C-Dory...pros and cons

[sisu]

I am looking for a nice salt water boat for Juneau waters. I've narrowed down the list of aluminum made boats running 20-22 ft in length. A buddy suddenly threw the C name at me. I know very little about C-Dory so maybe some one here can enlighten me on the pros and cons of them. The guy that popped this name at me swears by them.
Any input useful

[Machias]

No help, but C-Dorys are one of my favorite LOOKING Boat!  You sure 20-22 feet is long enough?  I was out halibut fishing in a 24 footer and man that felt tiny out there?

[sisu]

No help, but C-Dorys are one of my favorite LOOKING Boat!  You sure 20-22 feet is long enough?  I was out halibut fishing in a 24 footer and man that felt tiny out there?

I've been out in the Gulf of Alaska in smaller and larger but for the waters around Juneau 20-22 is just fine. The boats I've been in around Juneau have varied from 16!!!! to 22. The 20-22 seems just right for fishing and hunting.

[Machias]

THIS is what you should build.  It's 24 foot.  Someday I'm building this one myself!

http://www.glen-l.com/picboards/picboard1/pic11a.html

[Skillet]

Flat bottom boats.  Cult following among owners, high resale value.  Extremely fuel efficient when running vs a deep vee, as the go over the water rather than through it. Not as able to run through smallish chop as a deep vee.  

I've fished out of one, and was impressed with the fit and finish of the boat.  For me, it is too much of a tradeoff to go to a flatbottom in deepwater if you don't need the shallow draft.  I guess they have been owned by several different outfits over the last 5 or so years, and quality may have suffered.  New outfit that owns them is bringing back the brand, however.  

I wouldn't turn one down if someone gave it to me, though!

[Machias]

Boy that 25'5" tomcat is one tough looking boat.  You looking at the 20-22 foot Cruisers or the Angler?

[Skillet]

THIS is what you should build.  It's 24 foot.  Someday I'm building this one myself!

http://www.glen-l.com/picboards/picboard1/pic11a.html

If speed is not what you need, take a look at their Noyo Trawler... I've had that boat on my mind for years. 

[jackelope]

We just had these guys' truck in the shop  I think I'm in love.
http://www.rangertugs.com/r/r-21ec.cfm

[wildmanoutdoors]

The biggest difference that might make or break the deal for you is the Stability.
Aluminum, wider hulls will be more stable as in they wont lean as much when people go to the side to net and what not. You also don't have to load metal boats as evenly because of this. they just feel more stable.

C Dory's lean and bob like a cork as do many other deep V boats that arnt as wide as there metal counterparts. But there is a real plus side to this. Many folks mistake stability for seaworthiness and nothing is farther from the truth. A variable deep V will be much more apt to take heavy water as a metal boat in the same condition. Granted it will take some rough crab to see this difference.

C Dory's do have a flatter hull in the aft compared to allot of the other fiberglass boats so they plane easier with less power also. But not really any different than a metal boat which also plane easy because of the surface area being there typically wider and lighter than say full deep V glass boats.

Id say for a stable fishing machine Id go aluminum. For ride Its a toss up if you get something with a variable V in a Aluminum boat. But neither will ride as smooth as say a Grady, Trophy, ect in rough conditions or a bad chop. As the have a full deep V. Not a variable...hope this helps.

[Machias]

THIS is what you should build.  It's 24 foot.  Someday I'm building this one myself!

http://www.glen-l.com/picboards/picboard1/pic11a.html

If speed is not what you need, take a look at their Noyo Trawler... I've had that boat on my mind for years.  

   Love that, if I could have the one I really want it would be a 42 Devlin Oysta

http://store.devlinboat.com/oysta42_paper_construction_plans.aspx


Sorry for jacking your thread!!!  

[Machias]

Nice boat Jackelope!

