C-dory 22 comments?

whiteH2O · 07-09-2009, 08:09 PM

Any comments from people who use a C-dory in big water? The website seems to be mostly inshore users and weekend cruisers.

What about the nearly flat deadrise, balsa ccore construction and light weight hull?
Thanks,

UncleRichie · 07-09-2009, 10:13 PM

Hi,
I have a C- Dory 22 cruiser 2000 model it is a very good boat and has taken everything I have asked of it. Very strong and dosen't require a huge motor to push it mine has a 75 horse power honda on it and will run 30 miles per in flat conditions. It will run close to 180 miles on 40 gallons of gas. It dose pound if you try to push it in the heavy stuff just have to slow down. It has always got me back even in the really nasty stuff ,no complaints .
Richard

Azeal · 07-09-2009, 10:19 PM

I'd comparison shop one against an Arima 21' before buying. I've looked at both while contemplating a future upgrade.

Similar boats in principle (light, low hp requirements, very fuel efficient, low tow vehicle requirements).

Arima is a little wider and is foam filled vs. balsa core. However, they need a little bigger motor (115 hp or bigger on the 21'). Owners of both brands tend to be intensely loyal.

Are you looking at a cruiser or fisher model? Arima's are generally set up for pure fishing, but they do have a cruiser layout on the 21's now.

whiteH2O · 07-10-2009, 02:10 PM

Thanks for the input both on the C-dory and Arima. Wouldn't turn down the Cruiser configurationl, but fishing would be the priority. Planning to use it mostly in the Strait.

Keep those comments comming, open to suggestions, though if I won the lottery I'd buy a Boulton or similar.

jimh · 07-10-2009, 05:26 PM

As long as you don't drive it like a bigger v boat, it is fine. I'd consider one if the roof was higher.

tomictime · 07-10-2009, 08:09 PM

Cape cruiser or Toland (in glass) unless you like wood...but those will be hard to find. An aquaintence owns the last capcruiser built. really a nice boat They made in my mind some significant improvements before running out of $$$ to pay the lawyers fighting the non-compete...i am not passing judgement on the legal aspect.

the big issues in my mind are the flat bottom and no self bailing.

i have fished a 22' in the straits, very seaworthy boat, as others have said - driven right quite sturdy.

CAVU · 07-12-2009, 05:54 AM

I have a 2002 22 C-Dory. I have fished out of Ucluelet off the west coast of VI for many years. I have also owned a 19' Arima which I fished for many years. I agree with all the comments made so far. I prefer the C-Dory. It is much more solidly built. The Arima hull construction is very light and flexible. The "V" at the back is about 11 or 12 degrees vs the C-Dory at 4 or 5 maybe? Arima needs a little more power to get on plane. In my experience the Arima would plane at about 13-14 knots, the C-Dory at 10-11 knots. In open ocean conditions, the waves often made 14 knots uncomfortable, but 10 knots would be ok. Under most conditions you will go a little faster in the Arima but you will use more fuel. Most outboard powered boats in this size range will get anywhere from 1.5 nautical miles per gallon(nmpg) to 4 nmpg depending on speed and loading. The C-Dory will be at the upper end of that range. The only thing about the Arima I really didn't like was the cabin construction. Almost everything inside was made with Starboard plastic lumber and was put together with butt joints and screws. If you drive it hard in open water, be prepared to check and tighten these screws after every trip. I often found loose screws laying on the floor and had to find where they fell from. The balsa core constructioin of C-Dory can be problematic if you keep you boat moored in the water. A boat that lives its life on a trailer would be less of a problem. You need to be very careful about any screw or hole drilled into the core. Best procedure for mounting anything thru the core is: drill out fill with epoxy and redrill. This way any leak thru the bedding compound will not wet the core. It is a little time consuming. The balsa core makes for a very stiff, solid, lightweight construction. So evaluate your intended uses and accept the compromises inherent in any choice.

Waterfish · 07-13-2009, 01:15 PM

I�ve admired C-Dorys for a long time. When Cape Cruiser came out with their 23� Sea Venture, I thought it was much improved over the C-Dory, but then Cape Cruiser had to shut down production due to the lawsuit.

I�ve compared the Arima Sea Ranger hardtop (with Alaska bulkhead) to the C-Dory 22� Cruiser, and I preferred the C-Dory cabin layout. I am 6�3� tall, and although I cannot stand straight up in the standard C-Dory; you can order a new one with a taller ceiling. When I looked at the Arima, the only way to increase the cabin height was to remove sections of the floor so that you would be standing down in the storage compartments. That seemed very strange�

Last year I looked at the Campion Explorer Sedan 622 Sedan Bracket Outboard at the Sportsman�s Show, and I was very impressed. The photos are misleading, it is actually bigger than the C-Dory 22� Cruiser, and it has about 6�5� of headroom inside of the cabin. If I were buying a new boat, this would be my choice.

http://www.campionboats.com/explorer/622/SDBRA/specs.php

Azeal · 07-13-2009, 03:20 PM

I don't have the head room issue myself (I'm short), but the 21' Arima's actually have more head room than the largr 22' (which has a self bailing hull, so the floor is up higher). One advantag with the Arima (depending on your prespective) is the ability to go with a skip tower or convertable top over the Alaska bulkhead set up. I prefer the convertable top for fishing.

I like both boats, a lot. I've got an older Arima 17 (wood instead of star board) so I can't speak to the screws working out. On the other hand, star board won't rot, fade, splinter, or de-laminate, so it has it's advantages as well as downsides.

We're I only going to use it for fishing, I'd probably take the Arima 21' over a C-Dory 22 Angler. The Arima's dance floor is an extra 1' wide over its entire length, which translates into a lot more room usable room for managing crab pots, coolers, sea sick crewmen, etc...

My wife and I dream of a boat we can use to cruise the San Juans, or trailer up to Canada and fish northern Vancouver Island. Either boat can do that, but the C-Dory Cruiser certainly has an advantage for it (though the Arima 21' Cruiser is nice to). The C-Dory is even lighter and will sip the gas while cruising at a decent clip.

If you have not checked them out yet, check out:

http://www.c-brats.com/

and:

http://arimaboatownersgroup.yuku.com/directory

flapbreaker · 07-13-2009, 04:08 PM

I grew up fishing on a 17' arima and then owned a 22' c-dory cruiser model for about 3 years. If you are only going to fish then I would go with an arima. I loved my c-dory. I took it out 40 miles Tuna fishing and it performed well. Being a cruiser model with limited cockpit space I had to be creative with my gear/ice chest but it can be done. I just feel that the arima is better suited to fishing. Consider putting trim tabs on either boat. This will reduce the "pounding" that can occur in a chop and will also improve fuel economy.