C-Dory's have very good resale value. It is hard to say if Cape Cruisers will or not. I'd be a little afraid of a brand new boat, but that's just me.

Any way, from just your comparisons it sounds like the Cape Cruiser is a good choice for you.

 

Sounds like your mind is made up. What are you going to put on it for power?

Skein

 

Resale value won't be a factor, because my next boat will take me into old age. I will use it until they sit me off in a corner with a drool bib and a blank look on my face :jester:

The factory guy said that the builders of the Cape Cruiser asked themselves what they would do different if they were to build a different boat than the C-Dory. The Cape Cruiser is the result. All of the changes sure made sense to me - and that's coming from someone who still loves C-Dorys!

 

Skein, I am at least a year away from buying a new boat, and although I am leaning towards the Cape Cruiser, that could always change... Glad you asked about power. When you compare Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Mercury (four strokes) to the new Evinrude E-tecs, the E-tecs outperform on every front; compare the power curves, fuel consumption, weight, noise, emissions and cost of maintenance. I've mentioned these things to Honda and Yamaha dealers, and I detected a glimmer of fear in their eyes about how the E-tecs are slowly, but surely catching some of their market share. The only thing the Honda dealer could say bad about the E-tech was that it hasn't been out long enough to know if it will be durable. That, and a lame attempt to link it to the crummy Evinrude/Fieht engines (never mind that E-tecs are made by Bombarider). The E-tecs have been out over three years now, and although the first generation E-tecs had a few small bugs, the newer ones have an amazing track record. No one knows if E-tecs will last as long as Hondas or Yamahas, but I am willing to take the risk. With a 23' Cape Cruiser, I will probably go with a 115 or 150 hp E-tec.

 

You'll need that 150 (and more money in your wallet for gas) to push a Cape Cruiser around -- that's one of the assets of the C-Dory -- lightweight, no frills (customize to your needs -- and they do have a raised cabin ceiling as an option) and economical on its fuel consumption, and oooooh so reliable and comfortable riding. I'd recheck with C-Dory on some of their modifications in the late '06 models also. If I were you, I'd get a ride in both before purchase...looks can be deceiving IMHO.

I haven't posted this on ifish, but we took delivery of an '06 22 foot Cruiser in August and went directly to Astoria after 3 days rigging it. After spending all but 2 weekends of 3 months plus one full week on it (sleeps great!) we discovered it leaked -- after a couple trips to the dealer, a couple trips to the factory, they couldn't fix whatever anomoly is making it leak through the sidewall under the dinette.

Three people -- The President, the fellow in charge of warranties and a staff member FLEW to Portland and drove to our home in Jefferson (nearly 2 hour drive) the evening of December 23 and after looking at the leak again, said they would manufacture us a new boat, because they want us to be happy with our C-Dory. I'd only ask you if you've ever heard of that before? I don't think it's the norm -- I'm guessing other manufacturers would say, "Sorry." C-Dory stands behind their product.

Yes, we've been without a usable boat for a few months, but they've reimbursed us for parts of our loss, and the new boat is supposed to be ready mid-March. In this whole process, we've looked at other boats, but none offer what C-Dory does in the 22 foot size. It's quite comfortable towing and our retirement years won't be keeping us locked up in Oregon!

 

I would expect any new '06 boat NOT to leak and would be covered under warranty. Even if the CEO and company board showed up at my house and personally handed over a new boat...I would hesitate on buying from them again. I would probably take a chance on the new guys.

 

I took a quick glance at the Cape Cruiser and I would have to agree that it appears to be a C-Dory "Plus". They have definitely improved upon an already proven design. I'm not sure how the company got it's start but perhaps the owner got tired of telling his previous employer how to make changes and never got heard? :shrug: I sometimes feel that way about our Trophy line and think perhaps I need to make my own boat too? :shocked:

Anyway, in regards to Etec motors, they have a proven design also but I'm not so quick to laydown on the Merc vs. Etec as some of the other manufacturers you've spoken with. I'm not really in the retail motor biz but I've done my own research and the old saying "you can make numbers look anyway you want" applies. Regardless, all the manufacturers make good motors so I'm sure you'll be happy with whichever you choose. :cheers:

 

