New C-Dory 29'

Agree with Bob on the running gear. It is vulnurable. This dory won't be going on the beach party like the others can. No shots of the cockpit? I would expect enough room to nap/sun back there but it doesn't appear so.

The center window seems to be the same one used on the other boats. Not big enough compared to the outer front windows. The porportions aren't right to me. I would prefer not to have those big pillars on the left and right of the center window to constantly look around. If all three pains of glass where similar the view out and the looks would be better.

Too bad the head door couldn't be made to slide to the left out of the way like a pocket door. I would want to leave the thing open to air out the moisture and heat/odor that is sure to build in there. The V-birth door seems akward, also. Again I would want that door open too unless max privacy was needed. One door gets in the way with the other. And both would be banging around unless securly fastened either open or closed with the slightest motion of the boat.
 
Boy, if you had kids you could easily lock them in the v-berth by dropping the hatch cover down and pinning it after the door was closed. :lol:

If here in the Ches. Bay, don't run this puppy out of the channel. Anything where there is 16' or less is a mine field of crab pots; unless you have dive gear aboard. Wonder how far I could get with the 'bow thruster'? Or is it an option?

I see a lot of fluff in the cabin .. nice touch .. lost the simple utilitarian touch here.
 
rogerbum":k4wb2i8a said:
I still don't think this thing looks right in the water - especially when there is not a lot of spray towards the stern. It just seems "chunky" at the back end.
Click to expand...

Couldn't put my finger on it until Roger stated the above. Then, looking back, I see that James SDTX aptly called it "a C-Dory on steroids". Perhaps they should put an asterix after it in the C-Dory record book.
 
At the risk of offending any Toyota Echo owners out there, the automotive press gave this review when the car was first introduced: "Toyota has made something you don't often see from them - a mistake." The sales figures have proven to be underwhelming.

Granted, this is a small sample, but I'm not reading much good about the 29 from those who know C-Dorys. It just seems to me to be a boat that answers the questions nobody asked. It's bigger, heavier, bulkier, squattier, and to my eye less attractive than anything else in the line. Manufacturers will often introduce something for current owners to "step up" to in order to keep them buying their product.

Frankly, I think they've... um, missed the boat. C-Dorys have had their success in the market based on a solid, economical, trailerable boat. I see signs of "production engineering" all over this boat... thinking like a BIG production company, trying to have something to fit every market segment. I see the 22 center console walk-around as further evidence of this. What's next - a C-Dory wakeboard boat? The C-Dory 4788 motor yacht?

I wish them success with this time/resource investment, but I just don't see who they will market it to. Bigger, with no more function, less versatility... I don't get it. All the doors in there? Most of the seating on the same side? It looks like a designer was given a line drawing of the CD-25 and told to make this bigger and put some swoopier stuff inside. I don't see it as an Orca Meets C-Dory... seems more like: take this Bayliner and put it in a C-Dory shirt.

Regarding the question of the cockpit size: we were on the boat at Bellingham; with 4 of us in the cockpit, it didn't seem a bit crowded. Lots of extra beam. And to quote another current ad: "and more cupholders." :roll:

I didn't start writing this post to be negative, but I can see how it could be interpreted that way. Think of all the dollars and man-hours that could have been saved had someone at C-Dory asked a few people (who have proven that they will spend money on a boat), "Hey, what do you think of this drawing for a boat we're thinking about?" It isn't like this is some earth-shaking new development that needed to be kept under wraps.

Remember the floor mock-up of the C-Ranger Tug that was shown at the 2006 Seattle Boat Show? There was a lot of obvious interest in that design and they had paying customers ready to plunk down deposits before a boat had been built. Comments and suggestions from potential buyers went into design elements. Am I the only one who thinks there is something to be gained from that example?
 
Here i go again.Another post without a monitor...About the 29 Venture.According to the Webster dictionary, one defintion of venture is"risky undertaking " and i think it is....Keep your life jacket on! tucker
 
I believe that you hit the nail... on the head. The hull does have several unusual features--one is the tunnel drive, which in the long run has not been successful--Shamrock, Sea Ray, PenYan--especially a deep tunnel like this one. I suspect that when the boat is loaded it will not perform up to specs--worsening the problem.

