Question from a wannabe Dory Cap'n: Open transom?

B

Bounty Hunter

New member
Hello people! First I want to say I envy all of you C-dory owners. I am looking to upgrade my 18 foot tri-hull and I have been eyeing your 22 foot C-dorys for awhile now.

Here's my question: My only concern about the C-dorys (as unfounded as it may be), is that open transom. Are there any safety concerns with this. I am reading "River Horse" and the first chapter mentions Pilotis yelling at the author for stopping too fast because of the trailing wake. I love to drift fish for halibut and I have never been in a boat with a low transom, but I have taken water over the back with a full transom. Is this a design flaw or does the floatation of the boat always bring the rear of the boat up?

Anyway, I'm sorry if this has already been addressed, but I did a seach on this site with no luck.

Love the site and I thank you for any insight.

Wade
 
welcome neighbor, we run out of Ilwaco to the big pond often. In coming back in over the bar, we've encountered some nice sized following seas and had no problems with water over the stern and we're probably heavier in the back than most. The thing about these boats is that they float like a bird, as you suspect, the stern will raise as the wave passes underneath.
 
Wade,

I've owned my 22 cruiser since 1991 and I have never had any water come in over the transom. I have cut the throttle from wide open to idle and the stern rises up as the stern wave comes under the boat, but no water comes over the transom.

The same thing is true of water over the bow, the bow will rise over almost all waves.
 
Well from the rootinist-tootinist-C-Doryer” known-to-man … me! :lol: :moon I’ll tell you, if you like getting rambunctious as I do… doing things like; backing into a surf, or stern-anchoring towards the surf! I’ll suggest doing up that area as some have done. Why do I do these things? Cuz I want to! And ya can with these craft, but a little modification in that area would help keep your floor dryer, even on my 22-Classic with the single-engine-transom design, I’ll get some splash in the boat.
A peep’ could get real creative and do something like a fold-down flapper-ma-dapper-like-thingy! Think about it! 8) How are you going to paint your “C-Dory---Canvas”. ARG!:beer :wink
 
Wow, thanks people. That was fast. I'm really glad to hear your experiences, confidence in the design, and about the extra precaution option.

The bar at Ilwaco should be the worse I'd ever experience so that helps.

I realize the C-dory isn't the only boat with this design so I figured it shouldn't be a problem, but I wanted to ask someone besides a dealer trying to make a sale. I appreciate the honest answers from experienced owners so thanks!

Redfox, forgive me if I don't understand you lingo yet, but was that last part a question for me?
 
Dont worry about Red Fox Wade. He could be suffering from light deprivation. I think Pilotus was just out of shape because he wasn't driving.

I don't think you've got much to worry about with the transom bulkhead. If it was an issue, you would have found it during your search. I have taken minor amounts of water twice over the bulkhead in two years of heavy fishing. Both times coincidentally, while drift mooching for halibut in Port Angeles.

The first time we were drifting in 3' seas when a 30' plus Bayliner came chugging past our rear on a very slooow plane about 40' away. Thank you very much, you inconsiderate moron (not my actual words). We could see the very steep wake coming our way. The first wave put approximately 3 gallons in the boat and the second 1.

The second instance, three of us were in the very back landing a halibut caught in a rip with steep 4' seas. Boat and waves got just right and would likely have taken a similar amount but not for my cooler mounted on top of the bulkhead.

I consider both instances a fluke and spend absolutely no time worrying about this while fishing or motoring. I do like what Snoopy C did on his craft for no other reason than a little insurance and a nifty location for a couple of rod holders. Looks good too.

Good luck in your process. Tim
 
Good question. And we're interested in how others answer.

For us, we've never put a drop over the stern, yet, in 17,000 nautical miles of all kinds of conditions. C-Dorys are light and lift quickly with a wave astern. Not a chance that Pilotus would have been right - the stern wave can look impressive, but with a quick halt, it passes under easily.

Not to say a C-Dory couldn't be pooped -- could happen to virtually any small boat. Ignoring a following sea in rough weather is potential for trouble in almost any craft.
 
In my memory, there's not one incident of anyone being "pooped" on in a C-Dory by a following wave in all the 4-5 years of reading all these C-Dory sites! I considered walling off the motor well bulkhead before we moved inland to Redding, but never heard of anyone really having a problem with the low cut-out, so dropped the idea.

As far as the boat's ability to ride the waves, swell, and whatever else the ocean comes up with, I really miss taking the boat out in the ocean and just enjoying the motion and lulling effect while fishing. The boat inspires confidence and after awhile you sense that you can just turn it loose and let it take care of you. Just a big, beautiful, fiberglass cork! Added to this is the fact that you're DOWN LOW WITHIN THE HULL, not riding a raised false floor, and you enjoy a great feeling of security not found in a lot of boats. Ride it. You'll like it! Joe.
 
I have put water over the back of my boat a few times but it is pretty rare. One time I was backing into the swell while Halibut fishing. We had a 100# flattie on deck and 3 large guys a bit too far back in the transom. It wasn't a problem as my aux bilge pump took care of it and I wasn't nervous at all. Another rime I was over the back working on the motor. I am about 300# and the crew was back by the motor to be helpful... After I dispatched 1 to the cabin and the other to the front of the cockpit we were fine.


I have considered one of those flapper mo dapter table/splashwell doo hickeys Red Fox mentioned and it is on the list, but taking water over the stern is such an infrequent occurence it isn't very high on the list and I'll likely retrofit a forward facing settee seat first...

It is not a problem and I assure you, I am a hard core Halibut fisherman. You can verify that by checking my boat photo album...
 
Bounty: There are already several extreme cases mentioned above, and ya gotta love guys like the Fox who just try some things just in case that "training" comes in handy some day... :shock: Never owned a 22, but the 16 cruiser I had performed just like all others say... the back comes up when water comes her way. Worst water was out in the Gulf and had to come back in thru Destin Pass, FL when the tornado sirens started going off and weather radio basically told everyone in about a 10 mile square to get off the water. Destin as a very substantial charter fleet...of substantial size boats. Looked like a heard of buffalo headed towards one gate ....with rocks on the sides. Why in all that confused seas/water/waves from the "convoy"... I could even end up on top of the waves and actually see that my electronics were correct... the "pass" is/was that-a-way. Stayed dry, and confirmed that the front windshields are put in REAL good. Not the day on the water I wanted, but what Muther Nature handed us that day with pop-up tornadoes in the area. Stayed dry.
 
That’s Ok my friend… I don’t expect everyone to follow my goofiness on site here…. :D And I certainly am suffering from “light deprivation” :lol: Hey, I saw a really neat little light-box unit at Costco the other week, it actually was a “Blue-Light” technology, proven to be effective for light therapy! It was LED to! (ok, commercial over) now back to some “professional C-Dorying”

Doing-up your transom, I suspect would serve you well in case of things like “doing stupid things” (which we all do on occasion---I’m no exception) Scenario: Say you happen to get drowsy while out bottom-fishing and anchored in a high current area with a strong tide that switched direction on you, and your anchor-rode got hung up in your prop… it has happened in the “Cook Inlet” (not on a C-Dory) up here in AK before…sad, there was a death cuz of it. I spoze it could happen in a river to. Anyway, it’s not a design flaw in the boat er-nutin! But simply an area that can be modified to serve better, for the “worst-case-scenario”.

Talking to a C-D bud of mine this summer “Sundog” I remember him talking of getting a wave in the boat over his transom. It inspired his really great design of his new fish cleaning station over that area.

Everyone is right here in what they are telling you; there is really no design problems inherent, just an area that if modified, could serve you better in the worst-case-scenario. .:idea
 
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