I"m looking for a safe boat for a Inside Passage trip.

J

jhayes1068

New member
Hi, I'm new to the C-Brats site. I have 10 years of power boating experience and have completed Power Squadron Boating Safety Course. This web site was recommended to me by a boat dealer when I asked the following question: Is a 22' C-Dory Cruiser with 2 50hp outboards, radar, and gps plotter system a good boat to make a safe trip up the inside passage from Bellingham, Wa to Skagway, Ak? I know there are two major areas the trip will be on the outside and not in protected waters. Has anyone of the C-Brats made that trip, in that boat? I understand the Canadian Government requires Nav charts while in their waters? Thanks, Jim :P
 
El and Bill, thanks for posting the information about your trip up the Inside Passage. The articles were really interesting reading, the photos were great, and both provided details about sea conditions, fuel, tides, and many of the other questions I had about the trip in a C-Dory 22' cruiser. One thing you did on the boat that I never thought of, was to install the bimini top on the aft deck section of the boat. I can see it would keep you dry if you were refueling or gaining access to your stove fuel during a rain. You mentioned redundancy in your systems; did you use GPS Nav plotting, charts, or a combination of both during the trip? How did you limit your weight with, water, fuel, food, and misc items on board? Do you recommend 2 40hp outboards or would you have preferred 2 50hp outboards? I know that carrying spare fuel is a neccessary safety margin that must be accurately calculated and the 2 50hp outboards might not give the range needed given the storage area for fuel. Thanks again for the information you've given. It's really been helpful. Jim
 
My wife and I made the trip from the Puget sound to SE Alaska twice in our 22 C-Dory in 1991 and 1992. We did it with a 2-stroke 70 motor (which got only 2 to 2.5 MPG) and carried 50 gals fuel in the tanks and 25 gals extra in 5's.

The longest runs between fuel stops are about 100 miles, well within the range of a 22c-Dory with 2 40's or 2 50's, carrying 50 gals of fuel.
 
You need to look at what your comfort level is. There are many articles on the various boats (22 vs 25 vs Tom Cat). You also have to ride in the boat in rough water. Safe is one thing and the C Dory 22 is a safe boat in the right hands. But each person has their own comfort level.

You mention the bimini--many of us have a full camper back, and that gives another entire room in the boat.

There are plenty of places to get food water and for the most part fuel on the passage to SE Alaska. You only need supplies for 4 to 5 days at the most if necessary.

We have made a number of trips without a chart plotter, and a couple with. The chart plotter is very adequate for navigation. But planing is best done on charts. There are chart books, which work for planing. When we cruised this area in our Cal 46 we had hundreds of paper charts. That would not be practical in a 22 C Dory. You can also get at least the US charts free on line for the lap top computer.
 
Welcome Jim

Many of the brats have taken that trip in their boats, On the home page at the lower left corner under the linds click on "The Wanderer" this is a 45 minute slide show that inspired me to start the planning stage. I bought the boat a few months ago, now I have a few years to get it just right for me before I retire and take on the journey myself.
 
Jim -

For our GPS, we have a handheld as our backup. We had paper charts on the last cruise to Alaska, but now the iPhone has a navionics app ($5 when we loaded it) with all the charts of the west coast to and including Alaska, so that was our backup this past summer as we cruised the British Columbia waters.

Weight was not a problem - we carried an extra week of back-packing type food, as a safety precaution, but there are plenty of marinas and stores to re-supply both food and fuel every week or so. We carried an extra 15 gallons of gas in containers in the cockpit - we do a lot of cruising off the beaten path and found that our built-in tanks would not be quite enough. We traveled with the spare portable tanks empty except in those stretches where we needed a bit more.

We find the twin 40's fine - not just for the economy but also we don't cruise at high speeds and the 40's push us along as fast as we'd want to travel in those waters with lots of flotsam (logs) to watch for.

The one most important requirement on that cruise is time - have lots to spare. Then you can sit out weather or time to tidal flows, and have the joy of travel up the side fiords that the 'blue-line' cruisers don't see. Such a joy to find a beautiful spot, at the head of a fiord, watch griz wander the shore or have ample time to cruise with the whales or orcas.
 
Jim

We too have cruised on the Inland Passage with the 22CD. First time with very little prior boating experience. By the time we started this cruise we had gained some and by the time it was over quite a bit.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=6392

Check out this Forum here. http://www.c-brats.com/viewforum.php?f=42 You can pick out and read several good cruising accounts of 22 CD's cruising the Inland Passage. Might help you out to watch some of the video too.

Jay
 
I want to thank everyone for responding to my chat message. While I haven't had time to access each web site to view all of the trips and information, I'll certainly take advantage of viewing the sites in the future. I have one advantage for the trip; I'm retired and time to wait until there is a slack tide, or weather improves, isn't a problem. Some of the side trips really sounds great. Having a full enclosure for the back deck sounds like a great idea. Thanks again, Jim
 
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