Noob C Dory question #1.

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Background: I’m retired in East Idaho (Salmon) and thinking about moving to Lake Pend Oreille in 2 years. I like to slow troll and drift fish (and sometime just drift.) Just the wife and I with an occasional 1-3 grandkids. Will have a slip on Pend Oreille but want a towable for Flathead Lake, Lake Koocanusa and maybe Lake Powell/Mead occasionally. Thinking of doing 1 to 4 day boat camping trips. I have a truck that will tow anything.

The C Dory line seems perfect for what I want to do but there are lots of options.

On the short end, a 19/22 Angler seems perfect if I don’t want to boat camp.

In the middle, a 22/23 seems a good compromise.

On the high end, a 25/26 looks like two person camping comfort.

New boat questions:

What’s the practical difference between the 22 Cruiser and the 23 Venture?

What’s the practical difference between the 25 Cruiser and the 26 Venture?

Thanks. I’ll post other questions separately to keep the thread size down.
 
There is some history involved in answering your question. My personal opinion is: the 23 is a modernization of the 22, same with the 26 and 25.

Years ago, some employees left C-Dory to make the 23 and 26, calling the company Cape Cruiser. The courts (after a protracted lawsuit) determined that the Cape Cruiser 23 and 26 were indeed an infringement of the C-Dory 22 and 25 designs. C-Dory won the molds for those boats in the lawsuit. It wasn't pretty.

The differences are minor, but (from my take), the most important is a slightly more pronounced deadrise aft compared to the C-Dorys. There are some window differences, minor stern differences. When C-Dory decided to put those molds to use, the newly termed "Venture" boats were made with an arguably more refined interior (personally, I really like the C-Dory interior). The 23 is heavier than the 22, the 26 is heavier than the 25. With that slight change in deadrise, they should each have a slightly better ride in chop than the similar C-Dory. Venture owners report better fuel mileage. Again, from my perspective, and obviously the court's, they are pretty similar.

C-Dorys have often been compared to Jeeps or Volkswagon buses - and those designs often went a long time between any design changes and are recognizable through their design life. The C-Dory has had some minor changes over the years, (and some say the current builder is making the the best boats), but each design is what I would call "a classic." C-Dory chose to not update their "classic," Cape Cruiser felt that some changes would improve it. Both are good boats. More alike than they are different.

Good luck with your search - this is a good place to learn about all things C-Dory.
 
As an old friend knowledgeable in boating told me one day....

"When choosing a boat and you have decided on just the right one, buy the next bigger one as you will eventually anyway."

Good luck in your search for a boat. I trolled hundreds of miles for salmon in my old 1983 Classic angler 22'.

Jack in Alaska
 
We see people "cruising" in the 16's, and both the 22 angler and 19 are very suitable for "camping". The major "defect" is the absence of a true galley, but that is usually easily dealt with. Water jugs, small tubs and a portable stove will serve.

I agree that the 23 and 26 have slightly better "rides"---but many of the brats have take C Dorys in some mighty rough stuff, and the boats take more than most of the the skippers and crew.

I also prefer the spartan interior of the classic 22 and 25. The advantage of the 25 is the enclosed head, more storage and a slightly better ride than the 22. Many of the boats have been highly customized. Some of the 22's have the "Barber" front seat modification which allows the front dinette seat to slide back and face forward. The down side is loss of a small amount of storage The 25 and 26 have enough room for the seat back to just be switched, so one can face forward. My concern with the vinyl foam backed liner is mold. Most often in the high humidity environments.

I always suggest that a new buyer ride in each of the boats to see how they "Fit". For the lakes--it would seem that any would be fine. But....I have seen some very rough water on larger lakes, and occasionally there are fatalities, because boaters under estimate the waters...

In any case you cannot go wrong with a C Dory, as long as you understand the boats, and how to run them.
 
OP: Welcome to the group. Since you mentioned your wife and grandkids then IMO you'd be more comfortable in a 25 or 26 (especially since you said towing is not an issue).

The 26 Venture is my favorite of the CD line and the cream of the crop in my estimation but others on here will beg to differ.

Maybe you should try and see some different models in person and possibly do a test ride. The most popular rig among the Brats is the 22. HANDS DOWN.
 
Hola! We have a 23' Venture. The choice for me was size. I am 6'4" and weigh 250 lbs - the 22 was too cramped for me. The 23 is no cruise liner but gives just enough extra head and leg room to make it comfortable. Additionally as mentioned above it is a bit more finished inside which I personally like. The insulation is quite well done. As to ride quality I cannot objectively evaluate this as I have not spent enough time on a 22.

But to each his own. The best part of a C-Dory is this commmunity, the ability to make it your own and that they are relatively easy to tow & launch and are low maintenance & easy on the gas.

(My wife loves the creature comforts of the venture series. I personally like that at 23' I don't stress towing her). As my neighbor who has 3 VW busses says "It's the VW bus of the sea"
 
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