C-Dory Factory Survey

Sawdust · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 3:35 pm Post subject:

You are not alone, Fred!

Dusty

rogerbum · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject:

Fred,

I've not been in a TC24 but I have been in Dr. John's TC255 and the performance was great. Well I know this won't make you (and perhaps even Dusty) happy, I personally think the TC24 was well..............

butt ugly...... (sorry).

I'm guessing that the performance of the TC 24 and the TC255 is not so different but I'd much rather have my picture taken in the TC 255. Just my two cents worth but I bet I'm not alone.

As an aside, the question about the number of boats you've owned before didn't start with zero. My sense is that the attention to detail in survey design was about the same as the attention to detail in interior construction or wiring...

Sawdust · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:58 pm Post subject:

Roger,

Agree on the ugly part - and some drawbacks on the 24, but I loved mine (warts and all). Much lighter, and performed beautifully with a pair of 90 Hondas. Lots of the Brats have been underway in my 24, and some might have the courage to agree!!

OT - our grand-daughter just finished 3 months in Roma -- and her take was a little different than yours. Wink

Have fun, and see ya when you get back.

Dusty

captd · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: use to own

They didn't have a spot for me. I had the Hunky Dory for about seven or eight years. Now I have a C-Ranger and they still gave me no place to put in my two cents......... I might have said something nice about one or the other. Than again they probably wouldn't care what I said about the C-Ranger. ...................They will never know. Angry

CaptD

Dora~Jean · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 2:02 am Post subject:

John wrote:

Forty Two · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:52 am Post subject:

Pandy Girl · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 10:25 pm Post subject: Finished the Survey

Just Finished the Survey,
Hi C-Gypsy from NC, We Purchased our C-Dory from the same dealer you did, You said exacly what I would about Mobil East Marine, they are good people to deal with, we live about 250 miles away from them. They don't care they will take care of you.
Jim & Sandy from Westfield NC
Pandy Girl

drjohn71a · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject:

Well, the tc24 and the tc255 are very different crafts. I can see why a simpler, lighter, shorter craft would better fit some people at times, as well as the nicety of smaller engines.

For me, the 25 was the better design. There was a year or two when we had no place to show us as owners or "pre" owners of a 255, while th 24 was on the list. I'm guessing the only reason the 24 is not on the present list is that it is no longer in production. It'd be nice if they could make both, but I'm guessing they had to pick one of the cats and go for that. Ugly or beautiful? I think it's mainly a question of what function you want. I like the 255 very well.

Now, I filled out my form and left some things off and it won't let me back in soooooo here are two more areas of concern about the TC 255:

1 - the floor at the helm is mirror finish shiny - the only fiberglass floor spot on the entire boat with NO non-skid! This can get a bit dicey!

2 - The lid of the bait tank is very very slippery without the cushion on it, and you are lifting your leg up and over coming aboard, so slipping on this is quite dangerous. They need to put some non-skid coating on the lid to the bait tank.

'Hope you're all having fun with your choice of boats! I don't think there's a model that tops all the others all the time, myself. I've always liked the 22's and a 16 looks like alot of fun for quick and easy outings.

John

Sawdust · Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject:

The TC 255 is a great boat and was the upgrade from the 24. It's a personal thing -- all boats are. The 24 was great for my purposes and like all boats, she had some design problems. BUT, after 5 or 6 different models of C Dory, and several other brands I dare not mention, I'm sorry the Byrd guy talked me out of her. A good clean 24 in our area wouldn't last long if I could get my wallet out before the Queen Bee got a vice grip on it. Ugly she is (whew, almost blew that one - the TC 24 is ugly to some), but just one glance in the mirror makes me think she's beautiful.

Dusty -- sitting in a casino hotel room wishing I was on a C Dory.

Kerry and Lisa · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:53 pm Post subject:

I second Dusty's TC24 comment, "You are not alone, Fred!" But what's with the "ugly" and "butt ugly" references to the 24's design. Are we alone in preferring the 24's lines and appearance to the 255's?

Both cats are arguably the best in their class. The price of our used TC24 certainly figured into our choosing it over the 255, as did its lower weight and greater towability. We also thought that the extra space devoted to the 255's head and shower could have been better used. Then too, 255 owners surely have equally personal and valid reasons for their choice.

