Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

[lrlima]

In search mode in order to upgrade to a larger boat thats a bit sturdier to use on a larger lake. General uses will include cruising, sitting in a cove fishing, and pulling a tuber occasionally.

Originally was looking for something in the 21-23 foot range, open bow.
But, I came across a 1996 23' Chris Craft cuddy with 270 hours on 5.8L FSI V8 engine with Volvo Penta duo prop. Also comes with trailer. Owner asking apprx 10k. Very good condition.

Two questions...

1. Is this a good boat and price? Anyone with any experience with this overall setup? Looked on boattrader for same year and model and didnt see much

2. Is this cuddy a waste of space? It seems to limit how many guests I could accomodate with a boat that size...maybe 5 comfortably? Dont know how much we would sleep on this boat, or if its even possible (me, wife, 1 small child). Just curious to see how people use this or if its glorified storage in a boat this size.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

First..Chris Craft is a good boat,solid,well built and reliable, as for cuddy vs. bow rider , you need to figure what its primary purpose will be, cuddys are nice for a small family,storage,place for junior to nap..ect..but keep in mind they get HOT.even with a deck hatch it gets hot down there.Plus anchoring,unless you have a windlass,anchoring can be perilous. if your primary use will be tubing,crusin', having guests aboard,go with the open bow, with a bimini top you can have shade & a breeze, more room for guests, especially on any boat less than 28-30', bowrider is the way to go.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Bow rider.... Hmmm I saw a really bad accident once.

I lived in Boca Raton Fl years ago (many now). As a kid I was a boat ramp junkie, often fishing, and watching the boat trailer show. There was bridge on the intracoastal waterway. It was a bottleneck for sure. Palmetto Park road I think.

Anyway one day I was watching a big hatteras fishing type boat going under the bridge, behind it was a family of four with young kids ins a18 footish bowrider. Well the standing wake behind the fishing boat from the current under the bridge broke over the bow of the bowrider and in a second the bow rider was nose down with the engine screaming in the air. The family was dumped into the drink and the boat flipped. Luckly there was an old salt tied to the dock in a WW2 era beachcraft. He slammed the throttles, snapped the dock lines and ran thru the bridge and essentally scooped the family up. No one was hurt.

Thats my bowrider story. My personal story in my Wellcraft 238 CC is I've stuffed the bow into waves several times and at the worst I've had coolers floating in the back of the boat. She's never flipped

Now the CC's have great storage and you dont have to take everything on and off the boat every time you use it which is nice. Anchoring is not as easy as you need to circumnavigate the cabin. But for me I feel a little safer knowing if I take a wave I'm not swamped.

IF it's a little boat on a lake I can totally see the value of a bowrider.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

We love our cuddy. It's great for extending our time on the water. Nothing beats waking up in the morning already on the water, ready for another day of fun. We bought ours because we wanted to be able to overnight on the water and it was the largest boat that our tow vehicle could handle.

We average about 20 nights a summer on board. For 1-3 nights in a row the cuddy works nicely, although by night 3 I'm envying my friends with the big cruisers.

Anchoring isn't a real problem. Just slide out on your butt and handle the anchor while sitting on the deck.

It does limit the number of guests that you can bring along. You are correct that 5 is about the max if you have the bench seat & sun pad layout. The most we've had aboard for a day trip is 4 adults and 1 child under 3 y.o.

We live in Wisconsin, so the heat factor rarely comes into play. Our Wellcraft has a very large 2ft x 2ft hatch that lets in copious amounts of breeze to keep cool. There are small battery or 12v powered fans that you can buy to help keep the air moving otherwise.

For extra "living" space on board I would recommend a full enclosure for the cockpit. With screens to let in a breeze and keep out the bugs. Makes a nice living room to relax in for the evening.

 

[lrlima]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

thank you all for the different insights. FL_Richard, Im from S FLA and know the area you're talking about. Crazy story...

We boat on a pretty busy lake with large boats, so that peace of mind a cuddy would offer by being able to handle the large wakes helps. Though I dont know if I have seen any wakes that large before, and Im currently in a 18 footer. There are just certain areas you dont go at certain times of day...unless you want to loosen some fillings. My main purpose is to have something safe for my 2 year old and comfortable for the wife who has a arthritis / bad back issues.

And, I believe the boat Im looking at comes with the full enclosure, which would be great for colder weather too.

DOes anyone have any thoughts on the price of this boat? (i know its hard to go by just my description...but curious as i couldnt find much out there to compare it to).

I may be over analyzing all this, but thanks for helping me think this through...

 

[thedukeryan]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Price seems ok to me. With that saidi only really follow local prices. I have a 23' Wellcraft 233 Eclipse. I love the cabin. I tossed the sink and porta potty but the added space makes a great closet for jackets, tubes, tools etc. My gf loves laying out with friends on the bow. I've noticed that it keeps pretty cool if you open all the doors etc. I have a power inverter for a fan and what not. Even in the upper 90's in town it seems cool out on the lake. I just purchased mine say a month ago but plan on camping on it this weekend. Before I had a 18' Bayline with open bow. It was a fun boat but would get beat up in rougher water. My Eclipse does fine while smaller boats get stuck in the coves due to rougher water. I personally am very happy with my cuddy. Another note the privacy is kinda nice if out with that special someone

 

[dan t.]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

you tossed the porta-potty, so where do you plan on pottying,inthe lake?

