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journey on



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 3593
City/Region: Valley Centre
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: journey on
Photos: Journey On
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:30 pm    Post subject: C-Dory Factory Reply with quote

While we were up in the San Juans this summer, a friend (Larry) and I visited Northwest Marine Industries, the builder of C-Dorys, among other boat lines. We were welcomed, but the guys who ran the outfit were out sea-trialing a 22’ C-Dory, so we were turned over to the gentleman who was a “knowledgeable employee”. This person, who shall remain nameless, did a wonderful job and answered all my questions. Disclamer: Larry (God bless his soul) owns a 25’ Ranger Tug. Also, this visit was this summer, my memory is failing, so let me know if I got anything wrong.

First, the factory was a large building, open, with several boats of the various lines they build under construction including C-Dory and TomCat as well as Osprey, Sea Sport and a ~32’ catamaran. There were 7-8 boats parallel, inline on one side of the building. The other side of the building was the layup area, curtained off from the rest of the shop. A couple of boats were outside, being finished off.

Since Journey On is a 25’ C-Dory, I asked to see one, but they weren’t building one. They did walk us through a 22 and a TomCat, destined for Central America. The latter has the same main cabin as a 25. They were very proud of their molded interior which they pointed out was neater and increased structural rigidity. I agree with that and it looked very nice. We toured the 22, where they were finishing it off and we had to dodge a guy installing the cockpit hand rails. It was also interesting to compare the C-Dory with the other boat lines. The other boats are deep-V, off shore and are much heavier than the C-Dory for the same size. Your choice, but for us the C-Dory meets our needs and I would hate to trailer a heavier boat.

We were also shown the layup area where they were making the deck of a 32 cat. A mixture of hand-laid cloth and chopper gun were in use. 3 guys at work, steadily employed. I would be interested to know if the C-Dory got any chopper gun glass. I don't think so from examining Journey On, but times have changed. The quality appeared to be very good.

Since they make 5 different lines of boats, I was curious as to how many C-Dorys were built in a year. An extremely unofficial guess of 25-30/year was made. This confirmed my feeling that the C-Dory is a niche boat with a small but steady market, especially used. As owners we may like them, but they are not a market driver. We should appreciate that they are still being improved and made.

I did not ask how many boats/year total were made, since this was after the fire. Based on the boats under construction and some guesses (mine) as to the turnover, perhaps 200/year seems reasonable. They sell complete packages, with rigged motor and instrumentation to the buyer’s specifications. When the boat leaves the factory, it’s a turn key operation.

And last, the 32’ camataran. I can’t find anything on the web about that boat. There were 2 at the building; one undergoing repair and the other being laid up. If anybody can tell me more I would appreciate the info.

A very pleasant tour, with ice cream for Larry and me elsewhere, afterwards.

Boris
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the description of the factory--jives with the photos I have seen. I was under the impression that they were making about a boat a week--not sure if that was a total of the C Dory, or all boats. With the good economy, I suspect that the Sea Sport and others are now selling better.

The 32 foot Cat is well known and is the Sea Sport Pacific 3200 Catamaran. They have been around along time and I have seen several used in charter work in Alaska. One sold not too long ago in Washington. There is a nice 2001 for sale currently for $124,900. My recollection is that a new one will be well above twice that. They are not easy trailerable!

I agree with the Fiberglass interior of the 25 being better. My current boat is a 2007 and probably one of the first glass interior boats There are other 2007's which have the wood interiors.

_________________
Bob Austin
Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
Thisaway 2006 22' CDory November 2011 to May 2018
Caracal 18 140 Suzuki 2007 to present
Thataway TomCat 255 150 Suzukis June 2006 thru August 2011
C Pelican; 1992, 22 Cruiser, 2002 thru 2006
Frequent Sea; 2003 C D 25, 2007 thru 2009
KA6PKB
Home port: Pensacola FL
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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 8551
City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 8:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I will take a wild leap and guess that the employee who showed Boris around was production manager Greg Little. We called on Greg for help when we experienced our rub rail catastrophe at the St. Joseph river on Lake Michigan. Greg is a great guy and we have told Ron Wright how much we appreciated his help!

Dr. Bob, I have to disagree on the molded interior! We have made many modifications with our Decraguard interior that simply could not have been made with the molded interior - well, YOU probably could have made them with your fiberglass skills, but not the average C-Brat!

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DAYDREAM - CD25 Cruiser
CRABBY LOU - CD16 Angler (sold 2020)
Pat & Patty Anderson, C-Brat #62!
http://daydreamsloop.blogspot.com

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DayBreak



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 838
City/Region: Monmouth, Or.
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 2018
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: DayBreak
Photos: DayBreak
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Greg Little is the VP of Operations at Northwest Marine Industries in Fairhaven, Wa. Greg is very personable by nature. He was very helpful for the boat build of our 2018 23 Venture and made sure our boat was built exactly to our needs and request. Greg always gets back to you on an e-mail the same day you send him a question and even answers text messages without delay. If you would like to have a new boat built, the folks at NMI will build you a nice boat.
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journey on



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 3593
City/Region: Valley Centre
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: journey on
Photos: Journey On
PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, Bob, thanks for the info. I looked through NMI's list of boats and didn't find the cat, but it sure is as advertised.

And Pat, it wasn't a VP, but some employee they grabbed off the floor because all the VP were out testing boats. Super nice and as I said answered all our questions.

And for all, I'm with Bob on the glass interior even if Journey On doesn't have one.

Boris
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PaulNBriannaLynn



Joined: 26 Oct 2012
Posts: 757
City/Region: Fort White
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: TBD
Photos: Lorelei
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One more vote for the newer fiberglass interior. We prefer it to our previous boat with plywood interior for a lot of reasons including the ease of cleaning, mold prevention, and it just looks better.

Thanks for the description of the factory. I wish I would have got a tour when we were in the area, but your description was great it was like I was there with you. That cat 32 must be some vessel!

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2007 22 cruiser sold 10/2021
2009 Parker 23 sold 10/2017
2003 22 cruiser sold 3/2016
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 5:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Plywood vs glass will always have the "ease of modification" argument. My current boat already had a few mods. I have not done any further directly involving the fiberglass interior.

There is a "toe" kick space. You can hide your shoes there. None of the "L" brackets and screws into the hull to secure the "furniture". Slightly more room and easier to clean are some of the benefits we find. For some reason storage seems a bit easier on this boat,
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ssobol



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 3358
City/Region: SW Michigan
State or Province: MI
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: SoBELLE
Photos: SoBelle
PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Modding the FG interior is quite easy. The only drawback is that there can be a lot of FG dust is you are cutting or filing holes. Running a vacuum with the nozzle near the cutting helps a lot.
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