lot of diving from many different small boats over the years. My answer may be premature, since we haven't yet picked up our 22 cruiser, but my wife and I wouldn't have a boat that we couldn't dive from. I think I can project onto the C-Dory, and we're pretty sure that it will do the job.

We picked out this boat because of its versatility. Our primary use will be crabbing, fishing and cruising, not necessarily in that order. But we'll also dive (mostly work-related since the vis in the Chesapeake Bay is miserable), and we can also rig the boat to do survey work with sidescan sonar and other instruments.

We ordered the port side transom-mounted swim platform/ladder with a single 90 hp- it should work just fine for diving. Getting in the water can be done as suggested by tethering the gear and slipping it on in the water, or I'm sure you can just go over the side. If your wife uses a weight belt under the BCD (which I do), she could always park herself on the platform and have you hand her the gear, using the transom/lazarette to support the tank.

Salty-Cs experienced response about the number of people you can comfortably dive sure sounds right, though. I don't think I'd want to have more than two or three people gearing up in the cockpit - there's just not that much room.

As for the choice between models, to me it was a function of size and cost. We didn't want to go any smaller, since we need the space (ok, not "we" - I need the space for all my junk). We love the 25, but couldn't see paying almost twice as much to gain an enclosed head and some more storage space in the cabin. Now if C-Dory would give you the extra three feet of length in the cockpit, that might be a different story! Who knows, they might even do it if you asked them.

I've never tried to put a compressor on a boat that small, so no comment there - would probably be tight, but as Salty-Cs said, the advantages of the 22 (enclosed cabin, berths, dinette, galley with stove/heater, etc, all on a small and really economical and trailerable 22 ft) may outweigh that drawback.

We'll let you know how it goes in June, once we take delivery and get out there!

John
 
Divers- A diver, I'm not, but would a good sized inflatible teathered along side be useful in expanding the limited dive platform space available on a 22? Joe.
 
Bluecrab - Thanks for your insight. The only diving we've done off boats are on larger charters (50+ feet) and they were built to be dive boats so they're set up proper as far as space, entry and exits go. Gearing up and doing a backroll off the side of the 22' seems like it'd be no problem. I'm more worried about my getting back on - having my wife remove her weights first and then the BC would probably work fine. I'm sure it would make it a LOT easier to climb up the side ladder without all that gear on :) And as far as your analysis of the 22' vs the 25' ... I hate you for making sense! lol:) It does seem like a huge price difference for an additional 3' and some more amenities, doesn't it? I was actually comparing the 22' and the Tom Cat 24' which seems to be a lot larger - Molly Brown apparently goes out a lot and holds 6-12 tanks for weekenders (I think that's what the owner told me). And that's with his whole family on board! The price difference seems more 'justifiable' with the Tom Cat since its a different design (relative to the 22'/25' cruiser which are very similar AFAIK). But at that price I could get TWO 22's - one for my wife and one for me! :)

Sea Wolf - I know several folks that use zodiacs to access some dive sites off the coast here in Southern California so it would be do-able (although they're at least 14 footers). It would be much like kayak-diving as far as the exit goes (pretty much the same as described above). I'm not sure what size/type of inflatable you're talking about, but with tanks and gear it would probably need a solid bottom to motor about efficienty (not sure about this). Seems like it could work as an alternative, though - good suggestion!
 
Fishtales":3ft2t5rn said:
CaDiver-
Welcome. We live in Carpinteria and do a lot of over nighters at the Islands. Just got certified PADI. SaltyC does a lot of diving at Catalina with their CD22. SEA3PO has the dive post mounted on the stern of the CD22, a bit tough getting in and out using the post at that location with twin engines. He wants to make a new mount for the side. I have been looking at the TomCat for the extra room and the dive platform.
Click to expand...

Fishtales - Congrats on your certification! My wife and I actually only got certified about two years ago but we absolutely love it! The kelp forests are just amazing and we love gliding through them ... its like a great underwater hike! I've seen the swim platform/ladder on the stern of the 22's on the C-Dory website and I agree that it's probably not the easiest location to get back on the boat. The side ladder, to be honest, doesn't seem like it would that much easier, though. But I suppose w/o any gear on it should be fairly easy.

Salty-C - Hmmm ... seems like you've got the whole SCUBA on a C-Dory 22' down pretty well :) If we end up getting one you'll have to give us some pointers on how you guys manage, ok? ;)
 
Hi CADiver,

We have been diving from a 22" Angler for about 10 years. Installed a side ladder (heavy duty expanding,folding type) on the starboard side. Even the Angler with the larger cockpit is too small for more than 3 divers and all the associated gear. Usually floated BC's and geared up in the water. Traded up to the TomCat last fall and it is hugh compared to the Angler. We use a Maxair Compressor and fill tanks onboard. Compressor is on the swimstep for filling and then moved for diving. See 2nd page of Cygnet album for pics. The compressor is only 55 lbs and easy to move. We are going to Sequim Bay in June with 6 divers for a week vacation and will see how it works out.