The bow is unusual--very sharp entry--fine for small chop--but not so good for the heavier seas--tends to submarine, plus comming off waves, bow steer, and I suspect that there may be some handling problems.

II agree that they had many other options--a better Tom Cat-= like the Chilkat--30 foot, walk around, open tunnel etc. A C Dory 28--trailerable, with larger cockpit, head, slightly longer V Berth etc...lots of ways to improve the 25. The Venture, does not really fit any perticular market--and eliminates a number, with the exposed running gear and wide beam.

Anyway--we will have to see what happens. I would be interested to see the boat and run it--but would not consider purchase of one. I don't think that there will be one at the Gulf Coast Gathering.
 
I agree with Dr. Bob on the 25's potential. I think they ought to mount the Armstrong brackets on the 25. That would allow a larger cockpit and maybe with some tweaking, they could lengthen the forward berth. I am afraid that part might require some new molds, BUT you'd have a much more marketable cruiser than with the extra wide, extra tall, extra expensive 29.

John
 
Note that the boat is "Galvanically Isolated"--wonder if this is the standard Galvanic isolator which is put in most of the C Dory products--or if they have taken it a few steps further?

There are some real improvements, which they should consider on the other boats--such as a 50 amp battery charger, 44 gallon water tanks, 28 gallon holding tank, with Levac head. AGM batteries. A lot of us end up putting these things on the boats, but it is a waste of the factory's 5-5 charger...Yes, there is a price to pay. [But for example I wanted the extra water tank-and it was denied because they were going with the "Cookie cutter boats"--It would have tanken a short time to put it in when the boat was being built (and it was ordered)--but to put it in now takes many hours and gets quite complex, because of cutting out the floors. ]

Glad to see these improvements..

I couldn't get the price to link.
 
site says:

"Stringers and bulkheads – urethane core"

"No plywood used in construction"

Is there plywood in the other c-dories?

I wonder if there is balsa? It would be nice to have no wood at all.
 
The hull is balsa cored apparently: "Diab balsa core hull" Diab is an international company (I believe main offices in Sweden) which makes end grain balsa core (same as in the C Dory), and also Divinycell (PVC core). Which they are probably using in the decks.

Plywood has been used in the past for transoms--again, if properly used--that is no water intrustion--it is an excellent material. The probelm with woods, is not the wood, it is that the manufactures cut holes in the glass, such as limber holes, which allow water to drain under stringers or thru bulkhead bottoms, and dont seal the edge of the plywood. The water wicks up into the wood, and rot forms. if all of these holes were filled then the wood would be fine since it is encapsulated. I know of some 100 year old wooden boats which are still in good shaped....So wood as a construction material is great--but you have to keep on top of it.

Balsa is an excellent material--but it has to be used properly. If you don't like Balsa, then give second thoughts to the C Dory line. But remember that some of these boats are 30 years old and have no problems. As long as you don't drilll holes in balsa, or if you drill holes, and then use epoxy as a replacement filler, and seal the edges, cutting back and re drilling, the Balsa is an excellent hull material. Also the laminate has to be thick enough. My CD 25 had too thin glass on the top. We doubled the glass on the bottom of the new cockpit deck and over trippled the top (plus used Nida core)...

There are some advantages to balsa over synthetics. It is stronger in compression than the foams. It can be made stiffer. It adheres well to polyester resins.
 
Noticeably much more freeboard,
'dory' shape for sure.

BIG is not necessarily beautiful.

Change can be good.

Diesel power means pricey.

Don't buy the first few offered
(bugs take time to correct).

Aye.
 
That boat and a couple of others sold in the last few years. The Naval architect who designed it, posted about what was left off the design, and what would improve the boat's handling. As I recollect one owner did do the modifications and the boat performed better.

The Cutwater and Ranger Tugs took the market for the 29. No idea where the molds are. I doubt that any more will be built.
 
A guy in marysville has one of them and loves it. See him getting gas near me once in a while. he had to modify the prop half tunnel to the original design specs but after that it gets great performance.
 
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