C-Dory Factory Questions for the Group

sjboysen":3vvema08 said:
Now I have another question, how long has the hull been used as the floor for the interior, always? This specific feature has bothered me from the get go and I would like to hear your feedback on this.
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I have a 23 Venture. The cabin and cockpit sole are very nice, except I have found recently that THERE IS WATER UNDER THE CABIN FlOOR (Of course, my boat is still under warranty, so I have nothing to worry about . . . :lol:)

Simplicity has it's virtue. In my CD 16 when my feet got wet, I knew there was water in the boat, and I got it out.

My new "improved" boat is a different story. By process ( a very loooong process) of elimination, I believe the water is getting into my Venture through improperly sealed gas tank mounting screws, or some other defect under the splashwell, and migrating under the cockpit sole and through the Alaskan bulkhead floor seam, and into the cabin. I am now faced with getting the water out of all these places (any suggestions?) and finding and correcting the leak.

So, if you are going to keep the cockpit sole, and add a floor in the cabin, please do it with the utmost care. Or at least install inspection ports and drain plugs - which I will probably do if I can figure out where to put them.

And I add my heartfelt thanks for your interest in the thoughts of all of us who really love these boats. Best of luck.
 
Scott,
Again thanks for taking our humble options on improved ideas.
I can only speak for myself on this topic but the one option that would do us a Great favor in Alaska would be defrosters in the cabin. I have admired that standard feature in the Sea Sports. With the water at an average temp of 50-53 degrees and the air temp between 50 and 65 we have allot of condensation. Even underway we have to keep the front and side windows open to keep them clear. BTW I also have the inside done with Mastcoat, additional fans, and solar vents (2).
We pretty much run our Wallis 24/7 throughout the summer just to keep the moisture out of the boat.

Thank You,

Mark
 
sjboysen":2ahu5cv9 said:
...

Now I have another question, how long has the hull been used as the floor for the interior, always? This specific feature has bothered me from the get go and I would like to hear your feedback on this.

...

Thanks again to all and keep the ideas flowing.

Sincerely,

Scott Boysen
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Scott, I am going to throw my 2 cents worth in.

One of the reasons that I went with a 22 instead of a 25 was the fact that the cockpit is as deep as it is. My fear in the 25, which may be irrational, was that I would fall out when chasing fish offshore. We tossed some dry deck in, and that works nicely for us. I tried the floorboards that were offered as an after the fact option, and did not like them.

I don't see a problem with the hull being the interior floor either. There's nothing under which to hide water intrusion. We have dry deck in the cabin, too. About the only think I would add is a carpet runner to lay on top of the dry deck.

Once again, I appreciate your interest in the opinions of the CBrats.

Steve
 
I like the cabin floor just as it is. Twice :oops: when my boat was in the driveway at an angle to the bow, we had a suprise rain while I was at work. The downpour was so great so quickly that the bilge pump at the cabin door could not handle the amount of rain and ... you guessed it, cabin had a couple of inches of water. I had to mop, mop, mop. You think I would have learned the first time ... but it happened again :cry . Don't know what a mess there might have been if water got under the floor - or if it could have gotten under the floor (with a new floor system)

I think because of the cabinets and dinette, and the relatively narrow isle, you really don't notice that the cabin floor is not flat. I have a runner of indoor/outdoor carpet and everything is good.

The cockpit has the removable floorboards, which I personally love. The uneven floor is more noticeable in the cockpit because the width of the boat is revealed. The removable floorboards are designed such that they go from about two inches to nothing, leveling the cockpit. They really do not take away from the "deepness" of the cockpit because of their low profile.

I too like the "deepness" of the cockpit - gives a safe feeling. I have small grandkids and small dogs and the low floor, high sides are great. And again, the removable floorboards do not really alter this "deepness" in the cockpit.

