Venture series boats

M

Mike Bohart

New member
Hi everybody - my wife and I aare are not current C-Dory owners, but
are seriously considering a Tom Cat or a Venture. I realize the Venture
is a relatively new line, but would appreciate any comments from
experienced C-Dory owners about these boats. We are trying to compare
the Tom Cat and Venture 23-26' boats. We would have to do a fair amount of trailering, and according to specs, the Ventures are lighter.
This in turn would affect tow vehicle mileage, and, while not being the
most important factor, would certainly be a consideration.

Any comments would be most welcome.
 
Mike,

I will let others give you more details on the Venture/C-Dory comparison. I am thinking the Ventures have a bit sharper entry giving a smoother ride, but need more horsepower due to that.

I own a TomCat 255. Depending upon your needs and desires the TomCat may be what you want. It is much heavier than the other 25' C-Dory and 26' Venture, but handles well getting on and off the trailer and the trailer design is spectacularly stable. The TomCat trailer has a forward stairway with two handrails for getting up and down while the boat is trailered. It also has a diving ladder and swim step that lets you easily get up and down from the cockpit while camping in the boat while enroute to a water destination.

The stability of the TomCat is remarkable. You have a rock solid feel in most conditions. The TomCat can be operated economically at low speeds, moderate speeds, or high speeds, in spite of it's size.

Since you mention concern over trailing weight, that may discourage you from the TomCat since it trailers better behind a 3/4 ton or larger pickup.

Good luck on your search!

John
 
Hi Mike,

I bought a Venture 23' in April from Sportcraft Marina in Oregon. :lol: I couldn't be happier with my selection. It handles so much better than my 23' Wellcraft deep-vee. The dealer added rear station steering which really helps in fishing kelp paddies. Their after sales service has been excellent, which was a initial concern since they are about 600-700 miles away. Every concern so far handled by phone and mail.

My truck is a 3/4 ton Duramax, so towing is not a problem, in fact, I handly even know the boat/trailer is there. I'm getting 13-14 mpg when towing the boat and 16-18 mpg without.

:thup The boat handles better than I expected. It would be nice to have the interior space/features of the 25' or 26', but every boat is a compromise in some way.

Hope this helps!

Kent
MARCIA JANE
 
kmcclish":2044w46z said:
Hi Mike,

I bought a Venture 23' in April from Sportcraft Marina in Oregon. :lol: I couldn't be happier with my selection. It handles so much better than my 23' Wellcraft deep-vee. The dealer added rear station steering which really helps in fishing kelp paddies. Their after sales service has been excellent, which was a initial concern since they are about 600-700 miles away. Every concern so far handled by phone and mail.

My truck is a 3/4 ton Duramax, so towing is not a problem, in fact, I handly even know the boat/trailer is there. I'm getting 13-14 mpg when towing the boat and 16-18 mpg without.

:thup The boat handles better than I expected. It would be nice to have the interior space/features of the 25' or 26', but every boat is a compromise in some way.

Hope this helps!

Kent
MARCIA JANE
Click to expand...

Hi Kent,
Post some pictures into your welcome when you can.
 
Although the reports are that the Venture 23 and 26 handle better in chop than the C Dory 22 and 25, the Tom Cat definately has a better ride in chop and is faster (if that is an issue). I agree that the Tom Cat is a more stable platform. We tow both a C Dory 25 and a Tom Cat 255. The Tom Cat is a heavier rig, but with proper trailer, truck setup and brakes, it is as easy to tow. My feeling is that either one (Venture 26 or Tom Cat) needs a 3/4 ton truck.

If you want to tow with a small SUV, then consider the Venture 23. Spend some time on all of the boats before you side--and try and get a ride in rough water before you side.
 
There was a discussion comparing the 22 to the 25 last year. Although neither were Ventures, the discussion points should be the same as for the 23 vs 26. The thread was "Which is better: 22' cruiser or 25' cruiser?" and I found it very helpful.

My favorite post in it, the reason I saved it, was by Levity

"When its blowing 20 knots and there is a nasty chop I wish I had the 25, but when I fuel up I'm glad I've got the 22. When there are guests aboard I wish I had an enclosed head (so do the guests) but when the porta potti breaks, I'm glad I have the 22. When I'm unpacking the V berth and moving the gear to the cockpit I wish I had the 25 but when I'm washing and waxing the hull, I'm glad I have the 22.

