C-Dory 25 Cruiser

Ever think it would be cool to modify a houseboat into a smaller package, capable of planing and being trailered?

It was 83 degrees on Miami's Biscayne Bay, a clear afternoon that drew out flocks of boaters for a Friday jaunt. There were beads of sweat on foreheads, and in the channel huge wakes bounced off the breakwall and splashed over the bows of every boat in sight. However, neither sweat nor salt water had penetrated the pilothouse of the C-Dory 25 Cruiser.

That's the essence of the company's self-labeled "trailerable trawler." It can be boiling hot or bitter cold outside, but the cockpit of the 25 Cruiser never changes. We compare it to an efficiency apartment on the water — a true dinette for four, galley with two-burner alcohol stove, hot-water heater, 25-gallon freshwater tank — but with full windows all around so natural light seeps in when the drapes are drawn. Even the stand-up head has windows all around so you can literally be one with nature — or pull the shades to block it out.

The profile of the 25 Cruiser suggests that you'd have to crawl to move around, but there's 6'10" of headroom down the cabin's centerline. That's because the boat has no stringer system, so you stand directly on the hull — which is 2.75 inches of fiberglass over a balsa core. Everything is fiberglass-bonded (hull, deck, top) with no fasteners. Another surprise is the 10-inch draft, possible because the deadrise aft is a mere six degrees.

The flat aft running surface makes the boat ideal for real cruising. Our sweet spot was at 10-15 mph, at which Honda techs measured the range at 370 miles. We'd take our time covering any distance, stopping to relax in patio chairs on the aft deck. We'd even go for a 90-horse Honda to accentuate the deliberate journey.

QUICK STATS
Length Overall: 25'5"

Beam: 8'6"

Dry Weight (boat only): 3,602 lb.

Fuel Cap.: 107 gal.

Max. HP: 200

MSRP (w/ Honda 150): $71,250