Safety

V

VT Sasquatch

New member
I am on the east coast and recently learned about c-dory. I love the looks of these for cruising and fishing. In the next year or two I am looking to buy a 17-19' boat that can be used for some ocean fishing in addition to bays and lakes. Boston whalers are popular around here because of their reputation for safety but they don't off a pilot house type layout.

So here are my questions: Is a 19' C-Dory any good in rough water. Not self bailing right? How do you get rid of rain water and spray? What kind of floatation is in it?

Like I said, I love the looks of the CDs but I don't want to compromise safety with a boat that will sink. I tend to take risks and I had a 18' Sportcraft (early model without floatation) sink on me. When I say sink, I mean it sank to the bottom and was gone!
 
Hi Folks,

I have an older (1983) 22' C-Dory. I took it across Nantucket Sound one sunday in 25 to 35 knot winds. No problem. It is a very safe boat if you take your time and have a good engine.

Fred
 
Welcome to C-Brat's. A few of us Easterners have discovered these C-Dory boats too.

"Rough seas" are really relative. C-Dory, like the same size Boston Whalers you are referring to, take advantage of a flatter bottom to allow better performance with less horse power. The trade off is you will pound more in chop than you would in a deep v-hull. You will also burn much less gas and do not need a large tow vehicle. There are many advantages but the pilot house is a huge one.

After my last boat I vowed I would never again own a stitch of canvas. The pilot house C-Dory vessels are extremely comfortable in that you can get out of the rain/sun and the enclosed pilot house makes them good and seaworthy.

Here is a link about the same topic: http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... ctory+guys

This is probably the best thing we can offer you in terms of the C-22 running in rough water:

http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... deshow.php
 
Thanks guys. I saw those pics and they were impressive. What concerns me is what happens if water comes in. I know it is not likely to happen without an error by the captain but I always think in terms of worst case scenario. Since a 19' is required to have level flotation, would it be self bailing too?
 
Nope, it is not self-bailing - it has floatation, and they are all equipped with bilge pumps. Although you may want to increase the capacity of the factory-installed bilge pump if you are really worried about that.

I would really recommend a 22 however, the 19 only has a canvas Alaska bulkhead, unless you are like Joe on R-Matey and build a bulkhead yourself. If you plan on doing anything except fishing, you will really appreciate the extra room in the cabin of a 22, the cabin on a 19, which is an Angler, is pretty darn cozy for a couple. Just a suggestion to consider.

Here is a picture of R-Matey's hard bulkhead.
12_June_Fisherman_s_Bay_Lopez_Island_Joe_R_MATEY_Bill_HALCYON.jpg


VT Sasquatch":1me5drv5 said:
Thanks guys. I saw those pics and they were impressive. What concerns me is what happens if water comes in. I know it is not likely to happen without an error by the captain but I always think in terms of worst case scenario. Since a 19' is required to have level flotation, would it be self bailing too?
Click to expand...
 
VT Sasquatch":r9jad6uq said:
Thanks guys. I saw those pics and they were impressive. What concerns me is what happens if water comes in. I know it is not likely to happen without an error by the captain but I always think in terms of worst case scenario. Since a 19' is required to have level flotation, would it be self bailing too?
Click to expand...
No. Only the 25' CD and the Tomcat have self bailing decks. Also, even boats that are "level floating" under ideal conditions may turtle when swamped and won't leave a lot to hold onto (witness the 4 football players in Fl this past year). If water comes over the back in any significant quantities, you'll only have the bilge pump on which to depend.
 
By "turtle" you mean capsize right (I am not familiar with the term)? I Agree that if that happens you are in a bad situation but the boat saved the one guy's life. You are completely right about capsizing still being a potential hazard. I own a self bailing skiff that I don't use in the ocean often because I worry about the possibility of capsizing in rough water.

If I were buying today I would go with the C-dory. I like the 22s bulkhead but I think it would be an inconvenience when fishing (and fishing is my thing). I have slept on the deck of my open boats on occasion and I am married with a baby so I think a small cabin would make things more comfortable for my family. I do like the Boston Whaler Outrage since it looks like it could handle rough seas better than a c-dory and safety is a concern along the coast here but I am not as adventurous (dumb) as I once was. I wouldn't be taking the C-Dory 50 miles off shore but maybe 10 on a nice day. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.
 
