How much boating experience before you bought your C-Dory?

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Esmi2

Member
I am having trouble getting off the fence with regard to buying my first C-Dory, and I wonder how others have made the leap.

Specifically in my case
• I am a novice boater (kayaks, paddleboards, canoe).
• Probably the acquisition and operating costs of a 22' Cruiser will not make a significant difference in my financial well being.

Over the past 18 months I have found, reviewed, and negotiated on, three boats that looked to be appropriate to my needs and good values. But in each case, I let them get away.

Tell me your story. What was the lead up to your purchase like?
 
My wife got tired of me spending my life on Yachtworld. Sometimes you just know if you have salt in your blood, and if so, the search will be endless. At least with a C-dory, if you find it's not your thing, the resell value is amazing! I love my decision to take the leap and hopefully you will too. In the end, it's just a choice, you'll like it or you won't. Happy hunting!

P.S. Don't sweat the experience, it will come with time. Start slow and don't push it, and when you do remember, "calm seas never made a good sailor". We've all made decisions and pushed a little harder than we should have.

John
Scallywag
 
I started out with a pontoon boat. (Actually before that, I rented a small v-hull a few times from a military morale department). Back to the Pontoon, great fun platform particularly with very young children. Had that for sometime, used entirely on local lakes and the Mississippi River. After several years gaining experience on that, rented a house boat on Lake Powell. Later upgraded to a Searay 268 Sundancer. Along with local lakes and the Mississippi River, added Lake's Michigan and Superior. Several years with that and finally downsized to the C-Dory 22 Cruiser. All the fore mentioned bodies of water, and added some more Rivers and the Pacific Northwest, specifically the San Juan Islands. I suppose I should add, I've always had a knack for driving things. The bigger the better. And towing trailers. Camping trailers, buses, both passenger and school, Semi truck, commercial Airplanes -narrow and wide body, and prior to that, the USCG C-130. Like anything, the more experience you get, the more confident you become. I continue to gain confidence with the CD-22 as I join with others and search out new experiences on my own. While there are other boats that would be cheaper than a C-Dory, which might be a good idea to see if you really like the boating lifestyle, I think the C-Dory can be a great first boat as well. Depends a lot on what your intended use is as well. As I stated earlier, my first boat was a pontoon. I had a full camper top for it, so with that on, it was almost like a soft top house boat. Very stable boat for inland waters. Plenty of room to fish off of, picnic off of, etc. In fact, if I were just going to do day boating on small inland lakes or rivers, chances are good I'd go back to a pontoon with a full bimini. If I were to live on a inland reservoir or river, a houseboat might be my choice. But for me, the versatality of the C-Dory, and my love to travel to various bodies of water, and "camp out" on the boat for days at a time, the C-Dory is perfect. Colby
 
A C Dory is a great "first boat" (and maybe even "last boat". I have a lifetime of boating experience. But I saw my first C Dory in 1981 or 82. I was preparing to go on a 4 year world cruise on my own 62' boat. I said "when I get too old to sail, I am getting one of those". The C Dory22 in question I had seen going to Catalina almost every weekend of the year, and it looked like one of the most practical boats I had ever seen. It is!

Hop in, there are many whose first "real boat" was a C Dory 16, 22 or even 25.. We feel it is one of the most versatile boats built. There are lots of folks to help you when you have questions--and there are many gatherings all over the US, where you can go, see other people's boats and get some instruction for yours.

Just buy it and get started. Any new boat takes some practice. There some C Dory owners in your part of the world,--and a pretty good chance, that one of them might will give you some help on the first trip. Morro Bay or Port San Louis is a great area (one of my favorite in Ca.) to start boating.

Also buy Chapmans Piloting and Seamanship. Take a Coast Guard or Power Squadron course in boats and boat handling. I have taken several in my life--and when Marie and I got Married, I attended with her. If you are married or have a life partner, be sure that they also learn how to run the boat.

Just have fun--jump right in.
 
Esmi2":1i2zhi4e said:
I wonder how others have made the leap. Specifically in my case
• I am a novice boater (kayaks, paddleboards, canoe).
• Probably the acquisition and operating costs of a 22' Cruiser will not make a significant difference in my financial well being.
Click to expand...
Esmi2,

Like you, I had a great deal of experience in paddlecraft before stepping up to a powered vessel. Many aspects are similar, with the elementary navigation skills learned from paddling in large bodies of water, and offshore, perhaps the greatest benefit. But, powered vessels require some time to assimilate new skills, especially docking in trying conditions, and awareness of the rules of the road, on top of maintaining and operation of outboards. Some butt time on a buddy's vessel would help enormously, as well as a Power Squadron basic boating class, or its equivalent. You can get these while searching for the right boat, ahead of purchase ... and in fact they may help you in your choice.

