Golerud:
You appear to have touched a nerve because there have been a number of threads lately on quality control issues on C-Dory boats, and some of the negative comments - mostly by people who did not own a C-Dory, and had no experience using them- appear to have been unjustified. Even so, I was taken aback by the vehemance of some of the responses!
I personally felt that your observation and your question were quite legitimate. Clearly, every one who is active on this site knows that there have been some genuine quality control issues in the recent past.
I will give you first, my personal experience, and then some general obeservations.
I have a C-Dory Tomcat that is now 1 year old. It is permanently kept in a slip in salt water, and has about 170 hours on the motors (twin 150 Suzukis). I have had a water line leak in the shower plumbing (poor construction) and the caps on the fuel and water tanks have some rust (poor quality steel); the fuse on one macerator pump has a tendency to blow (poor design?) and the fish boxes in the cockpit fill up with water (poor design). But that is it so far. My dealer is a thousand miles away, and I have had no reason to regret the distance.
The only probem that required factory service was an electronics issue in the Raymarine equipment- not a C-Dory problem.
The interior cabinetry has stood up well; the hull, decks, and the cabin structure appear to be fine; the gelcoat and the exterior finish is fine; the Diamond Seaglaze windows are great.
Oh, and the boat has performed up to my expectations.
I may have been lucky; other have had more problems than I have. These have mostly been secondary to sloppy workmanship at the factory. It is impossible to determine the frequency of these problems because only those who have experienced them tend to speak up.
Your specific question about whether the visible evidence of cutting corners indicates problems in hidden areas cannot really be answered, because there seems to be quite a bit of variation from boat to boat. However, I have not picked up any evidence of a major recurring problem on the CD-25 from the postings on this site.
The large majority of C-Dory owners appear to be enjoying their boats to the hilt.
However, in all honesty, there is one other issue to consider.
The C-Dory has been, to some extent, a cult boat. In the past, there was a strong bond between the manufacturer and the customer. Problems, big or small, were handled either directly by the factory or by the dealer with the backing of the factory. It was not a mass-market boat.
There recently has been a change in direction at the factory. It appears that they are positioning the C-Dory as a commodity item: high-volume sales with less of a personal touch. The relationship between the factory and some of the established dealers has also been affected; these dealers were known for the quality of their service, so the membership of this site has watched this development with discomfort. This does not necessarily mean that the quality of the product will decline, but the onus appears to be on the factory to prove itself.
So, I would do a detailed survey of any new C-Dory I was thinking of purchasing, either personally or even with the help of a qualified surveyor; I would try to be near a dealer; and I would need to feel comfortable that the dealer would be helpful if problems arose.