Oh yeah, I also ordered the book "Seahorse" to get some insight on the boat. I'll see what the author's impressions were.

As far as price, I understand a 19' Angler would be somewhere in the ballpark of $35K?
 
VT,

There are only a very few known examples of a C-Dory capsizing or sinking.

A CD 25 in Cook Inlet, AK got the anchor line wrapped around the motors and took waves (10 ft waves)over the stern and sank/capsized.

A CD 22 got on the wrong side of a jetty off the Oregon Coast and capsized in the surf. The boat was recovered and repaired.

The high cockpit sides and relative light weight allows the hull to rise and float over waves. I have cut the power suddenly from full throttle and no water ever came in over the transom of my CD 22. Only a few C-Brats have raised the inner edge of the splashwell to prevent taking water over the stern.

Taking water into the cockpit does not seem to be a problem with the C-Dory design as long as you don't stern anchor in a seaway.
 
We own both a Boston Whaler 20 Dauntless (similar to the current 210 Ventura) and a C-Dory 22 Cruiser. They are very different boats, used in very different ways, but I'll try to compare and contrast some of their traits.

Speed: The Whaler is a fast boat. Ours has a 200hp Yamaha 2 stroke and will run nearly 60 mph. The C-Dory has a 90hp Honda and will go about 30 mph, but the fastest we normally cruise is about 22 mph.

Comfort: The C-Dory is generally much more comfortable. This is for several reasons. First, you are going slower. There is less porpoising, less pounding (thanks to more time to react to wakes and the ability to plane at extremely slow speeds), it's quieter, and you are always either protected from the sun or the cold and rain. It is WAY nicer being in a comfortable pilothouse than being in a canvas and plastic enclosure. On the other hand, the Whaler has seating for a lot more people and is better at cutting through small chop. But once the chop grows a bit, the C-Dory is better because you can more comfortable slow down.

Safety: This is tough to say. Of course the Whaler is unsinkable. This is of some comfort here in the PNW. Even if I hit a log that goes completely through the hull, I'll still have a boat under me. I wouldn't count on that with the C-Dory. From the perspective of swamping the boat, I think that would be much more likely on the Whaler. It is an open boat with relatively low freeboard, and a breaking wave that hits anywhere along the boat would be a major problem. The scuppers are not really of adequate size to deal with a major flood of water, and would certainly be submerged. If the conditions are rough, you'll probably capsize. Since the C-Dory has a cabin and pilothouse, a wave breaking over the bow wouldn't necessarily be devastating. There is also more freeboard in the cockpit of the C-Dory as compared to our Whaler. Bottom line: both boats are very safe given reasonable care is taken by the captain.

Build Quality: Whaler wins this hands down. The C-Dory quality is fine, but the Whaler is top notch. No unfinished fiberglass, no sharp edges, no screws that are too long. But you'll pay for this.

Let me know if you have any other questions and put this same question up over on ContinuousWave if you want to here from Whaler owners.
 
If I were buying today I would go with the C-dory. I like the 22s bulkhead but I think it would be an inconvenience when fishing (and fishing is my thing). I have slept on the deck of my open boats on occasion and I am married with a baby so I think a small cabin would make things more comfortable for my family. I do like the Boston Whaler Outrage since it looks like it could handle rough seas better than a c-dory and safety is a concern along the coast here but I am not as adventurous (dumb) as I once was. I wouldn't be taking the C-Dory 50 miles off shore but maybe 10 on a nice day. Thanks again for all of the suggestions.
Click to expand...

Having never been on a Boston Whaler, I guess I can't really compare whether or not Whalers handle rough seas better than C-Dories, however these are tough little boats and very seaworthy.

Take a look at Larry H's comments because I totally concur. These little boats are very safe and can handle some rough seas. I haven't been 50 miles offshore but I've had a few experiences in rough seas and our boat handled the conditions just fine. I witnessed two Whalers crossing Saratoga Passage in snotty conditions last weekend and I was quite impressed by their ability to navigate those seas. However, I kept thinking that's the last place I'd want to be at that moment, in rough seas with the wind in your face without the prospect of being able to sleep on the boat once it's docked. Do they handle better than C-Dories? Probably. Would I like a dry comfortable ride with the ability to sleep and cook? Absolutely.

