C-Dory (and other brands) delivered partially built?

Jazzmanic":fe2dzx2t said:
... while not a perfect boat, it's perfect for us.

So for you fence-sitters, maybe you should just dive-in and purchase one. You just might find out what the true "little secret" is; they're fun! And isn't that what boating should be all about anyway? As the old commercial said, "Try it, you'll like it!"

Peter
C-Dancer
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:thup :thup Peter! This isn't my first rodeo... we've bought a lot of stuff over the years. We always expect it to be "perfect", it rarely turns out that way. Especially stuff with a lot of systems (airplanes, motorcoaches, cars, homes, networked computers :wink: ). I still think the biggest mistake people make when buying a boat is buying for "the dream" and not the way they will actually use it. Wild Blue certainly hasn't been perfect, but it's a damn fine boat. We try to work on the things that need some help towards "perfection"... and there's always something that needs attention.

We bought this boat to USE. And we have done just that... over 400 hours in this first year. We take care of her, and she has taken care of us. We do regular service, keep her looking good, and add the stuff she needs to do her job. The problems we've had early on were more related to a lack of quality control rather than cost-cutting: holes drilled in wrong places, batteries installed that were already nearly a year old, wrong size spare tire, lack of proper sealing on installed items. We've dealt with these problems and now have a boat that is closer to perfect than the one we picked up at the factory.

We are at a dock right now where the boat in front of us is three times our length and 20 times our cost. They are having a problem with their electrical system and are not having any fun. Stuff happens. Another big boat owner is ticked because he made a reservation 6 weeks ago and wanted a starboard tie... he got a port tie. :crook I suppose one can work up a good mad about most anything.

At the end of the day or the end of the trip, this boat has done what we have asked of it. It's kept us safe and comfortable. I researched the market - not many 25 foot boats that would allow us to travel like we've been doing this past year. Did I mention that it's a damn fine boat? It works for us.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
My wife told me I seemed a little grumpy when I got up this morning, and that probably came through in my sarcastic post. I didn't mean to turn this into something where we take sides.

Bob, I think you are probably more knowledgeable about boats and boating than 99.9 % of the C-Dory owners out here. I respect that knowledge and your clear and thorough analysis of issues and systems. I believe that you are probably a very good doctor because of those characteristics. I appreciated your pictures and descriptions of the problems and repairs of your 25.

I don't want to have problems swept under the rug, and believe more information rather than less is generally helpful. So I apologize for my "tone." However, I still have the feeling that these aren't dispassionate discussions of fasteners and components. Because these threads go on and on they begin to seem negative to me. Since I wasn't "in love" with the C-Dory company originally I haven't "fallen out of love" with them now. It sure seems like some people have. I don't think that is good for the company or our boats. I don't have any answers to how C-Dory is going to fix this, but I think this site has the power to either improve or harm the company. I hope it is the former.
Lyle
 
Without the C-Dory boats, we would not have had the opportunity for the C-Brat site, or the great friends and travels we enjoy at our gatherings. Boats are boats...people and friends make the gatherings.

Had a great time again at the Bellingham gathering, only due to the fact of our C-Brat friends, who launched their boat just so we would have a place to hang out on the docks....and I would have a place to sleep being from a bit too far away to drive home for the night.

We all like quality. We all just need to be thankful for our blessings and our ability to accuire a boat at all...much less the ability to travel to distant waters/lands/docks/marinas and enjoy the fun.

It was great see'n yall again. Come on down south in the Thanksgiving time frame. Traveling is great on the rivers then.

YYYYEEEEHHHHHAAAAAA
:hug C-Brats :hug2

Byrdman
 
True, Byrdman!

Not my job to nitpick C-Dory apart nor to praise the company incessantly. Truth is, the CD-22 is perfect for what I do. Utterly reliable, and dependable. If it wasn't, I wouldn't use it.

Best of luck in your boating.
 
Byrdman":15d63acy said:
Come on down south in the Thanksgiving time frame.
YYYYEEEEHHHHHAAAAAA
:hug C-Brats :hug2

Byrdman
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If this discussion upsets you, you would "plotz" at the Thanksgiving dinner table where I grew up. People would laugh, cry, argue, shout and eat. Nobody came to blows (except for that one time). This table is huge, but all are welcome. Sit, eat, eat.
 
Lyle,
Not a problem, we all have the right to be grumpy, and I take it a smile and a laugh. I do belive that we all have the goal of making these the best boats out there. I'll be the first to critize someone who does not want to make the boat better, be it an owner, dealer or builder.

It is because of this site, that the C Dory has improved--and I really do feel that it has improved--now as for being in love with a company....

On the other hand, we do realize that the C Dory is not for everyone. It was certanly not for the person who owned Frequent Sea before me, and I have met others who do not understand what these boats can do and cannot do, and how to handle them. There is a definate learning curve that we all go thru. I went thru it with the 22, the TC and will now with the 25.

Take care,
 
On the other hand, we do realize that the C Dory is not for everyone. It was certanly not for the person who owned Frequent Sea before me, and I have met others who do not understand what these boats can do and cannot do, and how to handle them. There is a definate learning curve that we all go thru. I went thru it with the 22, the TC and will now with the 25.
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We meet solidly eye to eye here. I have said the same on many threads. In the 22 it is all you can do with the boat that sells, not necessarilly the "quality" (whatever it is that means to you). If you get a kick motoring past the flats fishermen well inshore of where they've grounded, like to anchor in places others fear to tread, aren't afraid to just take off on a 500 mile trip at the drop of a hat, want to use your boat as an impromptu cabin in the mountains, or want to cruise up the inside passage to Alaska, well maybe these boats will do. It is all you can do with them that is what sells.
 
