Like a cork !

C

Capn Jack

New member
Running down the channel, on the way back in from fishing Thursday, I had to pass one of the local tugs. I knew the wake would be big, so I took it slowly...WOW!!! Buried the bow right to the windshield :shock: ,but she popped right up, just like a cork. Glad it was my brother with me and not "The Boss". :smileo

Another testimonial to the sea-worthy design of the C-Dory. :smiled Jack
 
That's what I love about a C-Dory. There are not any boats in the size and price range of C-Dorys that do so much. If I were in the market for another trailer cruiser I would purchase another 22 cruiser. What other cruiser can go in less that a foot of water and yet handle some serious big water?

Fred, Pat, and Mr. Grey (the cat)
 
I read recently in the CCA magazine about someone whose center-console was swamped by the wake of a loaded tanker going full speed. The people in the boat were understandably in shock over what had happened to them, so violently, so quickly.

Warren
 
I've been lurking on the site for several months, learning about C-Dorys and considering if one should be my next boat. I have to say that I am a bit concerned about this tendency to bury the bow in steep waves. In my mind, that's but one step away from a broach.

It strikes me that in large seas the fine entry of the c-dory may be something of a liability. Boats that I have operated in the past have carried enough bouyancy forward that I have never buried the bow in similar circumstances.

A large wake is a bit of one-off event. However, in my part of the world (SE Alaska) large seas are not uncommon and the boating season is year 'round. I'm curious to know if those that have operated these boats in large seas agree that there is a tendency for the boat to root and if they compensate for that in how they handle their boats.
 
Azul,

In my experience its hard to keep the bow down! The CD22 I have has to use trim tabs to keep the boat level. Of course you could overtrim and have an issue but thats not the boats fault. I have yet to take one over the bow. Just hope I have my windows closed if I ever do.
 
Azul,

I'm with Bill on that one, too. If it's a tendency, it's one that I haven't seen while running Valkyrie for four years now and that's in some big water on Lake Erie, which has more wrecks on the bottom than any of the other Great Lakes.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Azul,

It strikes me that in large seas the fine entry of the c-dory may be something of a liability....
....A large wake is a bit of one-off event...
....I'm curious to know if those that have operated these boats in large seas agree that there is a tendency for the boat to root and if they compensate for that in how they handle their boats.
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I am sure that there are others that are much more experienced than I am in "large" seas. I have "buried" the bow twice.

Once with green water to the forward cleat. We went through a steep standing wave in a tide rip, before I realized how big it was (up and over a pair of close coupled 5-6 foot waves). The second time was running was in 6 foot average, quartering following seas, when a strange and off timed wave hit us on a diagonal. We were doing OK on the following seas, but the diagonal seemed to come at us from the port forequarter and shorter period, almost like a huge wake. We did get solid water up over foredeck to the doghouse cover, ( the curved rise on the deck, surrounding the hatch cover).

The good part of both of these events were that #1, the boat popped right up, with no tendency to roll or twist, and #2, there was no water intrusion except for a small bit into the anchor locker through the windlass opening and the haus pipe opening. Both of them have covers on so the water taken on was pretty insignificant.

We have a rule that the forward hatch is always closed if we are outside of our Sequim Bay, and the center window is closed if it is anything but calm and flat. There just isn't time enough to close them if you see the bow going down into a wave.

YMMV

Harvey
SleepyC
 
I told my story in the other thread I posted on:
On our return trip back from Sucia two weeks ago we came upon a Crowley tug...the tugs are large commercial, ocean tugs that displace a LOT of water. The wake he put out was AMAZING. I was doing a good 10 knots when I came upon it. I estimated 4' at least (from the rear) and breaking, like a wave, on top. I immediately slowed...There were actually 3 individual wakes. After running parallel behind it for a while I decided to cross it, straight on the bow. What an exciting adventure. Once the bow broke through the first wake I realized my size estimate was probably on the low side. The bottom of the boat fell away, burying the entire bow in wake #2 in the process. A green swarm of water overtook us, nearly up to the windshield. The anchor disappeared from view in the onslaught. Thank god both the hatch and the center window were closed tightly. My wife's face was a combination of fear and shock followed by her laughing loudly.
Click to expand...

It was an interesting event but solely my error. Never did I feel the boat nor my wife and I were in any direct danger. The boat handled my mistake and we came through it unscathed and better for the experience. Once I was through it, the bow popped up just as described by others. The water ran off and we took NO water on board, except what ran down the roof and dripped into an open window on the port side.
 
Azul,

Note the title of this thread, "Like a cork !". I don't know why there is a space between the word cork and the exclamation mark, but I like it and might make it a tendency .

These boats have no tendency to stuff the bow . Can it happen, yes . Is it a tendency, no . The reason C-Dorys are called corks is because of the lack of tendency to stuff the bow . In fact, a strong tendency of these boats is their resistance to being overcome by big waves from whatever direction . They are extremely sea-worthy .
 
Jay
Nicely put !

These boats have no tendency to stuff the bow . Can it happen, yes . Is it a tendency, no . The reason C-Dorys are called corks is because of the lack of tendency to stuff the bow . In fact, a strong tendency of these boats is their resistance to being overcome by big waves from whatever direction. They are extremely sea-worthy.
_________________
Jay
Click to expand...

