open bow vs cuddy?

[hostage]

The more I look, the more I see decent deals on cuddys, I would prefer the seating room of an open bow, but is there any advantages or disadvantages of a cuddy vs an open bow?

Thanks again,
Hostage

 

[dave11]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

It really is about how you use a boat. If you are always going to have a group on board, get a bowrider. If you don't need the seating all the time, get the cuddy. It will give you a longer season. There are of course many other critreia.

 

[Boatist]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

If you go offshore in the ocean you will soon learn that an open bow is not near as safe. If a large wave is on the bow your would like the water to run off instead of filling the boat with Salt water.

The closed bow or cuddy also has some area that is more secure so you could lock up fishing poles and depthfinders if you stop for dinner on the way home.

A Porta Potty can also be used or a privite place to change clothes.
Also can get out of the sun or wind for a while.

if you want lots of people room an only pull skiers and pull into the beach for lunch then the open bow may be the best for you.

 

[badkins50]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Couldn't agree any more. I have an open bow only because we have two kids and one on the way (extra room helps), but i don't get to enjoy it if the lake starts picking up over 3 footers and not feel safe. I have to head back past the break wall where it's calm. Good luck.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Personal opinion...... bow rider's are easier to launch alone You can climb up and in easy. Cuddy cabins are usually heavier .....

Where do you boat? Cuddy cabins are a ton better in rough water

 

[RAT Attack]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I know I am newer to the forum, and no expert by any means, but I agree 100% with all said...
My personal experience in the past was always from an open bow. I always borrowed my brother's 19' Rinker. Me and my wife finally took the plunge last November & decided we need our own rig. We looked at several small cuddy's & open bow's, but had a hard time making up our mind. We ended up getting a small 19' cuddy. We absolutely love it. It is a little harder to manuever the docks, but don't take very long to get the hang of it. It is also nice for the wife to have privacy if she needs to change, or if someone needs to get out of the sun and/or wind. We have already spent 4 nights out on the lake with it, and since we live in south-west Ohio, that's pretty good by my count. My boat will still sit 7 while going, and that is usually more than what we have on our boat, so this boat worked for us. I like to wakeboard, and this boat with a 5.0 works out in that area too. We usually have atleast 1 other boat hanging with us, and spend a lot of time in the coves, There are many pros & cons to both, so it is an individual preference for sure.

 

[bkwapisz]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I've never owned an open bow but wished I had. I have a 17' cuddy that is worthless for more than 4 people, and a 28' cuddy that is nice but still could put more people in an open bow. We mostly tie out and raft off with other people, and since ours is the biggest boat we get the biggest crowd, but others have boats much smaller that are open bows and they have substantial room as well.

That being said, I've never boated in the ocean before, only small lakes where "rough" seas are waves less than 3', so I can't comment on that. Nor do I ever leave with what I consider to be an "overloaded" boat. Like the last poster noted though, the cuddy is nice particularly if it has a potty. I'm usually the food/drink/potty station on most of our raft-offs, but I don't care...

 

[hostage]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Thanks for the good points, you all started to make me think. The Erie Canal is a 100ft behind my house and it would be nice to go for more than a day cruise, we also have Lake Ontario 15miles north of where I live, this might give us some more flexibility.

Is there really any limitation? This cuddy i am looking at on Craiglist is 200lbs lighter than the open bow I was looking at w/ the same 4.3L size engine. I am guessing it could pull a skiier as well as the open bow. Unless there is any hull design differences on the cuddy than on the bow rider.

 

[RL Gman]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

The cuddy vs. open bow with approx same weight same boat style, same engine: pulling water toys will be comparable on both...

Open bows are meant for the daytime cruising and water sports "stuff", doesnt mean that the cuddy's cant do it. Many boats by manufacturer that have the cuddy or open bow option are built identically (concerning the hull design and stability factors), with the exception of the crew space and weight...

