16 Angler and the Pacific Ocean

C

Captain Casey

New member
Hi all,

Man have I done a lot of reading lately. The internet and friends have no shortage of opinions that must be dug through to find facts. I'm new to C Dorys but not new to boats or the water. I've located a like new 16 angler that I'm about ready to pull the trigger on. It would be enjoyed by me, my girlfriend and our young son. On lakes, Bays and some trips to open ocean to fish rock cod (no more then 5 miles off shore). I love the looks of the C Dorys as well as the construction and how economical they are. I've narrowed it down to what I think is my one and only question...how is this boat going to handle swells? I'm getting mixed opinions from friends about the boat being a Dory hull and want to hear opinions from those who actually run C Dorys. I know it's 16 feet, I don't want a 19 or a 22. The simplicity of owning, running and maintaining the 16 has me very attracted to it. I know I will have to pick and choose my days depending on the weather. My other half wouldn't want to be out in the ocean in bad swell regardless of the boat she was on. We have a local bay and lakes to fish on the weekends the swells are up. I just want to be sure if I go out on a day with 4 foot swells at 15 seconds I won't be upset. Thank you all for the wealth of knowledge that is this forum and any information you have on this topic.

Casey :) :thup
 
It wouldn't work for my usage as I go places that probably should not go in a 22-foot boat. With that said, a 16-foot boat is very seaworthy in the right hands. I am always surprised at how well my 16-foot jet-john does in class II/III rapids, hydraulics, chop in the lake, and such. It can be a very wet ride and nobody is comfy. The CD 16 will be much better and 4 foot swells with far spacing won't be a problem. The big problem, as you are well aware of with the 16, is how few days you will be able to go out in the Pacific with a margin of safety. Also, the difference in towing, one person handling, and everything else isn't that much different than the 22. I get it though, you want what you want :)
 
I came very VERY close to a 16 and was led to a 19. (I know you are not interested in a 19) I can tell you that at 16 , you will be a cork bobbing in the water, at the swell you mentioned. That being said, pick your days... slow down when its rough, and the 16 will get you to land. White knuckles of course. I personally am soooo glad I went with the 19 as I fish inshore and off with no lake options and the bay is fairly limited to the catch.


Richard

16 s are the coolest looking vessel I have ever seen :)
 
".... I just want to be sure if I go out on a day with 4 foot swells at 15 seconds I won't be upset...."
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What you are describing there is essentially "flat water". 4 foot at 15 seconds is about 1/3rd of an elevator ride, going up one floor, and at 15 seconds you would hardly notice that. "Swells" can be handled by most any craft, and yes, as they get closer together (shorter time span) the sides will get steeper. 15 seconds peak to peak, you would feel that but it would be long from uncomfortable (but I guess that would depend on experience), and as long as the tops are not blowing off, you are dealing with swells or rollers. Breaking waves, "white caps" are a whole different animal and will make you really uncomfortable because their period will be shorter, and the sides will be steeper and you should be paying much more attention.

As for my experience, I have been in 20 foot swells with a 20 - 30 second time period, (North end of Vancouver Island) and felt very comfortable. I have been in 6 to 10 foot whitecaps (port stern quarter) with half being white caps. Certainly a time to be paying close attention, maybe not "comfy" but still in control, and not concerning as long as I had power for control. The C-Dory hull is a great shape. Personally, I would think a 16 in 4 foot swells would be not only doable, but comfortable. YMMV of course.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Captain: I guess if the swells are spaced out at a 15 second interval as you mentioned then you'd probably be fine. BUT 4 foot waves are still big for a 16' with a narrow beam.

I had a 16 and they are definitely seaworthy but as T.R Bauer said it also depends on the operator. I had a few scary moments on my 16 when I almost got swamped by the wake from a big sportfisher on the beam...I thought I was gonna broach.

Good luck in your search. Welcome to the group too!
 
I have never owned a 16, but I really like the looks of these little C-Dorys and meeting the people who own them is always a pleasure. I'm amazed at the distances their owners travel in them to get to the CBGT's. I remembered this post from the Powell River CBGT and I hope that Geoff & Aline won't mind me quoting it here.
Dear all,
Wow-- what a special gathering of kindred spirits who came in their beloved C-Dory's. This will be a special page in Aline's and my memories for a very long time. Thanks to Ron & Anne--Steve and many more-- you made this such a memorial event. Good-on yeah. - Oh yes- O Canada on the trombone -that was so special too.
As you may, or not, know I was a professional mariner (engineer) on this coast for 8 years. In this time we towed to Haida Gwuii, Alaska and Seattle-etc.. I say this to explain I knew the risks of taking a 16' Angler up the Strait in open water from Qualicum Beach - even in summer conditions. In my day, about ever summer there was at least one un-forecast summer blast of wind (usually NW) that caught tugs with flat booms and busted them up. So I know about those strange mystery winds and have respect for them. Then there were experienced Skippers who called those steep mountain faced inlets dangerous like-- Knight, Toba, Kingcome - etc -especially in the summer. Ah- yes it was the "Williwaws" that came up out of nowhere and were/are impossible to forecast. I say this, not because this was an issue for us - just as a general outline of information we all must acquirer as safe C-Brats.
Our trip thru Stevens Passage and around Kiddie Point north bound was great and it took 4.5 hrs from French Creek. "However"--going back the CCG said-- "with a 5-10 NW forecast and our small boat we would be better to pick the lee of Texada" and we did. "However" - rounding Texada's NW point the wind suddenly jumped from 5 to about 15mph out of the North and picked up the flood tide coming out of Jervis Inlet. Then the wind moved up to about 20mph and we were close to the eastern shore of Texada with nowhere to hide out. This became a very difficult following sea with the troughs as high as are bow and 3-4 second intervals. A nasty sea indeed for us. We were surfing one minute at 10-11mph and wallowing back at 4mph. When surfing down, there was a nasty stern push at times trying to broach us. I called CCG on 83a and asked if the weather forecast had changed? No- 5-15mph, was their answer. Holding a mike in one hand and steering against a stern that wanted to slide sideways into the trough was a challenge too. -Sleeply C heard my call and was heading into Jervis Inlet and said-- "I think your getting a flood tide out of Jervis that's affecting you too - but I will monitor C-9 for your progress" and did so. We did so appreciate this. As we gradually moved toward the end of Texada the seas settled down and Aline gave me a high five and a big smile-- My lady and our Dory are both winners-- God bless -em-- as that was a close call. Oh yeah, the 2003 Honda gets kudos too, as we would have broached before I could have got the kicker going, and even if I had, it would not of held our vessel from broaching anyway, in those conditions.
Clearly- we got a micro-blast of wind and tide coming out of Jervis- maybe a second cousin to infamous Williwaws--eh--LOL
It was so nice to put faces to names and we enjoyed this gathering to the fullest.
Geoff & Aline on Blueback
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Mark from Limpet goes everywhere in his... :D