Kerry and Lisa

Byrdman · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject:

Well, I have not been to the survey yet. I have been to the plant for 3 or 4 years in a row now. I have bought the to some Butt ugly TC24, when the best thing the C-Dory plant had going for it, Jeff Messmer was in the house, and listened, I had input on some of the things on the TC255. Both are sweet boats. Both are differant boats. Dusty let go of a fine vessel that I charished, spent hours, weeks on at a time. Some of my fellow soldiers gave it the "redeployment" name of "The Decompresion Chamber" as they would often show up at my boat, still in the desert BDUs, dust on their boots and all. We'd spend a night or two on FreeByrd prior to them moving on to family and the world. Why did I sell her. I wonder many days....but, at the time, I was about to take a saws-all to her, bring the roof line forward as to make a reverse angle true pilot house forward section. That would have screwed up many a great night sleeping in the big ol berth, gazing up into the stars thru the "ugly" slanted windows. They were worth their money in gold on those nights, and I miss them. Today, if I had the opportunity to do it again, there would be two TC boats. The TC24 with basically the same set up, other than the roof line coming forward, and the TC 255 would have a true hull extension rather than the Armstrong brackets, and, ....taller sponsons, but that would have cost more money, and differant hull molds as I understand it.

Money. Wow. Now, here is my input for the direction Scot and his current crew are taking C-Dory. We have enough Bayliner/SeaRay/Blow-n-Go boats. Give us back our neat little boats, with wood in there we can drill into, mount our cabenits, add our drawers, mount our beverage holders, break...and fix with a piece of the white board stuff.... and have usable storage space. Yes...they cost more....at the time of purchase. The true cost of a boat is realized once sold. Yes, two of the three C-Dory boats I sold....held their value real nice. But, now, with the (CD22...the bread and butter of the C-Dory lineage)...current blow and go, can't change it on the go form seats and all...and the prices not going up about 5-6% each year... I see our wonderful nich boat going the ways of the other boat lines mentioned above. Who wants something that looks like everyone else in the show. Not me.

Now, I have no idea what the survey looks like, but my previous emails/conversaitons/calls to Scot, Tom, Jeff when he was still in the house, and others.... paint a pretty clear picture I think. If the goal is to become another blow-n-go and sell out because you can pump out a bunch of boats that sell quickly at the boat shows....well, I guess they are going down that road. If they want what got them to the dance,.... I think they can no longer hear the music.

At the same time, I still love my old hull #14 of 14 C-Dory 18' Angler. She is special. He has some linage. She is tuff, and nothing looks like or works like her in todays boat shows, ....at least not the Seattle, Miami, Atlanta, Pensacola, Nashville, Louisville, ...shows. ...this year. They are all still welcome in my home.

I truly hope to see many of my C-Brats in the near future....and if not, at least at the Hawthorne in the Jan/Feb timeframe in 08. They are now for sure what make this boat what it is..... along with this site too of course.

Thanks Administrators!

Byrdman

starcrafttom · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject:

Pat, I have been saying that for about a year now. you say it better and nicer then I do, but at least I am not the only one in the room. It would not matter if I was the only one ,but I like good company. Laughing

Larry H · Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 11:02 pm Post subject:

Tom,

You are not alone, I wouldn't buy a new plastic interior 22, that's for sure. And I would want to buy a boat built at the old factory.

It seems that the guys at the new factory are not really boat builders, just factory workers.

Sea Wolf · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:24 am Post subject:

hardee · Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject: C-Dory Survey Completed

Just tried to complete the survey. I have done hundreds of surveys from both sides, and this didn't seem to be very top of the line. No instructions and Maybe due to my own inabilitites or not, not able to actually get the responses to higlight and stay, or x or mark somehow. Some of the questions seem a bit far reaching. I didn't buy new, but have had excellent contacts with one dealer, local island in the PNW, and less than stellar from the original dealer from CA. The best part about owning a C-Dory is this sight, and for that I have each of you on this sight to thank, and I do.I think the Factory Guys showing up at the CBGT's are great and the SBS Factory GT are pluses that help promote good will among the owners but the product quality will certianly have bearing on the future of the system.

Harvey
Sleepy-C Moon