[rasbo]

heres a boat I would like for up there,not a good river boat but great for what I would be doing there sisu

[Skillet]

We just had these guys' truck in the shop  I think I'm in love.
http://www.rangertugs.com/r/r-21ec.cfm

There's a great article somewhere about 3 guys that took their Ranger 21'ers up through the inside passage.  They're cool little boats.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I used to dream about owning one, but then I went to school with the son of Roy Toland (Mack) who owned the company used to spend hours at their shop in Des Moines, the whole family worked there, and Macks older brother took over operations.
We used to take prototypes out and play on the sound and Angle Lake.
Those were some fun days......

[sisu]

heres a boat I would like for up there,not a good river boat but great for what I would be doing there sisu

I have been spending a ton of time on the Net looking at aluminum salt boats (used). Wasn't even considering glass until this fella in Wasilla threw the C-dory out there.

[BC CHASER]

Stabile, quiet, fuel efficient and lots of room.  Best of all they are made right here.

[woodman]

Sisu,

I have a trophy that I really like in the salt water. I use a boat repair shop in Sekiu once in a while for parts. I have gotten to know the owner up there reasonably well. He has told me in the past that the C-Dory is a very unstable bouncy boat.

Joe

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Sisu,

I have a trophy that I really like in the salt water. I use a boat repair shop in Sekiu once in a while for parts. I have gotten to know the owner up there reasonably well. He has told me in the past that the C-Dory is a very unstable bouncy boat.

Joe

They sure ship an awful lot to Alaska......

Stabile, quiet, fuel efficient and lots of room.  Best of all they are made right here.

Auburn Washington is pretty local.....

[BigD]

Pros.  fuel efficient, hold a plane at very low speed, dual fuel tanks, alot of them come with dual outboards, durable, seem to hold value.

Cons.  If I remember they have a narrow beam compared to many others in their class, they will beat the piss out of you in a chop.

For the money i think they are a decent boat.

[Heredoggydoggy]

I read a book a couple of years ago that a guy wrote about travelling across the country by boat with the least amount of portages.  I think it was a C-Dory that he had built for the journey.  Started where the Hudson River spilled into the Atlantic, and ended at the mouth of the Columbia River.  The author was named William Least-heat Moon.  he sounded kind of liberal, but wrote a good account of the trip.  If I recall, the C-Dory did well on the small rivers, but not so good on big rivers with wind and waves.  One of my more enjoyable reads, actually.

[gaddy]

not familiar with the boat but it doesnt appear to have enough rear deck space

[cohoho]

Scott- Whatever you get make sure it has enough room when I come to visit.....

Lots of C-Dory's running Whittier and Seward without problems...   My buddy's dad ran his out of Valdez for twenty years with a 90hp and would go everywhere he wanted.  My charter friend ran a Osprey and it was freaking awesome for ride, but never went on the c-dory? 

[sisu]

Thanks guys. I am in the investigation, research stage. It took me 2 years plus to find the truck I wanted, so this will be similar. But bar the doors if I find exactly what I want!!!

I have patience to a point and then the lure of a new toy just starts pulling.

[JKEEN33]

We looked at these before buying a Arima. Nice boat, but narrow beam. They are really tippy, you have to keep weight distributed pretty well. Tough to have one guy with a fish on and another trying to net it on the same side of the boat. My opinion at least.

[jeepster]

as previously mentioned....

" Flat bottom boats.  Cult following among owners, high resale value.  Extremely fuel efficient when running vs a deep vee, as the go over the water rather than through it. Not as able to run through smallish chop as a deep vee.  "

dont forget they are really light weight compared to other boats used for the same purpose.

personally, id never fish in something that doesnt have a V.... but did fish out of one in sitka, nice boat... but bouncy compared to other boats, but overall definatley not a bad boat. i would be proud to own one.

before i bought my boat, i had a choice between a turn key arima 15 or  an old cdory 16 and went for a project instead....

id go sea-sport or grady white. or do like i did and fix an old glasply up, they are the smoothest rides of them all.

my friends dad has a grady 24 footer, and when we go fishing out of neah bay/sekiu, when the weather kicks up, the cdorys tend to go in early


its not a "Hard Core" fishing boat.

[sisu]

Mind made up. Aluminum or nothing. After a ton of research found too many issues with glass in Alaska unless you go commercial. this is what I was told by several of my friends but I am stubborn.
Thanks for all your input though.
S