Cuddy vs Open Bow

[fburke]

I'm sure this is a loaded question here but here goes...

Looking to by my first boat and not sure if I should go Cuddy Cabin or ?Open Bow?. This seems to be a debate between my friends and I. Some say open bow for the extra room but other friends says Cuddy for stability he is afraid of a big wave coming over the top of the boat swamping it?

The Cuddy sound nice in a romantic since but in reality how often would I really be sleeping in there?other than a place for the kids to crash for a bit and a place to store my crap

Looking for something I can easily trailer and will most likely be used in salt water. I will be doing the normal family activities and some light fishing?not looking for a fishing boat... I live just north of Boston so there is no shortage of water front.

I am looking in the 20ft range. I seem to like the Bayliners but still in the looking stage at this point...mostli9kly buy at the end of this season or over the winter and be ready for next year.

Thanks!

 

[KermieB]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I'll answer this because I to, just went through the same thing. I bought my first boat last August and asked around. I happen to ask the right person. He ran a boat lot in Shallotte, NC, and I drove about 3 hours to look at a boat he had on the internet. It was a cuddy, but after we talked for about 30 minutes, he told me that for my first boat not to buy a cuddy. He said it would probably turn out to be "a place to fill up with junk."

I ended up buying a bow rider and I am sure glad I did... at least for my first boat! Why? Well for one, my wife has her butt fixed into one of the seats up front. It works for us.... hope it works for you.

 

[wildspeed]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

Good infos there..

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=373576

 

[ezez]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I've got an 18" cuddy and it is perfect for when you have little ones. They can get out of the sun, take naps, play, change clothes, etc.

Given that even if we didn't have kids my wife and I still camp and a cuddy would be our preference.

In the past, when I was younger and the boat was just used for adults on day trips, ski runs etc. an open bow would be my preference.

 

[Hawk Eyes]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I bought a cuddy as my first boat and found it was a place to store junk. I never used it for its intended purpose. I now have an 85 Bayliner open bow and I love it. The only thing you have watch for is wake and waves. I'v seen plenty of capsized boats because of a lack of situational awareness which filled the bow and sunk the boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

for most people, cuddy's are a lot better idea than reality. Try this: you, you wife, and the salesman all sit in the cuddy for 30 minutes while talking about the boat. That will cure you.
No one rides in them, folks seldom sleep in them, but you loose all your cockpit and deck space.
You sound like the type of boater who isn't going to go out in nasty weather in the first place, so why compromise your good weather trips?
As for your friend, here's the deal--get a seaworthy boat and you don't need a big hinking cabin to shed the breaking waves. Number 1: no Bayliner bow rider. bad bad bad design. Get something that will handle swells and chop, focus on the hull first, then the interior. Lots of nice dual consoles, center consoles, and some well-made bow riders will fit the bill. I think Sea Chaser makes some you'd like.

 

[Big Pete]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I had choice and went cuddy .. its better . now we can leave all the valuable sat navs and fishfinders ,fishing gear etc etc . all safe and dry..Locked inside the cuddy..

Also when its rainning its a dry little den ..

i went SeaRay200 cuddy and i love it..

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

The answer you ask does not exist. We all like one or the other. I can tell you that in my quest of looking at boats EVERY SINGLE open down boat that I looked at was rotted out, or was repaired half *****'ed due to rot. Why? Because the nature of how open bows are used results in the floor getting wet almost all the time.

The cuddy cabin allows you to put all your stuff in it, to keep the deck area free of clutter. Open bow you need to load / uload you stuff constantly.

If the need really does occure, you can sleep in the cuddy, although not my first choice.

If you do get caught in rough waters, the cuddy can save you, the open bow better have a real sturdy cover that can be put on real quick, otherwise you will be swamped. There is a matter of situational awarness, but storms can still just roll in if you are on a trip.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I had choice and went cuddy .. its better . now we can leave all the valuable sat navs and fishfinders ,fishing gear etc etc . all safe and dry..Locked inside the cuddy..

Also when its rainning its a dry little den ..

i went SeaRay200 cuddy and i love it..

I own a BR200. I'm trying to imagine the usable space in a cuddy on my boat.

It must be a taller mini-cruiser.

 

[fburke]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

thank you for al the replys!

 

[Judgie05]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

Get a boat with a rumble seat. Then you get the best of both worlds.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

Follow the link that Wildspeed posted and read through that thread. It was a major debate with many good points made on both sides...

Good luck!

 

[apache61]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

Had a small cuddy 176 aquasport, was a nice boat and loved it. But it was most definitely a two person boat. It had seating for 4 but crowded when fishing. Now I have a 1900 Trophy duel console. seating up front more room for fishing. It has a lot of free board I have had water come over both of them and a center console I had. They drain just as good as the center console, in fact I feel safer in the Trophy and the cuddy than I ever did in the CC. Also the Admiral likes to take friends out with us.
Just my findings and thoughts, just think of the way you plan to use your boat and go from there and have fun.

