What to look for when buying our first C-dory used???

F

freberd

New member
We are going to look at a c-dory this weekend. We have never owned or rode in one before and we want to use it for fishing around the Northwest including the columbia river.

It is a 1988 22 ft offshore with a soft top.

What should we be looking for?

Thanks for any help of ideas?


Lisa
 
freberd":3hevoyg3 said:
We are going to look at a c-dory this weekend. We have never owned or rode in one before and we want to use it for fishing around the Northwest including the columbia river.

It is a 1988 22 ft offshore with a soft top.

What should we be looking for?

Thanks for any help of ideas?


Lisa
Click to expand...

Soft top? Hmmm...I've never heard of a soft top C-Dory but that certainly does not mean it does not exist.

Those with C-22's can offer more detailed advice but one of the first things to look at is hull penetrations and water damage. Look wherever you see screws or bolts - particularly those going into the floor at the stern - and check for evidence of water damage. Inspect the transom carefully inside and out for cracks.

I could go on and on but those are some big things to look for.

Good luck with the process.
 
I'll bet the "soft top" is a reference to a bimmini cover over the cockpit.

They did make an Offshore 21, but it had a short hard top cabin with a soft rear enclosure (called a bulkhead, had it been hard fiberglass). It was also a somewhat deeper "V" design.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I am always amazed at how many 1 or 2 of a kind were built over the years. Well we learn something new about C-Dory's everyday. Thanks for the enlightenment Joe.
 
Someday, (soon, I hope) I'd like to start a thread on all the unique C-Dories that were ever produced, and get a special album started where we could document them with photos and descriptions, specs, etc.

They come along here and there, but are (to my knowledge) not saved in any specific reference file/thread/album, etc.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
freberd":39suxdg2 said:
We are going to look at a c-dory this weekend. We have never owned or rode in one before and we want to use it for fishing around the Northwest including the columbia river.

It is a 1988 22 ft offshore with a soft top.

What should we be looking for?

Thanks for any help of ideas?


Lisa
Click to expand...

I guess no one's really answered the question. Joe, Dr. Bob, anyone?

Peter
 
The ad someone posted on craigslist is the boat. Is it bad that it has a soft top? I like the idea if it is sunny I can drive the boat on the columbia river while my husband fishes.

I did read the info on what to look for when buying a boat. It was helpful.


Any other ideas? no problems with the hull made out of basal wood and no stringers?

Thanks again

Lisa
 
Hi Lisa,
I would encourage you to consider a hard top. For me the real design advantage of a C-Dory is the hard top - it will allow you to handle more sea and more weather. Also, canvas lasts about 5 years in my experience before it starts to look beat up. It is quite expensive to replace...you would be looking at about $1500 to replace your canvas on a boat that size.

If it's nice just open the windows. I suspect you get a little rain and weather in WA just like we do in MA :D
 
matt_unique":rrinyc9c said:
Hi Lisa,
I would encourage you to consider a hard top. For me the real design advantage of a C-Dory is the hard top - it will allow you to handle more sea and more weather. Also, canvas lasts about 5 years in my experience before it starts to look beat up. It is quite expensive to replace...you would be looking at about $1500 to replace your canvas on a boat that size.

If it's nice just open the windows. I suspect you get a little rain and weather in WA just like we do in MA :D
Click to expand...

OTOH, look at the thousands of soft top Hewescraft, Lund, etc. boats sold in the PNW... If they are willing to accept the limitations of the soft top, it can be very nice in the summer on the Columbia.

That said, I had a soft top Hewescraft before I got my C-dory and I prefer the hard top for my boating style.

Warren
 
That link to Craig's List will disappear once the boat is sold, and others reading this thread later won't have access to those photos and exactly what we're talking about, so here's a copy job that will last for the record:

1988 22' C-Dory Offshore for Sale - $12500 (Langley (Whidbey))

1988 C- Dory Offshore with just overhauled trailer; 10" Garmin GPS; Garmin fishfinder; spare fishfinder; new VHF; cabin heater; two Cannon downriggers on quick-release, rotatable mounts; '88 Johnson 140HP V4 2 cycle main engine with less than 800 hours and spare prop; '89 Johnson 8HP 2 cycle kicker with stainless prop guard. Two external trolling motor fuel tanks. Two deep cycle marine batteries with select switch. Integrated main fuel tank holds 40 gals. The vessel gets on the step around 22 MPH, cruises nicely at less than 4000 RPM at 25 MPH, at which speed the very economical fuel consumption on the 140 is about 6 GPH. The trolling motor will operate all day on less than 5 gals. This was a C-Dory factory demo boat, I am the second owner, have now had it for 7 years. It has a convertible canvas top with full side curtains, cabin entry zippered door, slantback canvas that covers cockpit area. The canvas will keep you dry in the rain, but can be removed quickly to fully enjoy the sun. I have never seen another C- Dory in this configuration. Every other 22' Offshore has a hard top with glass side windows and lockable solid door, a setup that adds weight and roll. This boat weighs around 3400 lbs. The main engine was installed at the factory, which enables a top speed of well over 30 MPH. C-Dory, before they went out of business last year, equipped their boats with 90HP engines; this one has 140HP. The combination of the lower weight and increased HP gives it much higher performance than the hard top version. I have all the original boat, trailer, engine and equipment documentation. The lockable cuddy cabin sleeps two and is equipped with a porta-potty (never used). The passenger seats fold down to make two additional single bunks. This is an outstanding fishing boat and that's the way I've got it set up. I've taken it to Canada (Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet) for salmon fishing every year since I've owned it. But it is also great for cruising - just pull up the kicker and remove the downriggers, which takes just a few seconds. I paid $19K for it, asking $12,500, which seems a reasonable price. I am selling it because I made a major mistake and went to the last Seattle Boat Show, where my wife browbeat me into buying a new Bayliner Discovery 246 which has a separate head and a galley, two features that are necessary if our maritime relationship is to survive. The C-Dory is dry-stored (always has been) on private property near Langley on the south end of Whidbey Island. I am retired so am available almost any time to show it.

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Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Late 1960's Dorsett looks. Wonderful boat! Many Angel Island Sea Bass. Iron 2 # weights instead of downriggers. Lost with each strike. An Iron Mine off the northwest tip of Angel Island in the rip..
ICEWALL
 
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