Harvey
SleepyC
 
I understand that everyone has a high degree of confidence in their boats. I'm sure that's for a reason. However, I have read of more than one instance now of C-Dorys coming off of large wakes and burying the bow. Those sorts of accounts should get one's attention.

Most of my experience is in a 25 foot Albin, running at displacement speeds. I've bashed into waves and had loose water on the decks, just not when dropping off of a large wake. So, the stories surprised me, but then I'm used to running at 7 kts.

Thanks to all who have responded, particularly Harvey & Local Boy. Their explanations are particularly helpful.
 
Azul":vkpbxgq4 said:
...the fine entry of the c-dory may be something of a liability.
Click to expand...

Azul, I encourage you to take another look at a C-Dory's foreward sections, they are anything but fine. In fact the bows of my C-Dory, Chester, reminds me of a hamster with his cheeks stuffed full.
 
Azul, the reason you will continue to see guys burying their bow is quite simple. Driving into a big sea, we trim the bow down to allow us to run a little faster and help eliminate the pounding you would get trying to run at the same speeds with the bow higher. This forces the bow to dive in a step closely spaced wave. In a following sea, it is extremely hard to bury the bow and broach unless you fail to trim the bow up properly. I run my 16 in steep 4 and 5 footers on the Bay of Green Bay and I can honestly say the boat is never in trouble. I constantly am amazed at the sea worthiness of the Little Boat That Can :!:
 
I have submarined a couple times and although disconcerting for a moment the boat just takes it on and pops back up. It is surprising how little water actually ends up in the cockpit. In steep, short seas it is going to happen occasionally but really doesn't become a problem. I cut the motor one time just to see what would happen and the wind caused the boat to turn around 180 and head downwind, where the seas just lifted the stern and passed under with no effect. This was in 6' seas up in Johnstone straits.
 
Noreaster, thanks for the explanation of why people occasionally bury the bow. Again, my experience is mostly on displacement hulls. I have not operated a boat with trim tabs for any length of time. It is reassuring to know that the boat has good manners in following seas if properly trimmed. That has been a primary concern in posing my original question.

Comment by lloyds is noted as it agrees with what I have read elsewhere about the C-Dory running before the seas when drifting. I have to consider that a good habit, if for no other reason than I hate to lay in a trough and roll while drifitng.

Milehog, I guess fineness is a relative term. I would say that the boats I am most familiar with and to which I am comparing the C-Dory carry more volume in their forward sections. What I take from the comments here is that is not a problem if the boat is properly trimmed and operated at a speed appropriate for the conditions.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge of your boats!
 
I have to agree with Lenny, when we’re running into heavy chop its full trim on the tabs and motor with Permatrim…the c-dory’s bow just cuts through the waves.

Only time I buried the bow was coming out of a cove with the tide into the wind and building seas, trim was not a factor. What we encountered was 5 to 6 footers spaces so close the boat actually would tip forward at the crest and plow in the next wave. My son and I thought it was a hoot but the Boss would have no part of it….we spent that afternoon hiking the island.
 
Well, I used to have a CD25, but now have a Habercraft Kingfisher 2825 beer can boat.

I could honestly say that I never buried the bow, except...

I was doing the touristy thing in Elliot Bay showing out-of-towners what Seattle looks like from the water, when I saw a Seattle fireboat approaching. It was doing 6-8 kts, I was doing similar. We passed each other about 50 feet apart and then came its wake. OMG! The water was flat except for this 4' tall wave approaching followed by a second 3'+ wave. We went up and over the first wave, then came down right when the second wave hit. Green water all over the bow that hit the forward windows 8-10" deep! I remained calm in front of my friends, but I was a millimeter away from a "code brown."

Amazingly, not one drop of water made it to the cockpit! It all shed down the sides.

I'm 99% sure my tabs were up. I rarely use them anymore except to balance the boat from leaning starboard or port because of the load (read rather plump passengers) :)

So why am I writing this...just to say that these Tugs (the fireboat is a big tug) put out some horrendous wakes that can affect any manner of boat. My boat had never behaved like that before even having been in some pretty serious water. To read that a C-Dory behaved similarly is not surprising. Having owned one, I know what others mean when they say it behaved "like a cork." The design of the boat is solid and safe.
 
A hampster with it's cheeks stuffed full is exactly what I was looking for! The bows look full and that's as good an analogy I've heard.

I don't have many hours on my 19 but I have full confidence in the boat. I was out with a non boating buddy a whle back on a day generating our usual summer 20-25 knot northwesterly and 4 to 5 foot seas. I was running downwind at a comfortable 12 to 14 knots and the seas would lift our transom and we'd nudge into a little surf on the down side, all really easy to control. It dawned on me my buddy may be concerned as we were surrounded by whitecaps and crests coming up. He said he was fine if I was. I was fine so we just kept on. We'd slow to 6 or 7 knots on the way up and speed up on the downside, all very nice in control. I noticed no other power boats out that day and only 2 sailboats.
The little hampster didn't want to stuff her bows that's for sure. If I am faced, which will happen I'm sure to going into the same seas or wakes speed will be reduced to help her over slowly. I hae been airborne in our first couple of hours by not powering off when a 2 foot wake came along. Hit my head. Next time I had a 2 foot wake I pulled the power back and didn't go airborne and didn't hit my head. Hmmmm.
 
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