Waterfish ... I posted last year similar post after the girlfriend and I saw the Cape Cruiser at the Seattle Boats Afloat Show in Sept ... I have an 1850 Striper W/A and had been looking at C-Dory's and the like ... in MY opinion when you line up the new 20' Whaler w/a, the C Dory, Trophy, C-Dory and Striper and make reasonable adjustments for certain things --- the Cape Cruiser with the ETeks appears to be a better buy for equipment and construction ... how it really performs will be left to the one who puts it in the water. The previous post about the service from CDory is great but like the craig said, you'd expect that ... have an aquintance who bought a new 1851 last year that developed a leak and the good folks from Striper (based in Culver, OR) came to him, took is boat back and tore it apart to get the problem solved, then towed it back to him with a full tank of gas to boot.
As far at ETek - I have been always impressed with Bombarier and I myself have one of those 115FICHT, nothing but good running and in part that was the system that I believe (stand to be corrected) that the ETek came from ...
So that I can line up for a 2007 model, why don't you contact chili (name of the guy who reps in Ptld) and buy one, check back with us ??? :smile:

 

I bought a 2006 22' C-dory in september and love it. I did inquire about the Cape cruiser but the price I was quoted was more than the deal I got on the C-dory so I guess it depends on the deal you get.

A couple points.

1) Is a slightly more "v" than a C-dory really a selling point? I blieve that were talking about a few degrees so if that's an "improvement" over the C-dory I would like to know what the performance difference there is. Either way they are both flat at the back and designed for mid speed cruising.

2) As far as the transom being rated higher goes. It's not like they decided to build a stronger transom so you "could" use a bigger motor. The fact is they built a heavier boat and you will "NEED" a bigger motor. It would be nice if their claim of similar fuel demands were true but the 150 hp motor will always burn more fuel no matter what boat it's hooked to. Nothings free.

3) The wallas stove in the cape cruiser is single burner and the sink is smaller (just to be fair).

4) The new c-dory's port side seat converts to forward facing or rear facing however I never bother switching it to forward facing.

5) I can tow the c-dory with my explorer sport-trac. I can't tow the cape cruiser since it's right at the edge of saftey. I also save money in the tow rig with better fuel economy.

6) I'm sure the cape cruiser is a decent boat and will fit some people's need better than the c-dory's.

7) If you like the cape cruiser better, buy it.

You might check out www.c-brats.com for more information on c-dory's.

Good luck on your decision.

 

I would expect any new '06 boat NOT to leak and would be covered under warranty. Even if the CEO and company board showed up at my house and personally handed over a new boat...I would hesitate on buying from them again. I would probably take a chance on the new guys.

craigcw, what you expect and what you get could very well be two totally different things. If you do some research, there is NO lemon law on boats in ANY state, and I'm here to tell you it's a really good idea to know the manufacturer, their product and their customer base.

This is my second brand new boat purchase...first one was a 26' 2000 Seaswirl Striper -- it spent more time in the shop than in my hands in the first year...THAT is the best reason not to buy another one. If we had 3-foot-itis, we'd be looking at a C-Dory 25' or a new TomCat...no question!

 

Has anyone seen the new C-Dory 26' Pro Angler?
Google it. YOWZA!

Freakwater

 

reply to Flapbreaker ... excellent points and comparision, especially on the weight issue ... we're shopping for new (to us, probably used) cab over camper and doodling out the #'s and leaving % for braking/stopping/uphill towing, I can handle with my 1/2 ton a moderate cab over and the CDory but the Cape Cruiser would push me to have to get a 3/4 ton.

 

Flapbreaker, a 150HP will not always burn more fuel than a a smaller engine. Go to Yamaha's performance bulletins and look at the Duckworth 19 OB. The 150 actually burned slightly less fuel at a given speed than the 115. Probably a complex reason such as torque, throttle opening, etc.

 

Flapbreaker, a 150HP will not always burn more fuel than a a smaller engine. Go to Yamaha's performance bulletins and look at the Duckworth 19 OB. The 150 actually burned slightly less fuel at a given speed than the 115. Probably a complex reason such as torque, throttle opening, etc.

Ok I made a blanket statement that might not always hold true depending on the manufacturer and what two motors you compare. However in the above scenario a 150 hp motor pushing a heavier boat vs 100 hp pushing a lighter boat would almost certainly burn more fuel.

