C-Dory 25 Cruiser, the Trailerable Pilothouse With a Real Head

C-Dory for sale listings and why the 25 is the one cruisers hunt for

Scroll through C-Dory for sale listings and the 25 Cruiser is the model that tends to draw the most questions, and the most serious buyers. C-Dory says it designed the 25 as the boat its 22 owners kept asking for: longer, wider and taller, with an enclosed head and shower, a self-bailing cockpit, a larger galley and a forward-facing companion seat.

That list is not marketing filler. It is exactly why Great Loop veteran Michael MacLeod, writing in Soundings, sold his C-Dory 22 and bought a 25 with a 200-hp Suzuki: the bigger boat gave him a shower, a proper toilet and room for a marine air conditioner. For couples who want to spend weeks rather than weekends aboard while keeping the freedom of a trailer, the 25 is the model that makes it practical.

C-Dory builds the 25 at Northwest Marine Industries in Bellingham, Washington, the same plant that produces Sea Sport, Osprey and Skagit Orca boats. In 2008, when Soundings published its trailerable cruiser specifications, the builder was C-Dory Marine Group of Auburn, Washington.

What the extra three feet and ten inches of beam buy you

The 25 measures 25 feet 5 inches overall with an 8-foot-6-inch beam, compared with 22 feet and 7 feet 8 inches on the 22. Those 10 extra inches of beam are the maximum for routine trailering without permits in most states, and C-Dory uses every one of them.

Inside, the dinette runs along the port side with storage under the seats and converts to a 6-foot-4-inch berth. It also carries the forward-facing companion seat, a big improvement for anyone who has ridden backwards on a 22. The pilot station and galley share the starboard side with a stainless sink, 23 gallons of fresh water, a 6-gallon water heater and room for the stove of your choice. Aft of the galley is the stand-up head with a marine toilet and shower.

Forward, a 6-foot-4-inch V-berth sits behind a privacy curtain with two reading lights and a large deck hatch. C-Dory quotes generous cabin headroom, though its own page lists figures from 6 feet 1 inch to over 6 feet 10 inches in different places, so stand inside one before you buy if height matters to you.

Outside, the self-bailing cockpit measures 4 feet 9 inches by 7 feet 2 inches, and welded stainless railings run along the sides. It is a modest cockpit, smaller than many anglers expect, because the outboard lives in a well.

How the 25 runs, from 4.5 knots to plane

C-Dory rates the 25 Cruiser for a single outboard up to 200 hp. Soundings' 2008 specification showed it with a single 150 or twin 90s and a top speed of about 30 mph, which is roughly 26 knots.

PassageMaker's trailerable trawler roundup, written by a reviewer who drove a new 25 with a 200-hp Suzuki on Florida's Gulf Coast, gives the clearest picture. He used GPS to verify speeds from 4.5 knots at 1,000 rpm up to 22 knots at 4,000 rpm, and found the boat accelerated quickly from displacement mode to full plane. Going to windward through a stiff chop, interior sound levels were in the 80 dBA range.

That noise has a cause. To maximize headroom, the carpeted cabin sole is literally the top surface of the hull structure, so slap and spray noise travel straight into the cabin. The same reviewer noted that C-Dory's newer Venture series uses a deeper V hull and an isolated floor that should run quieter. He also reported that C-Dory's website published test data for a 25 with a 150-hp engine showing an average of about 3.5 miles per gallon across a wide speed range.

• Max power: single outboard to 200 hp
• PassageMaker, 200 hp Suzuki: 4.5 knots at 1,000 rpm to 22 knots at 4,000 rpm
• Builder-reported average about 3.5 mpg with a 150 hp outboard
• Fuel capacity 100 gallons; draft about 12 inches with fuel, less gear

Built for cold water, plain by design

The 25 shows its Northwest roots in the details. The boat PassageMaker inspected had a diesel stove in the galley that doubles as a cabin heater, with its own separate fuel tank that is easy to reach for refills. Owners in Alaska and British Columbia consider some form of heat essential, and buyers in the South usually prioritize air conditioning instead.

The interior finish is textured white gelcoat rather than wood, practical and easy to clean but plain. Wiring runs are exposed in places and soft covers hide equipment, which the reviewer read, fairly, as a design that favors access over looks. If you have spent time crawling behind headliners on fancier boats, you will appreciate it.

Exterior styling is another matter. With low freeboard, a discreet cabin and molded lapstrake detail, PassageMaker ranked the 25 among the most attractive trailerable trawlers available, a boat that would look at home in a Norwegian fjord.

Towing reality at 6,340 pounds

C-Dory lists the 25 at 3,950 pounds and an average towing weight of about 6,340 pounds with boat, motor, trailer and fuel. Height on the trailer is 10 feet 1 inch. That puts it firmly in three-quarter-ton pickup territory for long highway trips, especially in the mountains, even if a lighter truck can move it around a ramp.

The payoff is the same as with the 22, only with more comfort: you can trailer from the Pacific Northwest to the Florida Keys, launch, live aboard for weeks and tow home. Budget for a good tandem-axle trailer with brakes, and service it as carefully as the outboard.

Ownership costs and the outboard question

Annual costs for a 25 Cruiser kept on its trailer typically run about $6,000 to $13,000, covering insurance, registration, outboard maintenance, trailer upkeep and fuel. A slip in a popular harbor can double that.

As with every outboard cruiser, the engine is the biggest single variable. A 25 with a tired 150 is worth far less than the same hull with a low-hour 200 four-stroke. Owners also tend to add a kicker motor for trolling and get-home redundancy, which is worth having on a single-engine boat that travels far.

Buying a used C-Dory 25, what moves the price

Used 25s span from mid-2000s boats with original power to nearly new examples, and our 2026 estimates run from about $40,000 to $175,000. Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Florida have the deepest inventories. Twin-engine boats are rarer and suit owners who want redundancy, though they add maintenance and weight.

The equipment that adds real value is predictable: a diesel heater, reverse-cycle air conditioning, solar, a full canvas enclosure, current electronics, an autopilot and a well-maintained trailer. Ask for engine service records and look hard at how the boat was stored, because a covered or trailered boat ages far better than one left in a slip year-round.