Cape Cruiser 23 Venture


When one gets a first look at the new 2006 Cape Cruiser 23' Venture,
it is almost impossible to avoid making mental comparisons with a long
established and incredibly successful series of boats manufactured in
the Pacific NW. Even in an industry where it isn't unheard of to
"splash" a competitor's boat (use a finished hull to create a
mold from which to build knock-offs), few people care much for a
"copy cat". We dropped into Granite Boatworks, at Twin Bridges
Marina on the Swinomish Channel, and we learned some interesting and
very legitimate reasons for the unmistakable "family resemblance."

Chilly Sterner, of Cape Cruiser Boat Works, showed us through a new
23' Venture and explained, "The boat is really just the latest in a
series of Roy Toland hulls. Mr. Toland was building and selling MARBEN
trawlers back in the 1970's, when he got an idea for a flat-bottomed,
dory style boat that he felt would be well received by regional sport
fishermen. Mr. Toland called his first boat a C-Dory, and introduced it
at one of the Sportsman's Shows in 1979. The boat proved to be a hit,
and Mr. Toland soon phased out production of the MARBEN trawler to
concentrate exclusively on meeting the demand for C-Dorys. The company
he started was eventually sold, and continues to build a lot of great
boats that sell well all across the United States."

"Because every boat is a compromise, no boat is ever actually
perfected. As good as the original design was, Mr. Toland kept refining
the concept until he finally decided that he had developed some
important modifications. The result of this continuing design, by the
original inventor of the C-Dory, is the 23' Cape Cruiser you see here
today. While at first glance it looks a lot like Mr. Toland's earlier
boat designs, this hull is substantially different. We have a lot more
boat in the bow, with a deeper forefoot and a 22-degree deadrise
forward that doesn't flatten out quite as quickly as some of the
earlier designs. We transition to an 8-degree deadrise at the transom.
Mr. Toland's goal was to improve the hull's ability to handle head
seas, get up on plane quickly and efficiently, and minimize any
tendency to "pound" in the short, steep, shop that we encounter out
on Puget Sound. The hull is also 6 inches beamier, and we use some of
that additional width to create more walkable side decks."

The complete facts helped us avoid any type of "Oh my gosh! Somebody
copied the C-Dory!" reaction. Upon realizing that the Cape Cruiser
represents a continuation of (or diversion from) the development of the
same builder's original idea, we took full advantage of the
opportunity to have Chilly point out some of the more noteworthy
features of the boat.

Sterner directed our attention to several construction and design
details. "This hull is completely cored," he said. We use a foam
core in the transom, and that allows us to be rated for the use of up
to 150-HP outboards. The rest of the hull, including the house and
cabin top, is cored with balsa up to an inch thick. This creates a
strong, lightweight hull and adds to flotation." We stepped into
cockpit, where Sterner noted "We have very large steps to both port
and starboard, so as you step over the rail from the dock or the beach
you don't have to worry about putting your foot in a small, specific
spot. We don't have a general deck light over the top of the cabin
door because we felt it would shine directly into everybody's eyes
and screw up night vision, but we did put indirect lighting all around
the cockpit concealed in the gunwales. We light up the deck, but not
your face."

"One of the tricky aspects with a lot of boats is getting from the
cockpit to the foredeck," remarked Sterner. Our slightly wider beam
allows us to carry the foredeck rail farther aft, so when you go
forward on a Cape Cruiser there's no 'leap of faith' between the
forward end of the cabin top rail and the aft end of the foredeck
railing." Chilly Sterner walked briskly from the cockpit to the
foredeck, and demonstrated that at no point during the transit was he
ever required to be without a hand on a railing.

We inspected the main cabin, with its solid aft bulkhead and powder
coated aluminum SeaGlaze (tm) safety glass door and windows. The layout
seems familiar, and is common to a variety of dory-style brands of
similar LOA. The galley module is in the aft starboard quarter, with a
deep stainless steel sink, and an optional Wallas combination diesel
cookstove and cabin heater. An optional Tundra (tm) refrigerator is
mounted immediately under the cooktop, and there is ample room for
stowage as well as a small diesel tank to supply the cooktop and heater
under the sink. The galley module is molded into the interior liner
rather than built separately and installed after the general layup. The
same molding forms the cabin sole and continues to the port side to
serve as the support for the convertible dinette.

When set up as a dinette, a collapsible tabletop is flanked fore and
aft by single-person seats along the port side of the cabin. The
forward seat has a reversible back bolster, and can be quickly
converted from facing aft (for dining) to facing forward for greater
passenger comfort and convenience when underway. With less than ten
seconds effort, the entire port side can convert to a single berth, or
as Chilly Sterner pointed out, " The converted berth will serve as a
bench seat for at least four people if you have more passengers aboard
than the normal seating will allow."

Mr. Toland introduced some alterations to forward berth area in his new
design. "We raised the doghouse up a few inches," said Chilly
Sterner, "with the idea that people of normal size should have enough
head room be able to sit comfortably, (or use the porta-pottie). You
will also notice a rode locker with a sealed door; we wanted to keep
the wet and muddy anchor gear and its possible smell out of the
sleeping compartment."


