How hard can you be on a C-Dory

We were on the beautiful Lake Champlain last week. We had some great experiences. Our kids showed up with their new to them SeaRay 240 and us in our CD22.
I didn’t realize how hard the boat slaps in chop. And crossing over we were in fetch containing what we felt to be 3-4’ and rolling waves. The waves threw us around quite a bit until we settled in on the correct speed of 6-7 knts. We crossed the waves on a short diagonal to get the best ride. Soon enough we were able to reach out protected harbor and took our slip. I had heard so much bout the seaworthiness of these boats and I was proud to have battled through this rough stretch.
While out inthe Worst part I looked over at my kids in their SeaRay and they were just leisurely doing big circles around us. Up on plane, blasting along comfortably. They were worried about us as we smashed up and down off plane. At what point does the C-Dory come into its own. Although we enjoyed our passage it was apparent that the go-fast-boat was much more capable and much smoother in those conditions.
Lastly how hard can I drive this boat? Is the slapping as bad for the boat as it sounds and as it feels? What am I missing?
The 22 is a nice boat to cook on and sleep on.
 
It's probably harder on your body than the boat. The C-Dory really does best at just slowing down in the rough water. It can be a miserable ride, but it's a very seaworthy boat! How much gas did they use while doing circles around you? :mrgreen:
 
ha ha I bet they used a bunch of gas. I know I got almost 4 mpg on this trip and I bet they did not get near that with their 5.7 V8. I have never been out in a motorboat in that rough of seas. In fact I have almost no open water powerboat experience. The boat faired well but I was dancing in the cabin to keep my balance.

Most of the rough water that I have been on in my earlier life was on my 59 Pearson Triton 28 or my friends Albin Ballad 29. They would slice through rough seas well. But that was in the LI sound where you disappear in long smooth troughs. The waves we were in on Lake Champlain were short train congested washing machine waves with the occasional roller.

So being on a boat that slaps so badly was a shocker to me. Once I slowed down properly and got settled in I was still going 1.5 times faster then what the heavy sailboats could sail at hull speed.

Do go-fast-boats like the SeaRay or Crowns get very uncomfortable once conditions are bad enough that they must come down off plane and slog along. It would seem to me that they are high off the water and could get pretty uncomfortable up there once the conditions are bad enough.
 
Trim tabs or a permatrim help a lot in the chop to get the bow down. This improves the ride quite a bit. However, a C-Dory is a light boat with a pretty flat bottom. It wants to go up and over the waves rather than through them.

A Searay 240 has a deep v hull and weighs about 2x what a CD22 does. It can punch through the chop. It also needs about 3x the hp to do it.
 
I'm coming off a 1987 Sea Ray Sundancer 270 with the deep v hull. I do all of my boating on Lake Erie which has similar short period steep breaking waves and the Sea Ray does great. It's still no fun once you get consistent 3-4' waves but the boat will punch through them up on plane as long as it isn't overloaded. Anything 2-3' foot though and yeah you feel the waves but it doesn't feel worrisome.
 
I heard you. And I guess in ocean swell it would be a lot smoother. And I'm doing it all on 80 hp. I need a lot more experience to know more.


ssobol":1fkv6z2v said:
Trim tabs or a permatrim help a lot in the chop to get the bow down. This improves the ride quite a bit. However, a C-Dory is a light boat with a pretty flat bottom. It wants to go up and over the waves rather than through them.

A Searay 240 has a deep v hull and weighs about 2x what a CD22 does. It can punch through the chop. It also needs about 3x the hp to do it.
 
The best ride is with both trim tabs and the Permatrim. I have tried one boat without either, then the trim tabs and finally the Permatrim. You get the bow down into chop, and bow up going down waves and seas. As above, the Sea Ray has a moderate "V" and the C Dory a flat bottom aft, and less progressive V for ward. You see the difference in HP as well as fuel consumption. They are entirely different boats.

You have to learn to drive any boat. Some take more finesse than others. You will get experinece and then learn how to handle different seas.
 
The best ride is with both trim tabs and the Permatrim. I have tried one boat without either, then the trim tabs and finally the Permatrim. You get the bow down into chop, and bow up going down waves and seas. As above, the Sea Ray has a moderate "V" and the C Dory a flat bottom aft, and less progressive V for ward. You see the difference in HP as well as fuel consumption. They are entirely different boats.

You have to learn to drive any boat. Some take more finesse than others. You will get experinece and then learn how to handle different seas.
Yup, Yup and Yup. I'm getting experience one trip at a time. I'll be looking into the trim tabs.
 
Yup, Yup and Yup. I'm getting experience one trip at a time. I'll be looking into the trim tabs.
Installation of a Permatrim is a lot less complicated than trim tabs. But it does involve drilling the lower unit of you motor.
With trims tabs you have to run wires or hoses to the actuators/pump, provide power, and drill holes in the hull.
 
You will get the best handling doing both the Permatrim and the trim tabs. Electric are easier to instal than hydraulic, and on the C Dory just as good. When you drill the transom, besure and put in epoxy plug to put the screw or hole through. Or drill the hole and do the undercut, neat epoxy seal and then thickened epoxy liner--put a "cable clam" over the hole to seal it tight. The same when doing new transducer for depth, speed and temperature.
 
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