So far the 22 has taken me everywhere I've wanted to go. The smaller hull adds adventure opportunities as the challenge of piloting a "smaller" hull through choppy or lumpy conditions adds interest to the day."

Even though my profile says 'Venture 26' it is actually the last CC-26 made, rather then a proper CD Venture. It was made from the same mold, but lacks the foam core and more refined cabin of the Venture. I imagine that the performance data would be similar. Are there any specific questions you have?

If you are going to be in the San Francisco area any time call me (I'll PM you my number) and I'd be glad to take you out in it.

David B.
 
It shows you are from Ft. Collins Co. If that is correct you will be doing mostly trailering. If you are going to put the boat in a marina then go with the Tomcat it's faster more stable and much better bed setup.

Now if trailering is going to be your only option then go with a venture 23or 26 same boat only streched for the toilet and closet same cockpit space the venture 23 weighs about 4500-5000lb depending on trailer eng. fuel etc the venture 26 should be about 1000 lb more with boat motor and trailer.

We tow our venture 23 with a Honda Pilot (4500lb tow rating) here in flat florida not the best but it seems to work . What we like about the 23 she will run in 1ft of water down herre in fl. or run in 3-4 ft seas no problem . I've had a cd-22 and have piloted the 25 . The 23 has a better ride then most other boats it's size . If you don't need the toilet get the 23 it has a potti between the v-berth . also she will run on a f-115 in fl. 34mph top speed . 4-5 mpg cruising. For your mtn. lakes I would get the 135-150hp
If you have any Questions PM me you can check out pictures( DUCK)
 
Attend some gatherings somewhere where most of these boats are gathered about in a real life situation and not on a show room. Do take your time and do be sure and get out on these boats before putting your money down. All are great boats, all have their own "issues"...or opportunities to excell!!

Take apart how and where your boating life will take you.

Tow a bunch or are you going to limit yourself to the waters real close to your area? Be honest here. Have seen folks buy a boat and not take into consideration what will truly be needed to SAFELY tow the rig once all loaded up....on all type of trips... This lends them going to places without their boat....or, burning up something on a vehicle that is not suited to do the dead.

Speed: OK, I find that I truly enjoy crusing a lot in the 8-10 knot range. On my C-Dory boats when making long day trips (75-100 water miles) I enjoyed about a 10-14 knot cruise to keep the noise and chop reactions on the ride minimal. My boat today, on these trips, I kick it up to about 16-20 knots due to the diffent hull set up. Again... what do you plan to do and how do you plan to use your boat.

You can make any of these boats go fast...just add horsepower....and run your operational cost up. If you are looking for fast boats...you may want to consider a differnt hull set up. If you are happy with the enjoyable slower rides....considering 8-16 knots slower.... these are great boats.

Every boat has a comprimise or several of them as stated above. What you will find on this site are folks that love boats, and are more than willing to toss you on board the boat in the water....where boats are used. Take advantage of that.

Byrdman
 
Thanks everybody for the quick replys to my question of TomCat vs.
Venture hull series boats. If I gave a little more of my background,
it might help. My wife and I sold our last boat, a 37' Nordic
Tug, in 2007 because we wanted to pursue more land travel. We have
been fortunate to make 2 trips to SE Alaska in "Sunshine", as well
as numerous other trips to various destination along the inside passage.
I currently own a 18' Hewescraft fishing boat, but since my wife doesn't
fish, I mostly solo to CO lakes with this boat. We owned a home in Anacortes, WA, for 9 years, and actively boated during that time.
Ultimately, we decided to make CO our hame base, as we are both from here.
During our time of larger boat ownership (38' Puget trawler, 32' & 37' Nordic Tugs), we became familiar with several different hull forms.
My wife is not totally on board with the idea of a larger trailerable
boat, and I am not certain I am either. With both of us in our middle
60's, I am not sure I want to get into trying to hassle a larger boat on and
off a trailer, but I definitely do not want to go back to big boat ownership,
keeping a vessel 1500 miles from where we live.
I would like to come to the Seattle boat show in January '09 and visit
with some C-Brats at your get together there. Do you allow non-C Dory
owners to any of your functions?
Sorry to ramble on. I will be looking forward to further posts on this topic.
 