 

I looked at that Cape Cruiser at the Sportsmans show also, and liked most things about it. The one thing that killed it for me though, was there was no fishbox or floor storage anywhere in the back. The salesman said he just puts a cooler on top of the cabin, but that doesn't sound like a good fix to me. He did say they're coming out with a 26 footer that'll have some floor storage.

 

I just thought it was interesting that the 150 was actually more fuel efficient than the 115 on that particular hull. Also, the 150 had a 19" SS prop, where the 115 used a 19" aluminum prop.

 

I just thought it was interesting that the 150 was actually more fuel efficient than the 115 on that particular hull. Also, the 150 had a 19" SS prop, where the 115 used a 19" aluminum prop.

I hear ya. I don't know anything about the yamaha's. It would be interesting to know if the 150 has better technology/engineering or are they identical in design other than their size?

 

I'm sure they're the same, EFI 4 strokes. Maybe it was the prop. Of course, they're pushing the same load, ie, doing the same amount of work, with the same technology from the same maker, so the consumption should be similar.

One reason I got a stainless prop for the new boat was that I've read they're more efficient. I thought I read that the stainless blades, being thinner, wasted less energy slicing through the water. I'll be able to do some testing in this regard once I get my electronics installed.

I've only seen one C Dory in Utah, and have never seen a Cape Cruiser. The C dory looked really nice, and I'll look for them at the Fred Hall show.

 

Waterfish
We own a C-Dory, bought it used and have been very happy with it. I think one of the biggest selling points for the C-Dory is the factory support and the C-Brats.com web site. Great source of info. Even though we bought from a private party, the factory has treated us like family. Very helpfull, even when there was no $ in it for them.
Corrirod:"I'm not sure how the company got it's start"
The Cape Cruiser is a take off (Rip OFF) of the C-Dory. They sold the company to the current owners, changed the design slightly and started building the boats again. Who would you trust?
Ya I think the Cape Cruiser has a few features I like, but if I were in the market for a new boat, I'd still go with C-Dory

 

my $0.02, they're both nice boats, if I was buying a new boat it would be a tough call, BUT, I'd sugest buying a used C-Dory. You would pay less than what you would for a new boat plus you get extras. With patience, you can buy one allready equiped with radar and all the goodies.

The one burner Wallas isn't worth much as a heater, at least mine isn't...ya sure, it puts out some heat, kind of takes the edge off but it's lame.

happy hunting

 

... mmm ... "rip off" of the C-Dory ... past post have been pretty interesting about the development of what is considered the Toland design sometimes referred to as the original Alaskan skiff ... can't fault a person to take a design and smooth out what they see as needing improvement or changing ... Once Trophy lets CORRIROD make one like he wants to, I'll sell my Striper and buy one.
I hope their design proves worthy, good to see small business flourish in this day and age, besides the more good quality glass boats out there, the better the chance one of their owners will get "1 foot-itis" and I can size up.

 

I feel Cape Cruisers may have learned some important hull design lessons from the V hulled Tolman Skiff. They appear to be similar in many respects.

Here are some comparison photos of the larger Cape Cruiser to the original C-Dory...

I guess the new owners of C Dory felt that old C Dory owners violated their non-compete agreement when they started Cape Cruisers.

Date: 2005
Case: C-Dory Marine Group vs. Cape Cruiser Boats.
Client: C-Dory Marine Group
Attorney: Robin Schachter
Firm: Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland, PLLC
Issue: Non-compete agreement


C-Dory: "You violated our non-compete agreement" :argue:

Cape Cruiser: "No we didn't...we just copied some of Renn Tolman's design!" :yay: :jester:



This is a home built Renn Tolman Alaskan Skiff...

 

With those pictures, it sure doesn't look like the same boat. Well, not any more than a Seasport looks like an Osprey.

 

They definately are nice boats however since they went bigger and heavier they limit the potential customers. That's why the c-dory 22' is so successful. It can be towed with a mid size suv. C-dory makes a bigger one that I think probably should be compared to the cape cruiser. Anyway thanks for the pictures as I've never seen them side by side like that.

 

No sidewall storage in the cockpit in the Cape Cruiser either.