FNG in AZ

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Outdoornate65

New member
Hello C-Brats

My name is Nate and I'm stoked to be a part of this community.

I already belong to a cult. You see, my wife and I own a Four Wheel Camper. mounted on a Ford F-250. Much like the C-Dory, they are rugged, functional and have a loyal following of owners who use their rigs for varied adventures worldwide. We consider ourselves ambassadors of the brand and never miss an opportunity to talk about "Blanca" with just about anyone.

My wife and I are both career nurses now retired. We purchased our FWC just prior to Covid and have spent the last couple years mostly full-time on the road exploring the western US. We both enjoy the water and are avid paddlers.

I see the C-23 as the perfect extension of our current set-up that would allow us to explore a wider variety of paddling locations while using the boat as a mothership/basecamp for multi-day paddling adventures.

I'm excited to dig into the forum and sponge a ton of info while we search-out a C-23 that will hopefully get us into another "cult".

Thanks,

Nate
 
Welcome to the c-brats.

I think the 22/23 are perfect for towing behind a camper or rv. Small enough to easily tow and nothing else in that size has so many accommodations. Even though I may get a bigger boat someday, I know I will keep hammerhead for this reason.

Good luck in the search.
 
Welcome aboard, Many of us have owned RV's during our adult lives and towed the C Dory behind an RV. We towed a 22 behind a 42' Holiday Rambler Ambassador Diesel pusher, and a 25 behind a Fleetwood branded 30' Gas (V10) Motor Coach. The latter we beefed up the hitch to a class V, and put in a different transmission with a few other modifications, including beefier suspension. Several C brats have towed up to a Tom Cat with their modified truck camper.
 
Hi Nate, we had a Four Wheel Drive Camper, Grandby model on the back of a f250 starting in 1984, that never came off the pickup for 16 years prior to C-Dory time. Toured lots of rough back country & most of the lower 48 with three young boys with it. Liked that camper much better than our present large Eagle Cap. We do at times still tow the C-Dory with the camper on the pick up, but most of the time, especially on long trips to Alaska, find just using the boat as our camper on the road much easier.

Welcome aboard,
Jay
 
Welcome from another AZ resident Nate!

FWC's are great campers! We had gone to the Overland Expo up at Flag several years ago and FWC was one of the mfg's we liked the best. We were thinking about buying a used one but ran across our CD-22 and that was that.

Although, we do love to go boonie camping and I do have our Tundra tow vehicle set-up so we can go a few days/nights out in SE Utah when we get the chance. One of our favorite areas.

When towing the boat, we just camp in it.

IMG_20190513_052823071_HDR.jpg
 
Welcome to the C-Brats! I agree with Jay - the boat makes a fine camper. There is a good amount of space, comfortable sleeping, and has a decent enough kitchen. The downfall is the lack of a proper bathroom, but you're probably used to that since you own a Grandby.
 
Welcome Nate!

We also have a FWC, which I built out from a custom Grandby shell 25 years ago. We've spent over 600 nights in it now and I'm constantly adding/changing things to make it as robust, reliable, and comfortable as it can reasonably be. It's on its second F250 4x4 diesel and we've taken it all over the American west, from the southern tip of Baja to Alaska. And all over your neck of the woods too! People don't understand how we can live in that tiny space for months at a time, but, like you, we use it as a basecamp so we're only in it in the evenings unless we're waiting out a storm. Our main activity is hiking and backpacking. We're not serious paddlers, but we do occasionally take short day trips in an inflatable kayak.

We decided on a C-Dory because it seems the most practical water version of a FWC. I'm in the process of building out a project boat, a 22 Cruiser, and when it's finished we're hoping to use it in a similar manner - something we can wander around in and explore parts of the BC coast that we can't otherwise get to with our truck.

A Venture 23 is a great choice, and I've found this site to be a phenomenal source of information and wonderful helpful good folk. Best of luck in finding what you want.
 
We also have a FWC, which I built out from a custom Grandby shell 25 years ago. .....We decided on a C-Dory because it seems the most practical water version of a FWC. I'm in the process of building out a project boat, a 22 Cruiser, and when it's finished we're hoping to use it in a similar manner - something we can wander around in and explore parts of the BC coast that we can't otherwise get to with our truck.
Click to expand...

I would love to see photos of what you did with the FWC, and am following your modifications to the C Dory 22. Great work! Perfect boat for your purpose. It is refreshing to see a C Dory 22 stripped out, and no balsa core in the floor removed.

Remember we often see the "bad" parts of a boat, which are fairly unusual. We also love to see the creative genius that so many of our members possess.

Thanks, pgc! Keep up the good work and showing us what you are doing.
 
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