Fluid Marine Sold!!!!!!!!!!

ddenver · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 5:33 pm Post subject: Fluid Marine Sold!!!!!!!!!!

I will hold off on mentioning any names to insure nobody gets in trouble, but I am being told by an insider that Fluid Marine has apparently been acquired by Sea Sport boats out of Bellingham.

Hope this turns out to be a good thing for C-Dorydom!

Take care,
Dan

Papillon · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject:

If I were a boat genealogists , I would be pulling my hair out on the C-Dory blood line about now.

Matt Gurnsey · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:31 pm Post subject:

It is true. Details not divulged to us yet.

Wefings · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:33 pm Post subject:

Deal is not done yet .It will be good for the brand if it occurs. I will speak when I know more .
Marc

starcrafttom · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 6:34 pm Post subject:

Hey maybe I will get my c-dory raised pilot house after all Laughing

JamesTXSD · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:21 pm Post subject:

As long as they understand that the C-Dory is NOT just a boat or an additional product line, I guess it doesn't matter who signs the paychecks. These are special boats with a strong heritage.

I guess I just want the factory owners to care as much about the boats as WE do. Let's hope this is a good sign for the continued production of C-Dory.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

matt_unique · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject: Well

Deja Vu...

Suggestion for new owners:

1.) Assign someone to regularly participate on this board. Jeff M's participation years ago was a selling point for me but has never been repeated.

2.) Continue to honor all warranties based on when the vessel was sold.

Otherwise keep making the world class boats we love!

snal · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:31 pm Post subject: Re: Well

starcrafttom · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:54 pm Post subject:

And I hope they do make the boat we love and not the fiberglass interior, vinyl covered bayliner want to-be that we don't want to buy.

It will be very interesting to see what lines or models survive, if any, and which do not. Might just be buying the molds to some competing lines, Orca, and not going to use the rest. We will see Shocked

ddenver · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:40 pm Post subject:

Tom,

I agree, it will be interesting to see what if any of the present C-Dory line continues.

Just curious about your comment "And I hope they do make the boat we love and not the fiberglass interior, vinyl covered bayliner want to-be that we don't want to buy."

Was this referring to the whole Venture series or the defunct 29' in particular or am I just misconstruing your comment?

If it was directed at the entire Venture series, just FYI - we chose our 23' Venture even though it has the vinyl interior because we liked the extra room in the V-berth, the hot water heater, the slightly increased "V" in the hull while still retaining most of the rest of the C-Dory lines, the extra foot length, slightly wider gunwales, and other features.

Owning a Venture also allows us the pleasure of sharing time w/ the folks we have met thru the few CBGTs we have been lucky enough to attend.

We have no interest in Bayliners.

Just trying to understand what you are stating. In a perfect world, all the C-Dory's will remain but that is obviously highly unlikely especially in today's economy.

Take care,
Dan

Leo Smith · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:45 pm Post subject:

Sea Sport purchased Osprey boats a few years ago, and most of the Osprey models are still being built. If you visit the Osprey website, you will see no mention of Sea Sport. It looks like Sea Sport, Osprey, Skagit Orca, and C-Dory will be built by the same company. Perhaps there are some efficiencies of scale in having one larger boat building company compared to three smaller companies. It will be interesting to see what models remain in production after the purchase of Fluid Marine LLC is complete. In some ways, there appears to be some redundancy with the Sea Sport, Skagit Orca, and Osprey lines. C-Dory is a "stand-alone" boat line, and I hope Sea Sport doesn't mess a great boat up with "improvements" that were attempted during an earlier period of C-Dory history.
Best regards,
Leo

localboy · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:21 pm Post subject:

Wow. I love the Sea Sports. I looked at them and backed off once I discovered their cost was out of my league. But they are still very nice boats. Hopefully, they'll continue the line of C-Dorys and honor the warranty based on SALE date, not year of manufacture.

thataway · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:48 pm Post subject:

IF...SeaSport/Osprey buys the C Dory line, I see this as a real positive. The other option might be to let the lineage die out, or be purchased by non savy boat builders. The above named companies have a great reputation over a long peroid of time, and C Dory would compliment their line of current boats.

I agree that the new owner needs to have a presence on this list server and hopefully warantee issues will be continued to be addressed. Recessions can be a plus for some boat companies, and I see this potential as being a real plus for the C Dory line.

journey on · Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 11:26 pm Post subject:

What happened to Fluid Marine? Good business deal, couldn't make it, combine several lines or what?

The reasons for the sale will probably determine what happens to the C-Dory line in the future.

If it goes belly up, maybe Marbin will be making C-Dories again.

Boris

TyBoo · Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:42 am Post subject:

Well that makes perfect sense now. That's why, as I noticed at the SBS factory tour, the new CD hulls have the upper color stripes going all the way around the point of the bow like the Sea Sport rather than tapering off and ending before the point in the traditional C-Dory fashion. That was the first distinguishing feature us older guys with failing vision would notice when a boat coming toward us was a Sea Sport or a C-Dory.

Another member, Forrest, mentioned this development to me in a PM a couple weeks ago. We couldn't find out anything about it - even from C-Dory - so we left it in the rumor stage. I guess it has progressed to fact now. Good or bad? Time will tell. I'm guessing good. I think Sea Sport works hard to stay true to their roots and they care a great deal about the quality of their boats. Perhaps they will allow the C-Dory line to continue to do the same.