C-Dorys are straightforward boats, with excellent handling characteristics, very suited for a first powered vessel, but you will adapt to your and have more fun with some preparation ahead of purchase.
 
We bought our first motor boat last year, that being a 22' C-Dory cruiser. My first boat was rubber dingy that I bought with my savings when I was about 11 years old. I took up canoeing as a boy scout close to 50 years ago and I have recently added sea kayaking to my water sports. Over the years I have been an occasional passenger on motor boats and sail boats. It had always been my dream to have a motor boat to explore the west coast of BC in. A few years ago as I began planning for my retirement, I decided to begin looking at boats and discovered that the C-Dory seemed perfect for our boating plans. I had started putting money aside, to buy a boat about 2108. One Sunday morning in September 2016, I was looking at C-Brats, and there was 'My Boat' for sale. I called the owner, looked over the excellent photo album and bought the boat before noon, sight unseen. The boat was located in Whitehorse, Yukon. I debated about doing a quick drive up before winter to bring the boat home, but then decided to store the boat in Whitehorse for the winter and make a vacation out of the trip the next spring. Over the winter we set out to get our boating certification courses, our VHF radio licence and to learn as much about boating as possible. In June 2017, we loaded up the truck and headed north. We did a sea trial for a couple of hours on a reservoir in Whitehorse and then we were on our own. We then packed up the boat and headed off the do our two day maiden voyage on Marsh and Tagish Lakes in the Yukon. The first afternoon we headed out into Windy Arm on Tagish Lake (we should have known better) and soon we were in 3 to 4 foot swells. The boat and to a lesser extent the Captain handled this very well and we had gained a lot of confidence in the sea worthiness of the C-Dory. After this adventure, we headed back to Whitehorse for a few necessary supplies and fuel and then were off on our second Voyage this time a week long on Atlin Lake in NW BC. The C-Dory handled this very well and we were able to improve our boating skills. We still have a lot to learn, especially boat handling around docks and marinas, but we are looking forward to many great adventures on "Mistaya' for many years to come. We could not have found a better boat for our purposes than a 22' C-Dory Cruiser.
 
We bought our first boat almost 13 years to the day, C-Dancer, a 2005 22' C-Dory. I had no prior boating experience and Caryn did some sailing, mostly handling lines and such.

We dove headfirst into learning how to boat, starting in the big waters of the Salish Sea, dealing with wind, currents tides etc. It was a great learning experience and I'm glad we started out in big waters. Plus I also had to learn how to trailer as well.

The CD22 is the perfect 1st boat. We just sold her and I miss her every day. After taking out our new, much heavier, beamier and longer boat, a new Ranger Tug R23, I realize how much more nimble and light the CD22 is. Great. boat!
 
My first boat was a 22' Catalina sailboat in the '70s. I thought that it would be fun to go sailing, boats didn't depreciate as much as dirt bikes, so I went to the local dealer and bought one. Learned how to sail and now changed to a C-Dory because I'm not going around the world.

Now that I'm a little older, a 22' boat is more expensive but a C-Dory is still a good buy and will not depreciate much.

If you're letting deals on a boat go by, maybe you don't want one. Another hobby might suit you better.

Boris
 
My experience prior to buying a CD-22 was pretty limited - canoes and small (<14') open aluminum boats on fresh water. I spent a lot of time looking at boats and on the C-Brat site. After awhile, I became convinced that a C-Dory was the right combination of comfort, practicality and resale value for me and I ordered on new at the Seattle Boat show in Jan of 2002. I took delivery in June of that year.

There was a lot to learn but I learned a lot of it here on the C-Brats. My first few dockings in the wind were challenging and in retrospect, I wish I had taken a seasoned C-Brat out with me a few times in my early stages. Since those early days, I worked up to taking the 22 into progressively larger and larger waters. First, Lake Washington, then the relatively calm waters of the Puget Sound, then the Strait of Juan De Fuca and eventually the open ocean off shore of Washington's coast. I took my 22 out as far a 35 miles offshore (on good weather/water days) and fished every where from Lake Washington to Sekiu to Neah Bay and LaPush and most places in between.

I eventually upgraded to a C-Dory Tomcat as that allows me to do longer runs offshore for tuna. I've had that boat out as far a 80 miles offshore. My advice is to go ahead and buy, take it slow and get some fellow C-Brat to go out with you a few times to give you some help, advice and the confidence that comes with experience.
 