 

[Beefer]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

So I just read the posted link, and while BRs 'won' the vote, it seems that those who prefer a BR use the boat in inland waterways and lakes, whereas the cuddy voters are open water boaters. That to me is the key; where are you using it? I currently have a small (16') BR, and I boat in the Florida Intercoastal, and on super-perfect days (seas 1-2') I run into the Gulf. I want to be able to go into the Gulf on days that are less than perfect, without the worry (so much) of being swamped. I grew up on a '77 24' Sea Ray with a cuddy. Never felt cramped, ample room for fishing, the added storage was great, and there were a couple of times when the weather caught us (my dad) off guard (no doppler radar back then). You said you're looking for the 20' range. Have you considered a walkaround? Smaller cabin, easy access to the bow, and many have a seat in the front.

If your on lakes and rivers, and don't plan on any overnighters (ever), then a BR would be fine. But for me, a cuddy or a W/A is our next boat.

 

[SeanT]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

^^^ Completely agree. Don't decide boat type until you know what kind of boating you will do.

I have an open bow ski boat. I will swamp in more than 3' waves. But I don't boat on rivers or ocean and get the hell off the water as soon as the winds blow. My boat is not useful in all situations but it's useful in all situations that I aim for.

 

[DianneB]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

^^^ Completely agree. Don't decide boat type until you know what kind of boating you will do.

And it isn't a life or death decision and you ARE allowed to change your mind!

I picked up a bow rider last winter at a really good price. I hadn't been boating in decades and not at all in this part of the country so the bow rider was a good "starter boat". It only took a few weeks on the water to realize what I enjoy most and that a bow rider wasn't the best choice for me. A cabin cruiser came along at a good price, I bought it and I love it. (The bow rider will get fixed up and sold.) But without the experience of the bow rider, I wouldn't have known.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I just can't ever consider a cuddy in less than a 23' boat. The usable space in the bow of a 20' boat is too small to make it effective for any more than a small child or junk storage. Adding another 3ft makes the cuddy functional for adults, etc. That being said, a canvas snap-on bow cover will create a cuddy out of an open-bow in less than a minute and keep out 90% of the water in nasty conditions (should they arise). You can't turn a cuddy into an open-bow without a sawzall!

I saw go with the open bow. If the point arrises where you want to play in the ocean and the big swells, get a bigger boat like a 26'+ cruiser, that'll beat a cuddy any day.

 

[Scorpion210]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I will weigh in on the side of the Cuddy. When I bought my 21' Cuddy, I assumed I would buy a BR. I am happy that I purchased the Cuddy instead. For many of the reasons posted above. Our kids used the cuddy after a long day. I have slept in it on rare occassions.

However, the best example came up just last weekend. We went out on Canada day to watch some fireworks on the lake. A buddy took his bowrider and met us there. On the way there, the waves were 1-2'. By the time to go home, the waves were 3-4'. My friend in the BR had to stay put and call to have a trailer pick him up

One thing I would recommend is to get a cuddy with a front rail. It can allow people to sit up front on nice days. It gives the benefit of the bowrider as well as the benefit of the cuddy.

Space Disclaimer - It is not an issue with my boat. The Chris Craft Scorpion I have has a mid mount engine. It leaves enough space to sit 10 without feeling crammed. I could see on other layouts where the bowrider would provide for spacious seating

 

[Red Snappa]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

I have owned both. I started out in a 15' Larson Bowrider and then upgraded to a 20' Pro-Line walk around cuddy. BTW: I operated the bowrider in 3 ft swells many times and never swamped the bow. If you trim it right for the conditions and work the throttle correctly you can run a bow rider in chop with no problem at all.
I at first went to the cuddy for my wife and son. They wanted a toilet and a place to lie down and rest etc etc. It turned out to be a hit with my friends as well. People like to have a place to change and go relax every once in a while. The added storage is also nice. Since it's a walk around you can easily access the bow for anchoring and fishing. There isn't a seat up there on the Pro-Line so I don't allow anyone to ride on the bow even though I do have bowrails. It just doesn't seem safe to me. My vote goes to the cuddy.

 

[SeanT]

Re: Cuddy vs Open Bow

BTW: I operated the bowrider in 3 ft swells many times and never swamped the bow. I think some people need some seamanship lessons. If you trim it up high and work the throttle correctly you can run a bow rider in chop with no problem at all.

You're right for most runabouts and newer wake machines that sit up out of the water.

My boat sits low in the water and has no trim adjustment (being a direct drive with no wake plate). So the only control I have over height of the bow is throttle. This is why I said what I did above for my own boat.

I drove across my parents lake yesterday morning in 2 foot swells. I had a blast, and didn't take any water over the bow, but I was soaked from splashing once I finally loaded the boat.