Ordutch1975":2rw4ws0o said:
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Flooring is a dying thing, fewer and fewer companies offer flooring and certainly not any company that custom builds boats- But what I wonder is why so much animosoty towards the wright family? C-Dory would likely not be around anymore if it were not for them picking it up.
Flooring dried up during the "recession", and GE Capitol stopped doing boat flooring. Not sure that flooring is a dying thing--many boat builders require the dealers to stock boats, and unless the dealer is independently wealthy, he has to pay flooring costs (Flooring is a loan on the boat until it is sold. Flooring eats into any profit the dealer has--and dealers have lots of costs.) A "new" dealer, such as 7 Rivers, who has been rumored to have ordered 4 to 6 new boats for inventory--lets say, five, one of each, has to buy or floor. Dealer cost for one of each would be somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 for all 5 boats. Flooring cost may be per day, week, month etc--until the boat is sold...
I don't think there is animosity toward the family, but they have not been involved with the C Dory community. Even dealers wait days or weeks to get back an answer to an e-mail--I sent an e-mail several weeks ago--no response yet. The company simply is not in tune with advertising, and dealer relations. Agree that it is a good thing that C Dory was picked up by the Wrights.
Second from those I have spoken too the feedback is that the quality has never been higher with the new boats. The boats are more expensive than they used to be, but they still sell and second maybe with a little more profit they can stay afloat and offset warranty claims and expenses. If this is the attitude we are going to have towards them my guess is we can count on no participation and second maybe at some point the c-dory line will be halted. They have their doors open, you can go visit the factory speak with the owner whatever you like. There are still dealers like Sportcraft around and Ryan over there seems to really like the manufacturer etc. We as a community also need to support the company hence my post about adding seasport etc.
Yes, I believe that the quality is very good now--I have seen some minor quality control issues, which were present in the past, and are still present in new boats.
I don't see any participation from the company in the forum currently. Back a couple of years ago, they were sending me photos to post on the forum--were not interested in getting their own album. They have to come into the modern world to sell more boats--it gives the impression that they don't want to sell more. The reality is that you live within a reasonable distance, apparently have the time and have driven to the factory. Most of us do not have that luxury. They are going to be more attentive to a boat which is on the "assembly line". I certainly would not call them a "custom boat builder". They may do some modifications for a buyer, but these are not custom boats.
C Dory has a Facebook page, but it is not kept up by the factory. Compare to the Ranger Tug/Cutwater Facebook pages.
My guess is what someone else wrote, there is an abundance of used boats and likely more profit / less hassle in that market. You don't have to wait for a boat to be built etc. Its a quicker turn over.
Only a fraction of used boats are sold thru the dealers. Generally consignment is a 10% commission. There is no "flooring cost". Any work/repair on the boat is paid for by the seller. The "profit" for the dealer is significantly lower. Not so sure of a quicker turnover. That can vary--but dealer "cost" is a space on their lot, and time to show the boat. Compare that with the cost a "new" dealer, such as 7 Rivers, who has been rumored to have ordered 4 to 6 new boats for inventory--lets say, five, one of each. Dealer cost on one of each would be somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000. I don't know if your dealer had a stock of one of each or not--but you probably were one of his ideal customers. You know what you walked in and ordered.
I'm sorry maybe I don't know the history but in my eyes as a new consumer to the C-Dory world I could not ask more of my dealer and the builder. Both have been more than willing to do anything I ask and from those who have bought newer C-Dorys and owned previous ones the consensus I hear is that they've never been better. What more do we want?
What do we want? I would like to see a presence of the factory on the forum. They have always been welcomed. I would like to see at least some minimal advertising. A simple brochure for those of us who travel and are asked questions about the boats would be great. I would like to see better dealer and customer support by prompt answering e-mails both from customers and dealer. We have members who call and cannot get a person. In the past factory gave door prizes at events, such as hats, mats, vests etc...I understand that this cuts their profit so they may not want to give even koozies... A price list, with price of the options on the web site would be a real improvement. I look at what Ranger has done--is doing and see a great model there....But Ranger has been innovative with new boats, and now competing with the C Dory line with outboard Cutwatters. (Yes, different hulls, not as efficient, more "fluff" on the interior, and more gadgets to go wrong...)
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