John
Swee Pea
 
Scott the flat floor in the cockpit on 22's is nice as was offered in 07 and up models but there's a discussion on here about water getting under it from poorly sealed deck to cabin bulkhead joint. A few have drilled drain holes and inspection plates in the floor. The drain hole is really hard to add after construction as you have to add it in the small bilge area by the transom between the fuel tanks and drill with either a 90 degree drill or drill thru the outside drain hole. A factory installed drain hole for this are would be nice. With the out look and communication you are using I expect you will be building the best C-Dory's ever. Thanks
 
As you can see, some folks like the deck as it is (I'm very firmly in this camp) and some like the raised version. To my thinking, building the boats as they have always been built, with a proven track record spanning decades, makes the most sense to me. I personally love the cockpit and cabin floors curved...it feels "normal" to me now and I like the high gunwales and feeling of security when in the back. Simply offering removable floorboards as an option (as was done in the past) satisfies both groups of people. I'd go so far as to say that if the CD25 had the same type of floor as our 22, I'd be much more likely to think about upgrading down the road...but I am probably in the minority on this one.

The original owner put dri-decking in the cabin and we put a carpet runner over it. We swim all the time in summer and this lets air circulate and dry out the carpet and we've never had any problems.

Thanks again for asking what we think,
Rick
 
I like the built in floor that we have on our 2008. The gunwales are still very high (I have to lift one of the Golden Retrievers in and out every time) and I have never worried about falling out when standing in the cockpit. The gunwales are MUCH higher than they are on our 20 foot Whaler, which has a raised deck so it can be self bailing.

The curved floor in the cabin is fine. It's so narrow that you barely notice the curve, and the addition of a small piece of carpet makes the floor much nicer in my opinion.
 
I too like the raised deck on our 2007 22. Sure makes it easier when we place chairs out there for a picnic lunch. In the cabin makes no difference for us. We have a thick rubber pad and then a carpet runner on the floor
 
Question, while we're on the topic.

How important is it to you that a dealer have a boat in stock?

Having boats in stock is expensive, so less is better from the dealer standpoint, but I am also hearing that many here want to see product at the boat show.

Is it enough to show two or three at our location (and by extension at the boat show)? I know last year we had only one model we did not have at the show- the 25 Cruiser, and of course that was the one that we had the most questions about....

Just trying to figure out the business model we need to use to keep the doors open.
 
I really think you have to have models at the boat shows, and even at the dealers who really expect to sell many boats.

Maybe some of the less common models like the CD- 19, the Ventures, or, for an inland dealer, even the TC-255, might be OK to omit, but the chances of selling any boat a customer can't see or test on the water are very slim, unless they're a repeat customer and have seen the model and ridden in it already.

Even after owning a CD-22 for 11 years, I wouldn't buy another model without seeing one up close, going over it with a find-toothed comb, and testing it on the water with a similar power plant to the one(s) I wanted.

Models in stock and sea trials are a must, IMHO!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
In my opinion a boat in stock to look at is a must. Why would I even consider buying a boat that is not available to look at? If I'm going to do that then I will just buy factory direct which can lower the price, this was done in the past with c-dory and would be desirable to me in the future.

The other thing that i have always wished for, if I have to use a dealer, is a test drive. When a friend was looking to get the first venture 23 the factory gave us both a one hour test drive. They did this for many folks and it sold boats. I have given test drives in my boat just because the dealer’s don’t and fell bad that someone would get a boat without a test drive. We, c-brats, talk up these boats so much that i would fell responsible if a new buyer bought one on our word and then did not like it at all. every one that has been on a test drive with me has bought a boat so I fell that I have done my part to insure they knew what they were getting.

Now I think that the dealer should provide this service. I understand that it is expensive to keep a boat around for test rides and not good for resale to put hours on the motor, but they are ways around that. Many of the ski boat builders host test days as does ranger tug.

I think that i would be willing to make my boat available for a dealer demo day with the right carrots dangled in front of me. free detailing, gas, food, official c-dory test staff fleece???
 
Tom brings up a good point and that is the test drive. When I was looking Tom offered me a test drive, where no dealer could or would. I eventually took my test drive on a used boat at a dealer.

