Owner's Manual

R

Rain

New member
Surely I missed it, but several hours of searching has not produced a manual for the 2008 Venture 23'.

My boat came with all applicable manuals, but the one for the boat itself is virtually useless. The cover and first page reference the Venture 23', but all the information contained within seems to be for the 22'.

Is there a "real" manual for the Venture 23', or is this as good as it gets?

J
 
I think that is as good as it gets...maybe you and other Venture owners should take it upon yourselves to produce the missing manual and post it in the documents section of C-Brats!
 
Interesting you should say that! I was thinking that it could be done. As a retired Quality Engineer I have written my share of technical documents! I don't work cheaply though! :)

It seems that while they continued to produce a quality product, C-Dory failed to be as diligent with their documentation!
 
The other owners manuals are iffy also, I suspect because the part the factory plays is hull and deck structure mostly
Power install, steering, electrical, stoves, heat batteries etc are all done by the builder per owner requirements usually. Boats kept in "stock" by dealers were outfitted at the dealer
Hence an owners manual wouldn't cover the things that tend to need work, the hull structure etc is pretty sime and well done in most cases. George
 
My 22 C-Dory did not come with much of an owners manual either, but since the boat itself is not much more than a hunk of fiberglass other than maybe a wiring diagram there really not much of a need for a manual. All the other bolt on stuff, motors, electronics, Wallas stove, even my hydraulic steering all came with their own manuals
 
Basically an 'owner's manual, is a list of what is aboard, a diagram of electrical and plumbing, and probably some federally mandated safety information.

There are manuals for each of the systems, or you can download the things you need from the internet--including some items in the files section of this web site.

RV are about the same way. All use standard systems.
 
Spike":esgbhnp5 said:
My 22 C-Dory did not come with much of an owners manual either, but since the boat itself is not much more than a hunk of fiberglass other than maybe a wiring diagram there really not much of a need for a manual. All the other bolt on stuff, motors, electronics, Wallas stove, even my hydraulic steering all came with their own manuals
Click to expand...

I was going to say this...
 
I can't argue with most of the comments presented here. It is just a bit disquieting to purchase a Ford F-150, open the accompanying manual to find that it addresses a Ford Focus! It makes me wonder what else they got wrong. Is the listed weight correct? Is the maximum power correct? Was it really built in 2008? Are the fuel tanks 30 gallons each? I know the stripe is blue; I can SEE it! And for the record, Mediterranean Tweed is BUTT UGLY! :)
 
Except that your Ford anything is way more complicated than a C-Dory as it comes from the manufacturer. If a C-Dory came out of the factory as a turn key boat ready for a long cruise (except for provisions and personal effects) then I would expect a comprehensive owner's manual. In the case of a car you can drive it right out of the factory and across the entire country if you wanted to. A C-Dory needs significant fitting out (like adding an engine) before it can be used for anything.

If you bought your car and outfitted it a la carte (like a C-Dory) you would find that the car manufacturers manual would be pretty thin too. Most of what they would be supplying is the sheet metal and there is only so much you can say about that. All the complicated and interesting stuff would come from other vendors and you'd have a stack of manuals to cover all of it.

A better comparison to buying a car would be buying a Bayliner off the lot, or a Tahoe boat from Bass Pro. These boats are delivered complete from the factory and are ready for the water when you drive it away.

If you pile up all the manuals you end up with once your C-Dory is fitted out for multi-night cruises, you will find that you will have quite a pile of manuals to deal with, probably more pages than what's in your car owners manual.

You will also usually find things in the typical vehicle owners manual that does not actually apply to your particular car because you did not get some option or other.

Car companies also update their vehicle models on fairly frequent basis. The vehicle is always changing, so the manual must be updated (although some of this is self inflicted for marketing reasons).

I don't know about the Venture, but the CD-22 cruiser is pretty much unchanged functionally and operationally since 2007 (from what I have seen), so the manual is the same. The Venture 23 is pretty much just a smartened up CD-22 anyway.
 
On some things, you'll just have to check and see. I can't speak to the Venture, but over the run of the 22 (that I know of) there were 18 gallon tanks, a single large tank of something like 50-some gallons, 20 gallon tanks, 25 gallon tanks, and 23 gallon tanks. Typically there is some marking on the tank from the mfgr (if you can see them).

Likewise, the transom was cored with balsa, or foam (maybe plywood in some?). They don't tell you which, but you'll likely find out when working on things. Some cabin tops were un-cored, some were cored in the center, and some were cored on the "side tiers" but not the center. Bilge pump sumps moved around. Etc. etc.

I like my Mediterranean Blue, btw :D (But then I'd agree with you on Pacific Blue, which I call "Blue Tape Blue."). Good thing they make many different colors of Sunbrella!
 
My issue is not complexity vs detail; it is 23' vs 22'. The manual provided is for a different boat! Maybe it is the Quality Engineer experience, but finding blatant errors in one area makes me suspicious of competency in ALL areas!

That said, there is no other boat I would rather have, and with the assistance of all the C-Brats, I am confident of figuring out what I need to know.
 
I recently purchased my Queen BEA (27' long house) and would like any information available out there someone my be willing to copy for me! Thanks for the consideration.

David
 
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