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Your rig sounds very much like the one we just bought. One of the prime qualifiers for us was big enough to take out on Lake Erie, yet small enough to trailer, and a place to sleep. You'll only sleep 2 comfortably.

Since this pic was taken we've invested in a bimini. I second the feeling that Chris Craft is a solid boat. For an 18 year old she's in excellent shape.

We forked over 6K for this one but it's an OMC.

 

[marine4003]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Your rig sounds very much like the one we just bought. One of the prime qualifiers for us was big enough to take out on Lake Erie, yet small enough to trailer, and a place to sleep. You'll only sleep 2 comfortably.

Since this pic was taken we've invested in a bimini. I second the feeling that Chris Craft is a solid boat. For an 18 year old she's in excellent shape.

We forked over 6K for this one but it's an OMC.

Great Boat ! she was well built to Begin with,and somebody took excellent care of her.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

you tossed the porta-potty, so where do you plan on pottying,inthe lake?

I'm getting rid of mine too. There is no way an adult can use the one I have. Even a small child would have trouble. I think they put the sink and porta potty in them originally so they qualified as a second home and your loan was treated differently by the IRS.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Great Boat ! she was well built to Begin with,and somebody took excellent care of her.

Thanks for the compliment. I agree and the service stickers bear out your point. I think I'm the third owner. Last one told the dealer "we're just not boating people". Not sure what that was supposed to mean.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Another note the privacy is kinda nice if out with that special someone

Shocked and appalled!!

 

[lrlima]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

thanks for the replies. going to look at it this morning and will let you know how it turns out.

 

[bad_boy]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Don't be scared by the story of the 18' bowrider, there is a huge difference between that and a 23' bowrider.

 

[skargo]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

I specifically looked for a cuddy as that's what we had when I was a kid, and the cabin comes in handy for storage.
It's mainly my wife and I on the boat, we go boating to get away from the crowds, not bring them along. I always see bow riders packed full of people, not my idea of fun.
Besides, even though they allow more passengers, the ride up front isn't the most comfortable or safe IMO.
I bought a portapotty for my wife and we have plenty of room to use it.
Anchoring is not an issue, I can stand up through my hatch and anchor, or just stand on the bow if it's calm out.
Hitting bigger water and the water splashes on my bow and runs off, where if it was a bow rider, it would be IN the boat.
I bought a 31 year old Wellcraft Nova 210xl this year. By today's standards it would be a 23' boat, due to them not measuring swim platforms back then, but now they do because they are molded into the boat.
It was an original, low hour boat that was meticulously maintained, I got it for a song, and have been out 17 times so far this year.

There are some great older boats out there that have been loved and maintained by people who know what they are doing, you just have to look.

Stabbin cabin,

 

[skargo]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Found a pic of me anchoring standing through the hatch,

 

[CaptainYARRR]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

It's all a matter of personal preference. If you plan on taking friends and family out on the lake to have fun, then yes it is a waste of space. If just you and the Mrs. are heading to the lake to relax, then a cuddy is great.

I don't understand the storage thing people keep bringing up. How much stuff do you need to store? On a boat that size, you should have plenty of room for coolers and most other things needed for a fun day.

 

[four winns 214]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Define your mission. If the mission is watersports and day-boating with a bunch of people, a cuddy is wasted space. If you like to spend an occasional night out, a cuddy makes sense.

I have both. I have a 2002 Four Winns 214 deckboat that is just great when we go out with my 17 year-old daughter and her friends. They want the sun and watersports and room to spread out. It's a GREAT boat for that. It's also a good boat for taking people for dinner at waterfront restaurants. That boat is here in Louisville. The picture below was taken on a dinner mission for a colleague's birthday

I also have a 1984 Sea Ray SRV210 cuddy that I keep on Kentucky Lake. It's there primarily for my older daughter to use. She just graduated college in that end of the state and begins her teaching career in that area on Tuesday. I took the Sea Ray out on an overnight Thursday night and it was just a fabulous night to be on the water-- clear skies, nearly full moon, light breeze. I was in a cove in Duncan Bay on Kentucky Lake. I didn't sleep in the cuddy. I laid my sleeping bag across the stern seats and slept under the stars. My daughter spent the night on it last night.

This picture of the SRV210 (with camper canvas installed) was taken at a marina on an Ohio River trip:

 

[rlb2252]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

Four Winns,

Are you saying the the last pic of the boat at the dock with the gorgeous sunset is only a 21 footer? Looks much longer to me. If I had to guess I'd think it was more like a 27 footer--at least
.

 

[rlb2252]

Re: Is a 23 foot cuddy a waste of the space?

I wanted a 23 foot Sea Ray Cuddy with the private potty, sink, stove. I wound up putting a deposit down on a 22 footer that only had the potty under the seat. No privacy.

I've never owned a boat. As an armchair skipper, I envision grabbing the Missus and brats, climbing aboard our home away from home on the water for days at a time. I realize that our fantasy of ownership may actually exceed our reality.

To me a mid size cuddy--say 23 or 24 feet--is the ideal compromise craft.

I was on a 19 foot Cuddy that would get the job done. Had a 4 cylinder Volvo, 140 horses I believe. Great at the gas pump. Might be a little light in the trousers for more substantial water.

Just my totally uninformed two cents.