Flagold makes a great point. It still seems just amazing that I could (one of these days, I hope, I hope) have a boat parked in my yard (under cover, I hope) that can serve as an extra bedroom, and a camper. Once in the water it makes a great platform for exploring or fishing. Can be trailered anywhere. And with the proper preparation, could carry us from Anacortes and up the Inside Passage.

A boat parked in my driveway that can take me up the Inside Passage. Absolutely amazing!

I guess what bothers me the most about the QC issues is more emotional than financial. Of course C-D needs to make a profit; we want them to make a profit! It just becomes a great disappointment, and somewhat demoralizing, to recognize that a variety of just plain sloppy workmanship is going into these boats. It seems like a 'lack of respect' for what, for many of us, is our 'pride and joy'.

Now, I also agree with other comments - it would be best not to elevate the mfg to saintly status - then we avoid being disillusioned when they turn out to be merely human. Also, I agree, it is just a boat; my self-esteem should not be measured by a zinc-plated corner bracket.

When I picture the boats being manufactured (and I visited the factory during the wonderful boat show party), it really bothers me that the assembler would have a handful of round-headed screws within reach (why?), and (apparently) will not bother to walk across the shop to get the proper flat-head screws for the corner brackets. (Assuming of course that the proper bracket is specified in the first place.)

It really bothers me that incorrect hose clamps are installed, and that sometimes the hose clamps are not tightened while they are easily accessible.

As has been noted, I'll balance the pros and cons of the C-D, and quite frankly, the basic concept of the boat still tips the scale favorably. I KNOW I would have a blast on the boat because I've been on them - they're great! However, this thread, and other similar threads, have provided me with a real-world dose of reality -- this is a good thing! Now I will EXPECT a certain level of (and there simply is no other way to say it) shoddy (or at the very least, mediocre) component design, workmanship, and QC. I'll deal with these issues, correct them to the best of my ability (waaaay below Dr. Bob's abilities, of course), get on with my life, and have fun on the boat.

It just seems sad that for so little money, I could receive a boat that showed more than mediocre 'pride of workmanship'. Use flat-head screws when called for. Tighten the hose clamps. Epoxy any holes into the core. Show me that you care.

I guess I just have to accept the fact (also described above) that they really don't care. What they care about is getting the boat out the door.

Oh, well, that's the way it goes these days. <sigh>

iggy
 
Unrelated to the Quality, but related to the use of the boats, is the attention that all of them garner at every stop. I even had a truck block my exit from a service station, so I "didn't get away" and he could look at it. A few weeks ago, the search and rescue boat form one of our adjoining countries chased the Tom Cat down to get a better look after the Air Show-(C Dory is missing the "boat" by not pushing these for law enforcement, SAR and fire fighting boats.). Plus the "camping" in the boat. One place I pulled into said "we don't allow boats to camp here". I invited the manager to come and look at the boat and show me how it was any different that a trailer, and a lot more of a "camper" than several "popups" which were gracing is lawns...he welcomed our business when he saw the boat.
 
Now I have never owned a new boat so my view is a little skewed but my experience is. You start working on a boat the day you buy it and stop working on it the day you sell it.

The issues being brought up are not new or unique to C-Dory.

Shearwater was built in 95 by the original designers and factory. When I purchased her in 99 with 200 hours of use the front hatch leaked due to poor application of sealant, interior cabinet brackets are zinc coated steel, both of the stationary forward facing windows had small leaks due to poor sealant application, the wiper motors were cheap trash and the factory wiring was a joke. Oh the hatches on the deck leaked (and still do) and the deck scuppers are pretty marginal.

On the plus side all exterior screws were well sealed, the deck is glassed to the lockers, the roof is cored and glassed into place and the hull to cabin joint is fully glassed. Hand layed glass ( chop gun stuff here) with molded in accent colors and some of the best non-skid you will ever see.
Overall quality of stainless used for railings and cleats seems to be very high. Construction quality of hull and deck is grood (not a real fan of the new shoe box design). These are stout little boats that are very simple to maintain and modify.

The base design and build quality of the hull are what make the boats in my mind. I will take quality hardware and construction over fixing minor issues any day of the week.

I am not sure how happy I would be buying new and dealing with QC issues but it is an industry wide problem and C-Dory seems to be pretty responsive to getting things fixed.

Bottom line is there are a lot more reasons to own C-Dory than not own one.

stevej
 
thataway":2ooi7cu8 said:
Despite all of the problems I had with the TC, if there was a defective part, C Dory stepped up to the plate and sent me a replacement part: water pump, fittings for shower, caulking and made sure I got a New Helm pump when it failed. On the other hand, I fixed a lot of just careless items, which would have cost zero to have done correctly. These minor issues were very frustrating, and caused some ill feelings. For example my shower sump problem was a issue where the improper crimp fitting was used. The Wallas problem, was because the fuel line was not tightened properly, when installed (not a stove manufacture problem).
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Did they send you any Bostic?
:lol:
 
Brent,
Actually, C Dory sent me 6 tubes of black Bostic sealant. This was because the aft part of the cabin top had not been sealed, to the aft bulkheads. I took about 2 tubes of the sealant to fill in the gap (enough to put my finger into). The CD 25 had the top properly sealed.

Incidently, the tops on the TC and CD 25 are balsa cored. Not sure about current C Dory 22's-- I believe some in the past were Balsa Cored.
 
thataway":2304di6b said:
Incidently, the tops on the TC and CD 25 are balsa cored. Not sure about current C Dory 22's-- I believe some in the past were Balsa Cored.
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The top on my 2005 C-22 is balsa cored.

Don
 
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