Factory Guys <<<<<---- Look Here

OK, I admit, I've lost control of this meeting (pretending that I am back in a work environment). Also pretending that I ever had control...

I started this thread to get some ideas back to the factory team, and maybe get some trinkets and trash for the CBrats. I would appreciate it if we would go back to providing good ideas for the factory team, regardless if we score some goodies or not.

Steve

Every day's a holiday, every meal's a banquet. (SSgt Lorenzo Estrada, USMC Ret)
 
I think the oil companies should bail out the car companies!

I heard that Exxon Mobile made another $40,000,000,000 this year.

And since boaters burn more gas per mile, how about Exxon giving us some money too!!
 
Marc,
Just to let you know all is not in vain, I am planning on a visit to you this year to look at the 22 & 25. May be a while before I am ready to buy but hopefully you will still be handling the c-dorys!
(I am in South Carolina)
 
Excellent responses from Fluid Marine (who I do believe has their finger on the pluse) and the two dealers. Each of us who buys a boat outfits it, and modifies it to our own needs. Some of these get back to the builder (for example I am changing out most of my incondenscent lights to LED's--and the cost of fixtures is about the same as conventional bulbs. Maybe the factory has already done this.

As for bulbs and fuses--these are part of the "tool kit" which I find I have to put on each boat--and usually is passed on to the next owner. There are many other items which you need when you outfit a boat that are not provided.

The best salesmen that C Dory has is its owners--and this group is the best advertising. Many of us post on other forums and plug the C Dory when appropriate. This is very valuable advertising which the dealers and factory cannot buy and may not even be aware of.

As for the new vs used: There are many people who cannot afford a new boat. It is better in the long run for the dealer and factory to get people out in these boats--and get the exposure, than not having that person in a boat--especially not in a C Dory. The fact that the used boats are a good buy and hold their value better than 80% of the other boats is again a great form of advertising.

Things are tough for many of us right now due to the economy. We all hope that Fluid Marine and all of the dealers endure. The entire boating market is bad--we are hearing that another dealer in our area is folding. All in all, the C Dory type of market is probably expanding because of the cost of larger boats, the cost and lack of ability of waterfront marinas and the cost of operation.

One suggestion which I thought was excellent, was the "on the water demo day". I am not sure of the mechanism or liability issues, but that seems like a really great idea. The major problem I see is vetting the people you demo to.
 
Bob, what LED fixtures are you using for the interior? Do they provide the same amount of light that the stock lights do? And have you figured out a good LED anchor light solution?
 
Just food for thought as Marc pointed out it's got to be a heck of and expense to make the boat shows in addition to all the work. Why not have impromptu gatherings planed around some of the smaller boat shows? For instance here in Jacksonville we have a smaller boat show it's downtown around the landing on the Saint Johns. I think it's actually the week before the Miami boat show. In our part of the country I'm sure Savannah, St Augustine and Brunswick have similar smaller shows and they are in pretty good cruising areas. I don't think you could find better advertising than 1/2 dozen or more C-Dorys all enjoying themselves at or around a Marina.

As far as the LED's maybe the factory could offer and upgrade kit.
 
Some options for converson to LED lights:

I replaced the four interior bulbs with Sensibulbs. These are easily installed but are a bit expensive. I started with one to try and found it to be just as bright and "whiter" than the standard bulbs. You will also need the bayonet adapter.

http://www.sailorssolutions.com/

For the anchor light I bought the Owl. This was more of a project to install, but I am happy with the result. The only thing I had to modify was the removable light pole. I figured that if I screwed it up, I could just buy a new one. It seems very bright. This was recommended by Steve on SeaSpray.

http://www.bebi-electronics.com/owl.html

I have about $220 invested in the conversion. Certainly not cheap, but less expensive than buying complete LED fixtures. I did not bother with the running lights as they are only used when the engine in on.

Rob
 
Birra Moretti La Rossa [my fave, double malt ,very strong and red molto delicioso] . Also Birra Peroni for the lager fans .
Yes, Italian beer ..............
 