Brent and Dixie Betenson
 
Cygnet - Thanks for the info. What kind of tanks are those, they look like lp72's and an al80 - how long does that compressor take to fill those tanks? I'm curious about how much faster the lp tanks are than the al80s as I'm in the process of getting some steel lp72's right now. I'd like to hear about your upcoming trip and your experiences diving off the Tom Cat, please keep me updated. Have a safe trip and safe diving!
Paul
 
Brent - After checking out that photo of your compressor I did a search for the Maxair's. It looks like the one you have is a Maxair 35 (?) - does it really weigh 55lbs? The website stated 85lbs for the Maxair 35. Seems like a lot of weight to carry ... especially since I saw you also had a generator and several tanks on board! Any problems to having this additional weight on board or is it insignificant? I'm a newbie so you'll have to forgive me if the question sounds like its from ... well, a newbie! ;)
 
Just to put my 2 cents in.
It would seem that the best way to enter/exit the 22 would be to lower your gear into the water, tethered to a line. Enter, don your gear, and off you go. Returning, remove your gear, tether, get on board, and lift the gear into the boat. Naturally, depending on water conditions.

Another alternative when you don't have much room is the use of a surface air supply unit, aka a Hooka unit. They can supply 3 (some to 4) divers using an oiless compressor that floats. Small, light weight, no tanks, compact storage, and hours of diving on small amounts of gas. Depending on the model and number of divers, you can dive to depths of 60 to 90 feet. While they may not be applicable to all dive situations, they do offer an alternative.
There are two manufacturers that come to mind, Sink and Brownies. Both not manufacture direct drive units ... no drive belts. Efficient, trouble free, and compact.
I am a dive instructor who owns a dive shop in Fredericksburg, VA. I can get any of these units and would be happy to send you some info. Sounds like a sales job, but honestly, its not. Just trying to help out a fellow C-Dory owner. If I can be of assistance, dont hesitate to call 540-373-1030. (Part time dive shop, full time high school teacher)

John
Swee Pea
 
Paul, We have aluminum 80's and 100's, all the tanks in the picture are 80's. It takes about 20 minutes to fill an 80 and a little more for the 100's. Just depends how low they are. The Maxair is about the same weight as the Honda Gen. and thats 55 lbs. Maybe the shipping weight of the Maxair is 85 lbs. I will weigh both and get back to you. The TomCat platform (two hulls and wide stance) doesn't react to weight changes as much as the CD 22's, it sits flat on the water with about any load. Have had 8 adults walking around with little change in trim. We wouldnt normally carry both the compressor and the gen. at the same time. The pic. was for planning of what might be. We are going to Catalina in Aug. with the C-Dogs and might take both for that trip as there will only be the two of us.

Brent
 
Brent - don't go through the trouble of weighing them, you're probably right that the weight indicated on the website is the shipping weight. Besides, the fact you are able to move both the generator and compressor around is all I really need to know as far as portability. And I guess the weight is a non-issue. The Tom Cat is sounding better all the time! Have you ever filled steel lp tanks with the MaxAir before? I would imagine these would fill a lot faster since we typically only fill to ~2475psi (+) vs the 3000psi for Al80s. I know as much about compressors as I do about the Tom Cat so I may be way off here ....... :)
 
CADiver,

No trouble to weigh the gen. and compressor, I need to know anyway. You were right, the compressor is close to 85 lbs. with oil and gas. The Honda XL1000 gen. was 65 lbs. also with oil and gas. I have not had any experience filling steel tanks so I can't help there.

Brent
 
Here's a good Dive Boat out of Ventura- http://www.peaceboat.com/main1.htm

I made a beach dive with my sons class Sunday. I bought a new IST BC a couple months ago and this was the first dive with it. It goes back to the store. IST is junk!!! The weight packets kept falling out of the pockets and when I tried to release air, the knob came off in my hand!
Bought a new Oceanic Probe for $399 yesterday.
 
Brent - thanks for the information. I guess you're stronger than you thought, eh? ;) I got contacted by a C-Dory dealer yesterday and he told me that he would send me a information packet - I can't wait to get it!

Roger - I've heard the PEACE is a great boat. We usually dive off the Bottom Scratcher out of Long Beach - great boat and crew. We've been wanting to go out on the Great Escape for some time now but haven't managed yet due to time/schedule. As far as gear, I'm glad you didn't encounter any serious problems with the weights falling out while diving - I don't trust weight integrated pockets unless they have a positive means of engagement (not just a little velcro). Weights should be ditched as a last resort (IMHO), or at the surface, so I have trouble understanding why manufacturers make them so easy to be removed. I wear the standard weight belt although my wife prefers the weight harness. I don't need an embolism because my weights 'accidently' fell out during a dive. Dive safe!
 
Here's another question (which I also posted on C-D Owners Group). How do you ensure that your boat won't go AWOL while you're diving if everyone on board is diving? Do you follow the anchor line down on your first dive and secure it, and then release it on the way up from your last dive? Or is this not really a problem? What do you guys do?
 
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