Newbie considering a C-Dory 22...

S

Semiahmoo

New member
OK, fantastic forum. I am a longtime boater who is now downsizing due to kids going off to college. Don't need a big boat anymore, just something easily managed by myself and/or with the Little General on our trips to the San Juan Islands during the summer.

Have spent hours pouring over the many posts found here, as well as researching other "big little boats" that might work. (Was looking at Arima which led me to the C-Dory.) Saw a C-Dory 22 last summer as it chugged into Deer Harbor. Walked down to the fuel dock and checked her out and was admittedly smitten by the classic lobster-boat-like lines, but with a far more functional cabin than other similar modern hull styles of this size.

So with that said, can some of the experts here tell me if there are any "good/better" years for the C-Dory 22 I should focus on? The balsa core was a concern at first, and these forums have indicated some problems, but I'm uncertain if those problems are specific to certain years, or the C-Dory line in general. (And I have yet to determine if the "classic" pre-87 Dory vessels used balsa or marine plywood that was glassed in, and if these are considered acceptable to owners today, or vessels to be avoided.)

I'll likely have more questions to come as well, but figured this would be a good start. Thank you in advance. :D
 
Welcome!

As you've noticed, the 22 is a sturdy little jackknife of a boat (of course folks with 16's say that about them, too :)).

If you search, there has been a lot of detailed commentary about years, best years, is there anything to avoid, etc.

To summarize, I don't think there are any best or worst years. To my mind the choice is about a few things:

1) Is there a particular feature set you prefer? (I liked the early 2000's era, so I looked for one of those, although also see #2).

2) How has the boat been stored/kept/used/maintained? With a used boat - and when there have really been no super significant changes since 1987 - I think it's all about condition now (vs. when it was built).

3) Do you prefer a boat that has been outfitted to the nines, a blank canvas, or something in between?

4) Is there a particular engine configuration you want? (Single/kicker; twins, brand, etc.).

5) Are you willing to travel or do you want to buy very close to home?

6) Are there certain configuration things you do or don't want?
For example, in addition to particularly liking the early 2000's boats, I had a couple of favorite colors, a couple I was fine with, and a couple that just didn't appeal to me. I also didn't particularly want a high top.

Again, welcome!

Sunbeam
 
I made mention of better years of production vs others due to some threads I read through regarding change of ownership. Some who posted indicated perhaps the quality was diminished at certain times. (No idea if that is true or not.)

Twin outboards would be great, but a nice single w/kicker is fine as well. I really like the blue striped hulls, but again, open to others.

Not so sure on if I should look at the pre-'87 designs or not. Seems about 99% of the information here pertains to the post-'87/modern era. Don't know if great improvements were made in hull design/materials, etc. from '87 onward. (Less balsa core issues?)

What I do know is from what I've seen, C-Dory makes a very visually appealing vessel that matches that appeal with simple, straightforward functionality - and I like that. A lot. Sips gas, can get up and run at a respectable pace when conditions allow, and when the water goes nautical, points you back home both safe and dry.
 
I have owned boats from 1993 to 2006, and didn't see much quality difference in them. I have been consulted about "issues" in boats of almost every year--but all are common to putting holes in an unsealed core, water intrusion, with especially the freeze thaw cycle, would tend to give more issues, if any are present. I personally have not had any hull core issues. But I purchased a 2003 boat which had been badly abused, and had literally a hole in the cockpit floor decking over the fuel tank. I purchased that boat site unseen based on a bad survey (and the damage was worse than I envisioned)--but the repair was fairly easy and straight forward. The new deck was built with Nida Core.

My feeling is that unless one of the pre 1987 boats was very well maintained, I would prefer the "newer" hull design because of the slightly better ride, and load carrying capacity.

The two engines, vs one and kicker is a personal preference, and both do well.

Good luck in your search for a vessel!
 
Welcome! I am your neighbor, my wife and I live in Birch Bay.

You are welcome to come over and take a gander at our CD25, but we also owned a CD22 from 2003 to 2005.

One thing not mentioned is the switch from Decraguard interiors to molded interiors. We are proponents of the Decraguary interiors simply because they allow for so much customization that a molded interior does not. I don't remeber exactly what year that change was made, but I think it might have been around 2008, somebody will correct me if I am mistaken here!

Balsa core is not an issue, except as Dr. Bob notes, where intrusions are through fiberglass into the core without the proper techniques (overdrilling the hole, filling it with thickened epoxy and then drilling into the cured thickened epoxy so water does not enter the core, again, if I got any of this wrong, Dr. Bob will set me straight!). We actually had a hole in the bottom of the hull from some kind of boat versus rock or something like that. It was about the size of a quarter, maybe bigger, near the stern. We had Sterling Kayaks and Fiberglass in Bellingham repair it, which involved removing all the balsa core that was wet (about a two foot square area), replacing it with new balsa and then re-glassing the whole area. It came out looking as good as new. The point is, the boat is pretty much infinitely repairable except for the (very rare) case where the fiberglass has delaminated. I know of only two such cases.

Another thing to be aware of, if you do not buy a new boat, is that the current C-Dory factory, quite correctly, with only a few exceptions, takes care of only boats that they built. C-Dory has been through a number of owners since we came on board - the Reynolds family, Fluid Marine, the Lindhout family, and now the Wright family. None would stand behind boats that they did not build, so if you encounter problems, as I say with rare exceptions, you will get to know your local shops pretty well, like West Coast Marine, Bitter End Boatworks and Sterling Kayaks and Fiberglass.

PM me if you would like to come over, our boat is at BJ Fiberglass for installation of teak and holly laminate flooring in the cabin (perhaps frivolous but good looking) but I should be bringing her home today.
 
Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I think that the molded interior looks better than the Deccagard stuff. As for modifying it, the molded interior has be very easy to change IME.
 
I can see pluses and minuses to either style of interior. Both can be worked on, although maybe fiberglass can be slightly less pleasant. But that has never stopped me, and things like plastic and vacuums can be used.

The main thing I dislike about the fiberglass interior is that it tends to have smaller locker openings. Having lived with those for years on larger boats, I do appreciate the "doors as wide as the compartments" feature of the Decraguard (which is basically a marine version of plywood with a Melamine surface).

But then I could come up with a list of things I'd prefer on either. So for me it was not a deciding factor, but I could see where it (either one) could be for some people.
 
Considering a C-Dory? You know you will pay more for a used C-Dory than a comparably aged almost anything else in the same size category. The Good thing about that; You will get more out of your used C-Dory when/if you decide to sell it later on down the road. AND, while you own it, you will be bothered at the gas station, the dock and the rest stops, with folks who want to come and look at and ask about your "cute little boat". Oh, and you will also have a warm dry cabin to use to extend you cruising season and a sound, seaworthy and economical vessel to get you back to, after you leave the dock.

So there are down sides to a C-Dory, but most of us have learned to get over them. :wink:

Best in your search,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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