 

[tawood]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I have a 19' bowrider, and choosing it was a "slight tiping of the scales" from a cuddy.
Most of the time, I could probably use a cuddy. I spend many days out on the great lakes, fishing with just my son and I. But there is a remedy: on those days, I put the bow cover on, to reduce chances of the boat acting like a bucket if I take a wave over the bow. (I've taken 2 or 3 waves over the bow and it does work).
Problem is, there are other days when we hit a local lake for water sports with my friend, his wife and kid, and my wife, son, and daughter. On those days the need for a bowrider outweigh the cuddy argument.

 

[hostage]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Interesting, a open bow was the way I wanted to go before, though the cuddys are looking more tempting now.

I don't have any kids or anything so chances are it would be just me, my g/f and another couple or 2.

 

[RL Gman]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

After reading your most recent post and looking back over mine. I was just saying that they will do the same for water sports ect.

I still own an open bow and would only own an open bow! I wasnt trying to swade (although now it looks like I am).

I think earlier posts that asked the question about what you want to do with the boat and where are you boating are some of the best questions:

I live in an area where there are only small shorter (navigable) rivers, so there is no reason for me to spend the night, or see serious chop, so a bow rider is perfect for me...

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

In a nut shell.....small kids or wife with small bladder.....cuddy is the way to go.

My first boat (well 2nd but first one didnt count) was a bowrider...always said I'd never have a cuddy because its a waste of space. Then got tired of having to pull up and head in for bathroom breaks at least twice a day....current boat is a cuddy and love it with the 2 and 6 year old and aformentioned wife with small bladder.

 

[hostage]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I did use to own a Catalina 22 Sailboat, which had a cabin, out of the many years we owned it the potty was used only once, it seems like it is more of a pain to clean, though I could see myself having kids in a few of years...arr lol Granted it was on the small reservoir.

Maybe the question I should be asking is not what I want, but what does my g/f want. If she likes it more then she will do it more.

Did many of you go back and forth like this, when you wanted a boat? I think the only thing I have concluded is I want a 4.3L v6 engine. Want to have enough power to do what I want, though don't want to burn a lot of gas.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Well the relatively simple solution to the open-bow wave problem is to simply have a snap-on canvas cover for the bow. It won't stop 100% of the water from a wave coming over, but it will stop 95% of it. You get the safety of the closed-bow during inclement weather, and can unsnap and store the cover the rest of the time when you want the seating open.

I like the space the open bows are able to provide. Just because there are 5-6 seats on a boat doesn't mean I want to be riding shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone. Then add gear like tubes, towel bags, water toys, and coolers and it get crowded quick. It also forces all of the weight to the back of the boat, whereas an open bow allows the girls to ride up front to balance it out a bit.

Pluses and minuses to both, but one can be converted cheaply with the mooring cover, the other is a permanent choice.

My .02

 

[Subliminal]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Just hold the kids or the wife over the side, let 'em pee and then back to boating!

 

[bigd652]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I had the same questions before i found my open bow. I wouldn't have it any other way right now. My 2 year old daughter and mom love to ride up there when we are going slow around the lake. The extra space has been great.

 

[jkust]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

In Minnesota where most of our lakes are small, a cuddy is impractical and you almost never see one. Under 20 foot open bows are the rule here. However my kids would probably love a cuddy. When you see a small cuddy for sale, the market of buyers is so much smaller than bowriders and so the deals are almost too good to be true. Then when you get to the larger cruiser level, you can only use those boats on very select few large lakes. Dollar for dollar depreciation means larger cruiser type cuddys are dirt cheap compared to an 18 foot bowrider that still commands a much larger percentage of the new price 5 years on. My point is they are not practical on small water.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

I have a cuddy but it is because I go out on the ocean a lot. If I was using the boat primarily for lakes I would want an open bow. I like the fact that i can store a lot of gear in the cuddy when I go camping.

Its all a trade off and totally depends on your particular situation.

 

[security6]

Re: open bow vs cuddy?

Depending on how big of a boat you want, but you can get an open bow with a porta-potty. Many large bowriders and mid-size to large deckboats have an enclosed compartment with a porta-potty.

We got a 23' deck boat that gives us the best of both worlds. Open bow for space and porta-potti for the kids.