two months on 22 cruiser

A

akjack

New member
A quick update on travels of O B Joyful in Apr, May, Jun. Computer was down during trip but is now up and running so here is where I went. Towed from NC to Fl in late Apr. Worked the intracoastal around Miami for a week. Trailered to NJ and launched out into the Atlantic up to NY harbor, Hudson River to Albany. 340 miles across the Erie Canal and south to Buffalo NY. Trailered to the Ohio River near Pittsburgh and went down to W VA. Trailered from W VA to Fairbanks AK.

It was a wonderful two months, I had one other person on board most of the time. I want to do a lot more crusing in the future. The boat was perfect to live and cruise on. The boat will live in Valdez AK during the summers for the next few years. My many thanks to all of the wonderful C-Dory people that I have met in the last 1 1/2 years. Thank you Charlie Vinroot for all of your help during the last year.
AK Jack
 
Mark,
To get the truck and trailer from NJ to Buffalo I stopped at a marina close to Buffalo, tied up the boat at a local marina and took a cab to the local AMTRAK station, $16. Took AMTRAK, about $50, to NY City then caught the NJ transit, $9, to Belmar where the truck and trailer were parked. I walked 1/2 mile to the truck and then drove it to Buffalo.
From W VA I rented a car and my buddy and I drove to Aspinwall Marina above Pittsburgh where the truck and trailer were parked. He drove the car back to W VA and the rental company and I followed him.
AMTRAK was wonderful, it is a great way to travel, relaxing and comfortable, and not too expensive. The drive to Fairbanks was very easy. The Alaska Highway is paved all of the way and was fun and easy to do. Thanks to El and Bill for information on one of their posts about the Aspinwall Marina, it is a very nice marina.
AK Jack
 
Jack sounds like you had a great trip. Sorry we weren't able to hook up last year. What a great idea using Amtrak. I've wanted to plan a trip up the ICW to NC for sometime but I have to be in Florida every two weeks for a medical treatment. Amtrak may be just my solution. I recently flew to Seattle and air travel to me is a nightmare these days. Thanks for the great idea train travel is and adventure in itself.
 
Marvin,

I too am sorry that we did not hook up, but maybe another time. I really appreciated all of the wisdom that you imparted to a newbe. The time I spent in Fl I was trying to get to Bimini. The day I drove to Miami the seas to Bimini were calm in the morning and building to two feet in the afternoon. The day I was ready to go, the seas were six to eight feet. I waited for a week for good conditions but it was not to be.

I hope the AMTRAK idea will work for you if you hit the intracoastal waterway. Thank you again for all of your excellent advice.

AK Jack
 
Mr. AK Jack,
Wife and I are shopping for a small cruiser.
We're moving down from a 34' Sailboat.
We think we like the C-Dory 25' becease of the marine head and shower - but they are quite expensive.
How did you mangae on the 22' without the marine head and shower for two months?

I can manage without the refrig by getting a Engel cooler, but not having the head/shower may be a deal breaker for the wife on a 22'.


thanks
Charlie
 
Charles,

If I spent one night at anchor, the next night would be at a marina with a shower. At night I put the portapotty in the fully enclosed cockpit and put the curtains on the windows in the back of the cabin area. This allows privacy for the person using the portapotty.

If a person spends a lot of time on a boat and anchors out a lot the 25 is a lot more comfortable. If you have guests aboard, the bathroom on the 25 makes the boating experience easy to do with no embarassing moments.

After my wife retires I plan on getting a 25 just because of the bathroom issue.

Jack
 
charlesl":1ta23qk4 said:
Mr. AK Jack,
Wife and I are shopping for a small cruiser.
We're moving down from a 34' Sailboat.
We think we like the C-Dory 25' becease of the marine head and shower - but they are quite expensive.
How did you mangae on the 22' without the marine head and shower for two months?

I can manage without the refrig by getting a Engel cooler, but not having the head/shower may be a deal breaker for the wife on a 22'.
Click to expand...

Having owned both a 22 and now a 25 (and a 16!), I can say with a little authority that two people can make out quite nicely cruising on any of these boats - it is just a question of the amenities you feel you require. The 16 (an Angler) is definitely boat camping, no question about it. But I love it and Patty tolerates it. I suspect a 16 Cruiser would really be boat camping too, but a little less so because it has the vee-berth.

We were very happy cruising on the 22, it really lacked nothing except extra elbow room and the head - but the porta-potti was entirely adequate. The galley, dinette and vee-berth are all two people need, and if you ask Bill and El, all five people need! If the 25 had not been such a good deal at the 2005 SBS, we would still be on the 22 and loving it.

The 25 has the elbow room and amenities, and the head is nice. But really the biggest thing is the extra elbow room. As you note, it comes with a price - higher purchase cost, and not to be overlooked especially these days, significantly less fuel economy.

There really is no right answer here - get on board one of each and see how it feels!
 
AK Jack-
Sounds like a great trip and sure glad you found Aspinwal marina to still be a great spot. Good on ya for taking such a dandy trip.

And, CharlesL, Pat has good advice. Different boats for different folks. We find the 22 fine for us. We have a solar shower and the porta potty is easier for us to handle than a marine head (yes, we've had both in days of yore).

So, what ever floats your boat ...
 
Akjack
I am not sure if the first reply went thru. My wife and I would like to do a similar trip from Bayville, NJ to Buffalo NY next year. Do you have any trip info like mileage, engine hours, fuel used and good or bad places to stop. Thanks
Syd
 
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