There is no trick to operating watercraft. You can pick up any nuances with stepping up to a larger boat easily. If you can drive a 1967 VW, you can drive a 2016 Lexus or super SUV.

However, the difference in the trouble you can get into with weather and rules of the road and mechanical systems failures and worrying about water depth and wind and fuel and anchoring and speed etc. can be huge and can be dangerous. Also, you will be trailering and launching and retrieving and those issues alone will take some help from someone with expertise.

If you are truly new to power boating, then you need to do a lot of reading about weather and anchoring and docking. But that which will be of greater value to you over time will be having a trusted and experienced power boater go along with you for a couple of trips.

So, one the one hand, I've said that power and size upgrading is not a big issue. But, I stand by my comment that the trouble you can get into handling a power boat due to circumstances beyond the use of helm, throttle and compass are where the mine field lies.
 
I had zero power boating experience before I bought my CD-22. Take your time, use your head and don't try to bite off too much at one time. You'll do fine.
 
I would say that the vast majority of what needs to be learned can be done, and probably should be done, without stepping on a boat. I hadn't thought about Chapman's on Piloting and Seamanship for a long time, but a thorough reading (and understanding) of that book will put you ahead of 90% of boaters. Used copies are at every Goodwill store in Seattle and they are probably all over the web. I'm sure that later additions now cover newfangled stuff, like electronics. Good winter reading.

It is possible to go on board for the first time with a buddy and a case of beer and learn (or fail to learn) the hard way. It's done all the time. But you can learn the safe way in the comfort of your easy chair.

Tying a cleat hitch is easy if you've seen it illustrated and thought about it a few seconds. Most haven't.

I didn't answer the original question. What is the usual lead up to my buying a boat? Walking down too many docks. I just saw one yesterday at the Bell Harbor Marina. 54' double-ended fishing boat conversion. Good thing that it was gone this morning.

Mark
 
One suggestion I don't think I've seen here... Take a Boating Safety course. Both the Power Squadron and USCG Aux offer them. Some local Sheriff's departments might as well. You'll learn a lot! You can even find some courses on line. Colby
 
I messed around with boats from time to time when I was a kid. From canoes and jon boats to 25'+ Starcraft lake boats (on the Great Lakes). When I lived nearer to water I always had it in the back of my mind to get a boat.

More recently my wife wanted to get a boat. We started with an 11' console rib to play around with and because it was easy to tow around. That boat soon met an unfortunate end. We moved up to a 16' Zodiac console RIB. That was a lot of fun, but only on nicer days. My wife wanted a bigger boat that we could sleep on and take multiday trips. While wandering around a marina once, my wife spied a C-Dory. Of course, it was "Isn't that boat cute" and all that. However, once we got home she started looking them up on the internet and found this site. After some study we decided that a CD 22 would be a good step up. We found one close by and have had it for over 5 years now.

The CD is a nice size boat that is easy to handle, can be towed from place to place, easy to maintain, and is quite economical to operate (for a boat).

Yeah, we've hit the dock harder than I was aiming for a few times, but we're getting better.
 
colbysmith":1u1h2bno said:
One suggestion I don't think I've seen here... Take a Boating Safety course. Both the Power Squadron and USCG Aux offer them. Some local Sheriff's departments might as well. You'll learn a lot! You can even find some courses on line. Colby
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Good point Colby. Yes we took a Power Squadron course. It was helpful.
 
I started boating at age 33. I'm 36 now..... I grew up on the water and was an avid swimmer but my family never had boats. The irony in that is that I summered on the Cape on my parents waterfront summer home but we never had boats! Other than paddleboats and little dinks, etc.

Anyway fast forward to 2015 and one of my colleagues bought a Formula 37 cruiser. After being on his boat a few times I knew that I wanted to get my own boat. But there was no way that I was gonna "jump in headfirst". I started doing online searches for good beginner boats and such; then I came across a debate of open boat vs PH (pilothouse). I was hooked! I loved the functionality of PH boats and never looked back......

I started out looking at Parkers, Steigers, Defiance, Easterns and Arima's (I was actually VERY close to buying an Arima!!). Finally I found C Dory's and was mesmerized. Loved the lines, looks and features.

I wouldn't worry about your prior boating experience at all. I didn't have at any and survived (so far!). But as others have mentioned I would definitely make sure you do your due diligence. TAKE A USCG AUX COURSE. They are cheap and are very valuable to newbies (like you and me!). I learned a lot from that initial 1 month course. I would also buy some good reading material on basic boating and "rules of the road". The Chapmans book is the definitive source on recreational boating. No arguments here. BUT IMHO it is a boring read and I have not read it cover to cover. I do keep it onboard for reference however.