Demo Day!

We were visiting Granite Boatworks on Saturday, June 3, to take
advantage of Granite's "demo day." Scott Roberts, President of
Granite Boatworks and Sales Manager John Hackstadt had a new 23' Cape
Cruiser Venture at the Twin Bridges Dock, with test rides scheduled
every hour from mid morning until late afternoon. Jesse Bertino and his
son, Colby, were scheduled for noon and they graciously allowed us to
tag along for their test run up to Guemes Channel and back. We found
the railroad bridge closed across the channel, and although ebbing the
tide was still reasonable high. The low profile of the Cape Cruiser
slipped under the bridge with room to spare. There has to be something
"right sized" about a boat that offers 6'4" of standing
headroom in the cabin but is still low enough to squeeze under a closed
bridge.

Our test boat was equipped with a 90-HP, two stroke Evinrude V-Tec
outboard. Scott explained that although the boat is rated for 150-HP,
most buyers will select either the 90 HP or the 115 HP motor. "The
hull design doesn't require a lot of horsepower to get up on plane or
achieve a very good turn of speed. Some of our buyers will want to go
for the 115-HP Evinrude, as it is only about $1600 more than the 90-HP.
Somebody will have to really want to go super fast to choose the
150-HP, as it adds about $6000 to the price of the boat.

Once out into the channel on the north side of the bridge, Scott opened
up the throttle.
The 90-HP Evinrude brought the Cape Cruiser up to plane very quickly,
and the GPS read 27-knots at a strong cruise RPM. (If we subtract 2-3
knots for running with the ebb tide, the performance was still very
respectable for a 90 HP motor). Two fuel tanks hold a total of 60
gallons of gas, which should provide more than a 300-mile range at
moderate cruise speeds while maintaining prudent reserve.

As we planed along in the bright June air, we all began commenting on
how relatively quiet the engine seemed to be. "I expected a two
stroke to be a lot noisier," remarked Jesse. Jesse stood in the
cockpit and I stood at the bulkhead door, and neither of us had to
raise our voices much above normal conversational decibels to be heard.
With everybody inside the cabin and the bulkhead door pulled shut, the
sound of water rushing under the hull was about as loud as the sound of
the outboard back on the transom.

Conditions were reasonably calm, but we soon overtook a large cabin
cruiser throwing about a 3-foot wake. Scott didn't even slow down,
and I will admit I expected that flat-bottomed boat to become airborne
coming off the wake. It didn't. We plowed into and through the wake
rather than "bounced" over it, and while we created an explosion of
spray the Cape Cruiser stayed very dry with little or no water on the
foredeck or windshield. "My friends all told me to expect this boat
to slam a lot," said Jesse. "You could hardly call that slamming. I
work long hours for a welding supply company, and some weeks I don't
even get to take Saturday off. I'm looking at this boat because when
I do get time to go out fishing I don't want just a little bit of bad
weather to force me to cancel."

Colby was whooping and hollering, thoroughly enjoying the ride. "If
it was up to him," said Jesse; "we'd buy this boat today."

Scott turned the helm over to Jesse, and we cut tight circles, crossed
wakes, and experimented with trim tabs and throttle settings off Cap
Sante Head. "I can't find any bad manners in this boat anywhere,"
concluded Jesse. That was an easy conclusion to reach, as the boat felt
solid while being fairly quiet and responsive. There was never any bow
rise, to speak of, when accelerating. Our own wake, when not
deliberately out of trim for demonstration purposes, was close to
non-existent. Cape Cruisers has built a very efficient hull, and
precious fuel dollars aren't going to need to be spent just to build
and maintain a high wall of water abaft the transom.

"I find that the trim tabs get used more for equalizing port and
starboard loads than for keeping the bow down,""said Scott.

As we headed back down the Swinomish Channel to turn the test boat over
to the 1 PM appointment, we found ourselves "surfing" the wake of
an aft cabin cruiser proceeding at about the same speed and perhaps 75
yards ahead. Somehow the Cape Cruiser managed to ride the top of the
wake without sloughing off to port or starboard.

Conclusion

Careful shoppers considering a dory-style fishing boat will certainly
need to add the Cape Cruiser to the list of prospective choices. While
Cape Cruiser is a new brand; very successful similar boats have long
been built by the same designer. A well equipped 23' Cape Cruiser,
with the dual voltage refrigerator, 30-amp shorepower system with
battery charger, Lenco Electric Trim Tabs, an interior carpet package,
a bulkhead mounted jumpseat in the cockpit, and a 90-HP Evinrude
outboard lists for $47,584.

