Coming aboard!

RogerD

New member
Joined
Sep 4, 2026
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Location
Portland
Figured this is the forum for newbie intros. Just joined up. Still looking for our C Dory 16. We live in Portland,OR and have a place on Lopez Island, so want a little boat to mess around with in the calmer parts of the Salish Sea with grandkids. The 22s and 25s are a bit more than we want. Looked at a nice 16, but the motor had over 3000 hrs so passed on it. This looks like a great community to join so we’ll keep looking.
 
Hi Roger,

Welcome aboard. I joined this site many years ago. I always wanted a C-Dory 22’ Cruiser. Took many years to find one that was not beat to death or had 15 people bidding on it.

Sometimes a good condition boat with higher hours on engine may be a negotiation with the owner. A new outboard on that 16 may last you the rest of they time you plan on keeping the boat.

This site is a great resource for looking for a C-Dory. Good luck in your search. (Also check Seattle and Portland Craigslist. I found mine in Bend, OR.

Took me 12 years to find my dream boat. I am a very happy C-Dory owner. Now retired I have more time to enjoy the “C-Handler”and concentrate on how to catch salmon up and down the Columbia River.

Tight lines,
 
Yep, I could have got that one at a discount, plus the $7-8000 for a new motor, but it sold by the time i found out what a motor costs. Trailer was pretty rusty tho and it was the first one i looked at so nothing to compare it to for the $17,000 asking price. It’ll be the one that got away, for now.
 
It is unusual to find the exact C Dory model you are looking for "localy". Better chances in the PNW. I have had to travel at least 1200 miles to every C Dory I have purchased. Be open to boats outside your geographical limit. I vet a boat which is at a distance by having a forum member who lived near by lay eyes on the boat, as well as asking for a lot of photos. If the boat looks decent, I will drive there with my tow vehicle, and a cashier's check, or prearranged wire transfer on my demand to the seller's bank account. The check will be $5,000 less than our agreed price. I will have that $5,000 in cash with me so I have some wiggle room, if I find something which has to be repaired. In one case the seller used the same bank chain I did business with, and I paid off his loan after I was satisfied the boat was as representated. I do a sea trial and then my own survey, before final payment and hitching up for the drive home. One of the beauties of the C Dorys is the "Boater Home" use; I would sleep on the boat on the way home, saving the cost of a hotel room.
 
Roger,

I live just across the river in Vancouver, WA and I'm another newbie here. I was incredibly lucky finding my boat, but I sympathize with your search.

I was looking for a 22' Cruiser (anywhere on the West Coast) and I didn't have any luck until I worked with a boat broker in Portland. She found a clean 22' Angler right on Hayden Island, and it turned out to be the perfect boat for me. With her help I was the lucky guy who got in an early offer, and avoided a bidding war which I never would have won. I can send her contact info if you'd like; her fee was very reasonable.

If you find another boat that needs a repower, Craigslist and FB Marketplace are great resources for local motors at a fraction of the price of new. (I just got a great deal on a kicker from Craigslist.) There are also shops in Portland that sell used motors with warranties.

Best of luck!

Chris
 
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