JGW, thanks for a good post.
I would have thought 20' too small. Evidently, not.


"JGW" wrote in message
...
I have a 20' Four Winns Sundowner with cuddy purchased for exactly the
uses
you describe - same number of family members etc. We have a camper canvas
top, and a porta-potti (with pumpout) both of which to us are necessities
esp when overnighting.
My wife & I sleep in the cuddy and the kids under the camper top which has
screens and canvas covers for privacy. There is not much room for anyone
else in the cuddy and we are only average sized people. We all spend the
evening under the camper (which is very roomy - 6' head room) playing
games
etc or on shore. There is bench seat at the back to serve as a bed and
the
two back-to-back seats fold down into beds - easily sleeping 5.

As for the other uses you describe - again this boat is perfect. Lots of
power, the cuddy provides a place to get changed into your swim suit, use
the toilet, store your skis/tube/pump etc etc. I agree the swim platorm
get
lots of use. When it is especially hot, I put up the camper top without
the
sides to provide some shade.

This sized boat is easily trailerable - launch and recovery takes only 2-3
minutes each. The only issue is headroom - you won't be able to (even a
child) standup in the cuddy. There is probably only 3- 31/2 (guessing)
feet
of clearance over the bed. Mind you, I don't think you need more. You will
likely only be sitting or lying in there. If it is raining - put up the
camper top (a good Sunbrella top doesn't leak much) and sit out in the
boat.

Hope that helps. We just spent a week on the Rideau Canal in ours and it
suited our purposes perfectly. We slept in it, fished off it, swam off it,
tubed behind it.........good luck
Jim



"kevin c smith" wrote in message
news:2004080201094568599%thesmith@gmailcom...
Hi.

I'm looking for suggestions for a smallish trailerable boat that would
be suitable for brief overnights with my wife and two young (5 & 6
year-old) children. We'll mostly be doing day trips (tubing/skiing and
some fishing), but would like to be able to do the occasional
close-to-home "camping". I don't see us doing more than one night on
the water very often, if at all. Realistically, the cabin will be used
mostly for the kids to nap & escape from rain, but we do want to be
able to spend the night now & then.

FWIW, a swim platform is almost a necessity.

We're a tight family, and can easily sleep in a king size bed together,
so cramped quarters aren't a big concern. Headroom needs to accomodate
the kids, but Mommy & Daddy only really need use it horizontally.


We'll be launching on the Magothy River (a few minutes from the
Chesapeake Bay), about a mile from home, so don't expect to spend much
time dragging the boat behind my truck, but it does need to be on a
trailer when not in use.

Thanks in advance.


P.S. What's the difference between a 'cuddy cabin' and a 'cabin
cruiser'?
--
kevin c smith
http://centricle.com