Chris
 
If the 16 is what you want-- go for it.
I now have a 22, but we used to go out of Port San Luis in an Arima 17, 35+ miles for albacore. We spent a lot of time on Cachuma for trout and around the Islands out of Santa Barbara in the Arima.
As noted before--- pick your days on the big water.
 
Casey-

My 16CD Cruiser w/50HP Honda OB experience in 3-4 Potomac river swells often gives you a 'rough' ride. Issue is all swells are not all at consistent time or size intervals and your piloting skills have to adjust to different situations/conditions (cross swells; shifting winds; depths; etc.).

Seaworthyness is not so much the issue as piloting agility (speed and direction adjustment; observation acuity; throttle control, etc.).

John Roark
2008 16 CD-C
R&R
Upper Potomac River (VA)
 
You know, one can take an inflatable out on the Pacific when it's calm.

When the winds blow in the afternoon or it's rough weather, you need a bigger boat and a lot of prayer. We've done the Pacific in a 22', 25' and 36' sailboats and a 25' C-Dory. Bigger is better.

That's the Pacific Ocean you're talking about, not some inland waterway. We've come back from Santa Cruz island at noon, going downwind in Journey On, a 25, and it was a rough ride. You need to show that open ocean some respect, especially since your home is Guadalupe, along a rough strip of the California coast.

Boris
 
CC Rider":1hns8st4 said:
Mark from Limpet goes everywhere in his... :D

Chris
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Not quite everywhere. It isn't a question of what the 16 can handle so much as how fast do conditions change where you intend to boat? 5 miles offshore in 6 foot swell at 25 seconds is just fine, depending on you and your passengers comfort level. You are only 15 minutes from safety in theory at 20mph return. If conditions change and you have to slow to 6mph to keep from surfing, and the ebb tide makes the entrance a mess, you can spend and uncomfortable to terrifying +1 hour return. A larger boat keeps it's speed longer and is more comfortable when it's nasty. So it's not immune, but it definitely provides a larger margin of error and cuts down the terror element when things go bad.

I was intending to circumnavigate Nootka Island, which requires a 20 mile passage in the Pacific, and was heading north into 6 foot swell. There were no fishing boats at Bajo Point because of the swell, but I'd done my calculations and would be entering Esperanza Inlet in a leisurely two hours. The wind picked up slightly, the seas stacked, the tops started spilling over on the swells, I had to slow and my new calculations were that I'd spend several additional hours getting to the Inlet only to be met with a strong ebb tide. I turned and ran, doing a little surfing past Bajo Reef back into Nootka Sound. It was a little unnerving to to be 1/2 mile off shore with kelp on both sides of the boat and the fog moving in, but that was the safe bet.

When I headed north, I was passed by several larger deep-V fishing boats, and I assume they did just fine. But "turn and run early" is the standing order on the CD 16 when any distance off shore. And although I was just sight seeing, I don't think that the possibility of catching a fish would have factored into my decision, and it shouldn't for anybody. No reason to be outside in iffy conditions in order to catch a fish. There are fish inside, where the fishing is usually comfortable. And if it's really nasty, I've heard that they sell fish at grocery stores.

The CD 16 can do a lot, and I probably push it sometimes. But 5 miles offshore in the graveyard of the Pacific?

Mark
 
I fished my 16 two seasons off the Oregon coast, sometimes twenty miles out and never felt threatened. Getting back across the bar in the afternoon requires some attention and slowing down but it was never a problem. July to October in the pacific is usually pretty decent.
 
"You know, one can take an inflatable out on the Pacific when it's calm".
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Or when it's very rough. The inflatable, particularly the RHIB, is one of the most stable and seaworthy small boat hull designs ever developed. Most smaller life rafts are inflatables. Used extensively as small craft in the Southern Ocean.

But, like Boris, I would suggest limiting your ocean adventures in a CD 16 to fair weather only.

Cheers! Mike
 
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