There is no substitute for just "getting out there". Just do it! I easily clocked over 100 hours on my CD 16 the first year and many of those hours were SOLO!! But I was also prudent too. I had my wired VHF, plus a handheld, all my CG safety equipment and usually always wore a PFD (back then I wore a cheapy but now I have mulitiple inflatable PFD's). I would also suggest you file a float plan if you're gonna be SOLO.

Good luck! C Dory's are the perfect beginner boat and as Thataway said, they could be your last boat too! Very economical and capable rigs.
 
South of Heaven":203ip8jd said:
I started boating at age 33. I'm 36 now..... I grew up on the water and was an avid swimmer but my family never had boats. The irony in that is that I summered on the Cape on my parents waterfront summer home but we never had boats! Other than paddleboats and little dinks, etc.

Anyway fast forward to 2015 and one of my colleagues bought a Formula 37 cruiser. After being on his boat a few times I knew that I wanted to get my own boat. But there was no way that I was gonna "jump in headfirst". I started doing online searches for good beginner boats and such; then I came across a debate of open boats vs PH's (pilothouse). I was hooked! I loved the functionality of PH boats and never looked back......I never liked the style of cabin cruiser boats (although my buddy's Formula was MINT on the inside. I also gravitated towards PH's, downeasts and later to trawlers).

I started out looking at Parkers, Steigers, Defiance, Easterns and Arima's (I was actually VERY close to buying an Arima!!). Finally I found C Dory's and was mesmerized. Loved the lines, looks and features.

I wouldn't worry about your prior boating experience at all. I didn't have at any and survived (so far!). But as others have mentioned I would definitely make sure you do your due diligence. TAKE A USCG AUX COURSE. They are cheap and are very valuable to newbies (like you and me!). I learned a lot from that initial 1 month course. I would also buy some good reading material on basic boating and "rules of the road". The Chapmans book is the definitive source on recreational boating. No arguments here. BUT IMHO it is a boring read and I have not read it cover to cover. I do keep it onboard for reference however.

There is no substitute for just "getting out there". Just do it! I easily clocked over 100 hours on my CD 16 the first year and many of those hours were SOLO!! But I was also prudent too. I had my wired VHF, plus a handheld, all my CG safety equipment and usually always wore a PFD (back then I wore a cheapy but now I have mulitiple inflatable PFD's). I would also suggest you file a float plan if you're gonna be SOLO.

Good luck! C Dory's are the perfect beginner boat and as Thataway said, they could be your last boat too! Very economical and capable rigs.
Click to expand...
 
I certainly strongly endorse taking the Power Squadron/USCG Aux boating and navigation courses. Not only will you learn boating terms and rules, but they will save you money on your insurance.

However, take them after you get a boat. Then you'll understand a lot more of what is said. I took them after I got the boat and started to learn what I didn't know. Otherwise it's nice but theoretical.

Boris
 
Thanks, all, for the advice. Lot of wisdom here.

Two of the take-aways that particularly resonate came from Boris:

1) Take the Power Squadron classes AFTER getting the boat, thereby changing theoretical learning into practical learning, and,

2) If I am letting "good deals" slip by, maybe I don't really want a C-Dory. (ouch!)

It's this second one that I need to look further into, and that probably comes from introspection more than from asking y'all. But, please, do continue the conversation!
 
Esmi2":2ala0582 said:
1) Take the Power Squadron classes AFTER getting the boat, thereby changing theoretical learning into practical learning, and,

2) If I am letting "good deals" slip by, maybe I don't really want a C-Dory. (ouch!)

It's this second one that I need to look further into, and that probably comes from introspection more than from asking y'all. But, please, do continue the conversation!
Click to expand...

Many times taking a Power Squadron or CG Auxiliary course gives you an opportunity to take rides on other student's or instructors boats. I "soloed" at age 5 in a sail boat...I took my first Coast Guard Aux. Course to support my spouse learn more about boating. You can always learn or have re-inforcement. Absolutely nothing would prevent you from taking the course several times, or take a CG Aux Course, when you took a Power Squadron or visa versa. Also both organizations offer more advanced courses, and opportunities to take more advanced courses and participate in the organizations.

Get a ride on a C Dory--better yet go to one of the gatherings. There appear to be several C Dory's near your location by the C Brat map, including one member who is fairly active.

The question is why you let "good deals" slip by; not necessary that you don't want a C Dory. Is it looking for a perfect boat? (may not exist), the Boat is dirty? (Can be cleaned up), there may be a better price etc? (possibly--but that is true in all of life--better model car with better mileage, newer model car with more gadgets, more frugal wife...etc).
 
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