Not sure I would have purchased one without that test drive, the biggest reason was looking at the ride in various conditions. This is very important for us coming from a deep V
 
The only input I have re: the deck/hull is we don't even notice the slight curve of the floor in the boat; it's so narrow and is curved so far forward & slight, that it makes it a non-issue for us. The carpet runner is a nice feature since it makes walking in bare feet doable and if it gets wet, it a simple matter of removing the carpet and letting it dry. The first time we took the boat our on The Sound the audible sound of water rushing just under our "floor" took getting used to, especially when I told Meredith the only thing between us and "Davy Jone's Locker" was a few inches of fiberglass and balsa. :shock: :wink: :lol: As far as the cockpit height, everything is a plus & a minus; we love the boat and since we're not fisherpeople, we don't mind the depth. My one issue is the rear splashwell; it's a little too open for me (more specifically for our grandaughter who's only 3), but that too is remedied by a S/S railing.
 
:roll: Another worthless pass from Art.

Sea Angel has drideck in the cabin with a fitted carpet over it and a like piece on the entrance step. I added a 2'x6' runner carpet on top of that. This has quieted the noise and made standing more comfortable.

Being 6' 2"+ was a factor in not buying the '22, I fit in the '25 and I was blessed to be able to afford it at the time.

The raised deck on the '25 does covers 2 storage areas, 117gal fuel tank and a 20+gall holding tank. The handrails do add a safety factor to the cockpit, as well as fender holders.

This is one boat that is not broke. So, we should not fix it, just customize it to add bragging rights. Just look at all the pixs of mods that are in our albums. You can find almost anything to add to you toy to give it your signature.

I surely like the idea of factory options; especially if they were offered to the customer as a self install, at a reduced price. We aren't all gifted with the skills to do boat surgery, but it could open a small add-on custom market.

I have done a lot of 'show-and-tell' with offers for test rides here. I don't know how fruitful my sales pitch has been, but I do love this boat and still has the WOW factor.

Art
 
It is very interesting to read the comments of so many owners. Our 05 had the removable two piece floor boards. There was a slight rattle that we corrected with a little closed cell foam. The small loss of depth in the cockpit was not a problem for us. It was nice to have a flat floor for tables chairs ect. AND we never had any water to stand in as the pump cleared water out long before it came over the deck.

We had a carpet runner in the cabin and never noticed the slight curve of the floor. At the aft end of the cabin there was a small step that contained the bilge pump. This was sealed from the cabin so we never had any water on the cabin floor. It was a design that worked.

Fred, Pat, and Mr Grey (the cat)
 
When a friend was looking to get the first venture 23 the factory gave us both a one hour test drive. They did this for many folks and it sold boats.
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In '89 I saw my first C-Dory at the Portland Boat Show. I was able to arrange a test drive thanks to Oregon City Marine. I was very excited to learn more so I called the factory and talked to Mark Toland. He was happy to have me come up and tour the factory where I watched various boats in construction. After the tour he drove use down to the Des Moines Marina where a 22 Cruiser was kept for customer demos. He fired her up and had me take the helm for our test drive. We spent an hour out on the sound where I put it through it's paces. Upon return to the factory I eagerly placed my order for Adeline.

I've always been grateful to Mark for the time he took with me. I'm sure it was over three hours with me a complete stranger.

I've often wondered how he could afford to spend THAT much time with a sales prospect but I'm sure glad that he did.
 
At 6'8'' myself, imagine my joy and surprise at finding that I can stand upright inside the CD25. There is no other small cabin cruiser in the world that can accommodate tall people as well as the 25. I would lament seeing the altitudinous cabin reduced by even one inch, no less by two or more.
 
I think it's important to have demonstration boats available. We would not have purchased a boat without a ride in one before, and Master Marine was happy to oblige. They hosted several demo days with a bunch of boats on the water and also offered to launch a boat and take us out when it was convenient for us if we gave them a refundable deposit.

Now, a dealer with a lot of satisfied customers may be able to offer service discounts or something to people who are willing to take customers out on their boats for demo rides, and this may be cheaper than running boats that are in inventory.

I will say that even though there were several 22's available when we purchased ours, we spent a bit more to order one with exactly what we wanted from the factory.
 
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