We went back to a trailerable boat from a 36' sailboat when it became apparent we had cruised it as far as we were going to.

I guess I'm puzzled by the assumed difficulty of towing, launching and retrieving a C-Dory. Journey On is a C-25, and the job is easier than I had thought. Launching means putting up the antenna and backing down the launch ramp. Unwind the winch and the boat slides into the water. Retrieving is the hard part. You do have to wind up the winch and pull the boat up. I'm 73 and it takes ~5 min. If that's too much, one can get an electric winch. A lot easier than the 25' sailboat we had. Both had roller trailers which, forgive me, I think are the only way to go.

Judy figures the hard part is packing and unpacking the boat. That's the same if the boat is trailerable or not, but if it's trailerable, you can do it at home.

If the 25' boats seem too much, the 22 C-Dory should be perfect, and one can certainly cruise on that. Try one at a dealers?

Boris
 
Mike --

Welcome to the C-Dory world. We too came from Nordic Tugs having had, over the course of a decade first a 32 and then a 37 which we sold last August. We are currently reworking a CD-22 and are very excited as we head toward a much great cruising range occasioned by trailering. You will find that there is so much to learn from the fabulous people on this site. I lurked for years and just soaked up information that has made the transition from the larger boat easier and extremely exciting. We all go through stages where we have "boatitis" where bigger is thought to be better. Finally, when you step back, think carefully, and distill boating and cruising down to its essence, one is forced to conclude that size is not only over rated but downright detrimental in many regards. The C-Dory lineup will allow far more cruising than a larger boat although one does have to think differently about one's cruising. El & Bill's Halcyon Days site (see home page) has been inspiring me for years and captures so much about what makes small boat cruising a better alternative than a larger boat. There is no way we could fulfill but a fraction of our plans if we had stayed with the Nordic Tug 37. You will find that there is a fairly large group on the list that have come down from larger boats and done so enthusiastically. Check for a PM from me and enjoy the decision process.
 
Mike Bohart":2jt7y5qu said:
Do you allow non-C Dory
owners to any of your functions?
Click to expand...

The answer to your question is "Absolutely yes". Also, if you visit the C-Dory display at the Seattle Boat Show you will most likely find C-Brats hanging around just itching to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about C-Dorydom.
 
dotnmarty":2ehlpgfq said:
Mike Bohart":2ehlpgfq said:
Do you allow non-C Dory
owners to any of your functions?
Click to expand...

The answer to your question is "Absolutely yes". Also, if you visit the C-Dory display at the Seattle Boat Show you will most likely find C-Brats hanging around just itching to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about C-Dorydom.
Click to expand...

You betcha' Mike. Look forward to meeting you and your wife there. This will be my third SBS and my bride's second, all the way from the right coast! Read the thread on it and sign up. You can get a pretty good discount at the motel and go to our parties!

Charlie
 
I would not worry about the trailer loading. We both have back problems (one of the major reasons we moved up from the 22 to the 25 and the Tom Cat--Ride, as well as getting in and out of the foreward berth. I solo launched, loaded the 25 behind a 30 foot Motor home a number of times this summer--just dive on, and secure the winch straps--when out of the water, wash down the boat and trailer, and put on the rear straps, and secure chains foreward. Average time to launch or retrieve, less than 10 minutes and I am in my early 70's--plan on being able to do the trailering for at least another 10 years, if I live this long. If the trailer is set up correctly and a good ramp--it is just not a problem.

Easier to load the boat (unless it is at your home) because of the proximity to the house, store etc.

My wife insisted on pilot house type of boats in 1980 (after she had made some passages in the typical "cave" sailboats.) She is the final arbitrator of what boat we buy. She still misses the Symbol 42 trawler we owned, (as well as several larger pilot house sailboats), but is happy with the "view" from any of the C Dory/Tom Cat/Venture line. The issue is that the Admiral is up on deck, with good sight lines when cooking or eating. As for adapting to the smaller space--that depends on the individual. But get her out on the water in these boats.
 
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