Harry Krause wrote:
wrote:
Cape Cruiser 23 Venture


When one gets a first look at the new 2006 Cape Cruiser 23' Venture,
it is almost impossible to avoid making mental comparisons with a long
established and incredibly successful series of boats manufactured in
the Pacific NW. Even in an industry where it isn't unheard of to
"splash" a competitor's boat (use a finished hull to create a
mold from which to build knock-offs), few people care much for a
"copy cat". We dropped into Granite Boatworks, at Twin Bridges
Marina on the Swinomish Channel, and we learned some interesting and
very legitimate reasons for the unmistakable "family resemblance."

Chilly Sterner, of Cape Cruiser Boat Works, showed us through a new
23' Venture and explained, "The boat is really just the latest in a
series of Roy Toland hulls. Mr. Toland was building and selling MARBEN
trawlers back in the 1970's, when he got an idea for a flat-bottomed,
dory style boat that he felt would be well received by regional sport
fishermen. Mr. Toland called his first boat a C-Dory, and introduced it
at one of the Sportsman's Shows in 1979. The boat proved to be a hit,
and Mr. Toland soon phased out production of the MARBEN trawler to
concentrate exclusively on meeting the demand for C-Dorys. The company
he started was eventually sold, and continues to build a lot of great
boats that sell well all across the United States."

It looks like a C-Dory and it has 5 degrees of deadrise at the transom.
Maybe it's okay for your waters, but around here, your fillings would
fall out in any sort of chop at planing speeds. It also has a
balsa-cored hull. Gives me the shivers.


That's 8 degrees at the transom.

Definitely not a deep-V hull, but that's how you get 25 knots out of
this boat with a 90-HP motor. If you want to drive a deeper hull
through chop at planing speeds you will need a lot more HP and
ga$oline. Everything is a trade off. There aren't any underwater
through hulls on this outboard boat with a portapottie, and it is very
likely to be rack stored or sit on a trailer between uses. While
Viking, Bertram, Hatteras, et al have had some issues with balsa coring
I am not sure the risk is anywhere nearly close for a Cape Cruiser. I
agree that people need to weigh the risks vs. the benefits and make the
best available decision (or best educated guess).

wrote in message
oups.com...

That's 8 degrees at the transom.

Definitely not a deep-V hull, but that's how you get 25 knots out of
this boat with a 90-HP motor. If you want to drive a deeper hull
through chop at planing speeds you will need a lot more HP and
ga$oline. Everything is a trade off. There aren't any underwater
through hulls on this outboard boat with a portapottie, and it is very
likely to be rack stored or sit on a trailer between uses. While
Viking, Bertram, Hatteras, et al have had some issues with balsa coring
I am not sure the risk is anywhere nearly close for a Cape Cruiser. I
agree that people need to weigh the risks vs. the benefits and make the
best available decision (or best educated guess).

Yet it's a deeper V than the C-Dory 23 footer, correct? If so, less
slamming for less money!

-Greg

wrote:

Definitely not a deep-V hull, but that's how you get 25 knots out of
this boat with a 90-HP motor.

Could you be more specific on what the "strong cruise RPM"
was at 27 knots?

-rick-

-rick- wrote:
wrote:

Definitely not a deep-V hull, but that's how you get 25 knots out of
this boat with a 90-HP motor.

Could you be more specific on what the "strong cruise RPM"
was at 27 knots?

-rick-

I wasn't watching the tach so I didn't record or report on the specific
rpm. However, we did go all the way to WOT (5500 rpm according to
Evinrude) to experience acceleration and then backed off a little bit.
My guess would be we were still at 80% or maybe more of WOT. I had a
good view of the GPS readings (and it was calibrated in knots). One of
the factory spokespeople said that the boat will get to speeds of over
30 knots with the 90-HP, when lightly laden and with single handed- but
we didn't observe that performance with 3 adults and a big kid aboard.
(One guy was really a lot larger than average, so I wouldn't be
surprised to discover we had between 900- 1000 pounds of people
present).

We were making that sort of speed because conditions were pretty
benign. If the seas were up at all we would likely have throttled back
some more. Like Harry observed, you're not going to be able to
comfortably run at 20 knots or better through steep chop in a lot of
boats, and I would say that you would instinctively slow down in this
boat if it got lumpy. No boat should be forced beyond it's design
parameters, and for folks who insist on a boat that will cut through
2-3 footers at 20-30 knots without any risk of slopping coffee out of a
full cup there are some larger, heavier, deeper draft, and generally
far more expensive boats to choose from.

FWIW, I've been out in a similar boat (C-Dory) on a typical NW windy
day. It was probably blowing 15-20 knots and there was plenty of chop.
The ride was just fine until we tried running at the highest speeds, at
which point we did tend to "hop" a lot. I guess there are two
solutions: one would be to operate the vessel within its design
parameters and slow down when conditions warranted. The other would be
to choose a boat that was a compromise in some *other* way, but
remained comfortable at high speeds in short chop.
As with many facets of boating, there is no one single "right" choice
that always applies and it becomes a matter of personal taste and
preference. (That doesn't preclude most of us from feeling that our own
personal tastes and preferences represent the "right" choice,
naturally, since after all those choices have proven "right" for us).