As for their quality, the record stands for itself. The account of the boat now resuscitated as Scout is quite a story. Although the cabin was sheared off by the rocks, the hull stood up to quite a pounding and yet the boat has been rebuilt good as new thanks to incredible workmanship by the captain of Scout and due to the quality of the hull. I guess I'll take 20dauntless's word that the quality of Whalers are top notch.

As for fishing, I too fish and though the cockpit is smaller on the Cruiser, it's definitely doable and comfortable to fish on a C-Dory. I simply keep the door open if I need to run up to the helm. I have a tie-rod to connect the kicker with the Main. I have autopilot to steer the boat from the cockpit while single-handing and fishing alone. There are owners on this site who have run out to Tuna grounds off the coast and feel perfectly safe doing so. A couple of members on this site fish quite a bit on 19's (Checkpoint II & C-Run. Maybe they'll chime in on the 19 as a fishing platform. I've said before that if I were only interested in fishing and not so much in cruising, sleeping and cooking, I would choose the 19.

Every boat is a compromise. Your choice depends on how you intend to use it. As we said back in the 70's, to each his own.
 
VT Sasq said:
"....I have slept on the deck of my open boats on occasion and I am married with a baby so I think a small cabin would make things more comfortable for my family."

Noticed you said "small" not smaller, so trying to keep things in perspective, the 22 Cruiser cabin is not huge, and I'm thinking that for a wife and baby and "things associated", the heated cabin (from the Wallas) and small sink and fresh water availability in the 22 Cruiser galley are going to make life some easier for the wife, and will seem small enough--soon enough. Yes you can do those same things on the 19, but it is by using accessories that must be taken along, not built in. The 19 and the 22 Angler have about the same cabin space, and the Angler cockpit space is larger but gets it's room from the space not used by the galley. (Galley not important if mostly eating sandwiches out of a cooler) My wife says that she will go with me, as long as the Wallas (cabin heater and glass top cooking stove) work and the fuel tank is full, (takes about 1.5 gallons per season.)

As to safety. Others have have had their experiences, so YMMV but we had a run last fall, of about 20 miles in Strait of Georgia, running northwest from Vancouver BC, where we were in following waves, off the port aft quarter, running an average of 6 foot with occasions of 8 foot, and about 30% white caps. It took us about 2.5 hours and would I do it again, probably not by choice, but I know the boat can handle it, and we managed OK. A couple of times with dipping the bow into green water (one of those nearly to the wind shield), and yes, it had me concerned, but if we had been in an open boat, we would not have been able to go any faster, and either of those two waves would have filled an open boat. Thanks to good guardian angels, some surfing experience and some previous small boat in heavy weather experience and a well built, good flat bottom, dependable engines, and a nanobit of skill we managed to get up to where we could turn into some protection and continue in a more calm and fun mode.

The 22 Cruiser will take a lot more than I want too, but now I know that we can handle it if we have to. Inside, heater running, wipers on, and in reasonable comfort (~70 inside, 50 outside and 15 to 20 winds.)

I don't fish or have a need to run 50 miles off shore, but we do run across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 25 miles, and have every confidence we will make it over and back.

Of interest, In our area there is a Boston Waler/SeaSport hybrid. Very nice looking, and very seaworthy. (26ft BW hull married to a SeaSport deck and cabin) Nice combo, expensive, to build and to run, (at least more than a C-Dory).

Good luck in your search, and enjoy what ever you have, safely,

Harvey
SleepyC
 
hardee":rri0z8o1 said:
My wife says that she will go with me, as long as the Wallas (cabin heater and glass top cooking stove) work and the fuel tank is full, (takes about 1.5 gallons per season.)
Click to expand...

Sounds familiar! :lol:
 
Thanks for all the info guys. My wife only goes on the less adventurous trips. She spend an afternoon on the boat while I fish as long as it's sunny (but she hasn't gone on the boat in about 2 years). If there was a place to lay down and get out of the sun, she would be more likely to come along but I don't think she'd like going on an overnight.

It sounds like the C-Dory is perfectly capable of anything I'd be doing with it. Now I just need to find some money!
 
There are plenty of us around here who live to fish. The cabin bulkhead simply isn't an issue. It's nice to be able to relax out of the sun/wind/rain/whatever, listen to some tunes while sipping coffee and watching for your rods to pop out of the downriggers.

As for safety, every boat is as safe as the skipper. If you don't get in over your head, you'll be fine. Just watch the weather. These boats are capable of much more than I want to experience!

Rick
 
Back
Top