Hi Steve,

I did not take any pictures of the owl, but I will the next time I go to the boat. The main piece that is visible other than the owl and the pole is a pvc piece used to join 1" and 3/4" pvc pipe. I used this to step down from the size of the light closer to the size of the pole.

Take care,

Rob
 
The owl is made from a 1" pvc end cap. I cut the exisiting fixture off of the light pole with a hack saw. I then used several pvc pieces to bring the inside diameter of the end cap down to the aluminum pole size. The finished product puts the LED bulbs at the same height and orientation as the original bulb.

My original preference was to find a replacement bulb that would fit in the existing fixture, like I did on the interior lights, but I did not have any luck finding anything that seemed to be of good quality. There are good bulbs to be had, but they are too large for the fixture. They also make complete LED anchor light fixtures, but they are expensive and I did not really want to remove the whole light fixture. Since I cover my boat, being able to remove the anchor light is important to me as well.

The owl certainly has a bit of a homemade look to it, but I was pleased with the quality and brightness of it. One other thing about the owl is that it is not USCG certified....you will have to decide how important that is to you.

Rob
 
I used the Dr LED in the anchor light. I used West Marine's generic LED lights for the cabin light. I didn't measure the actual amount of light but can some night, since I still have the incendescent fixtures. They are bright enough to read. The Port Supply prices were very good, and actually less than comparable Perko.
 
Good evening everyone,

On the subject of boat shows I wanted to leave no doubt about what happened at the St. Louis show this year. Every manufacturer I have ever dealt with contributes to the dealers representing their product line. Last year we spent close to $10,000.00 in floor space, fixtures, transportation, and labor on a very nice display for our C-Dorys. This was the second year for a large display we upgraded to in 2007. From 2003 until 2007 we had active participation from the factory and had a rep at the '07 show. This is normal and how things should work. In 2008 we ate the whole booth. All of it. Joel spoke to Rich Finlay at length about contributing to our space for 2009 or even getting a factory rep to come in. Nothing. The week prior to the show we reluctantly decided to pull the boats and display them in the showroom instead. We had several inquires at the show and I took several people through our "home show".

We support C-Dory products and customers 110%. We perform warranty on boats we did not sell even though we are often not reimbursed for our efforts. We are on the third C-Dory ownership group in the 7 years we have represented the C-Dory line which is more time than all but two or three of the current dealers out there. We are here for the long run. I have personally owned a C-Dory boat in the past and will again in the future. I guess if it is possible to "bleed dory" then I do.

I appreciate the chance to get on the soap box and give our position.

Best wishes,

Randy Sheehy
 
I can certainly vouch for Randy's dedication to the C-Dory line and his professionalism in providing service. When I bought my boat, Joel, the owner of Stateamind Water Sports, wrote Randy's cell phone number and email address on the top of my purchase agreement....I have been using both ever since. Randy is a certified Mercury mechanic (maybe Honda too, not sure about that) so I can go to him with any boat or motor issue.

While I have done my share of boating in the past, my C-Dory is the first boat I ever owned, so I have had many many questions for Randy. He has always been most helpful regardless of how complicated or simple the question may be. Randy has also been more than willing to deal with any factory issues I may have. If I want to call the factory direct, that is fine. But if I want Randy to assist, all I have to do is ask. He has also helped with Garmin, Uniden and Guest issues. If it came with the boat, Randy will handle it.

After using my boat for the first season, I took it back to Randy warranty work. I dropped it off with a list of items to be taken care of and that was the end of it from my perspective. About a month later he called to let me know that the boat was ready and when I picked it up, everything was perfect. I know they had difficulty getting reimbursed for the warrantly work, but it was made clear to me that it was not my concern.

I could go on with more examples, but I think my point is clear. Randy and Stateamind Water Sports are 6 hours and 350 miles away, but I really can't say enough about the fine service I continue to receive to this day. It's nice to work with a skilled, dedicated and professional full service dealer.

Rob
 
Greetings. Having a relatively long ownership of a TomCat 24, I have chatted with many interested boatnuts about my boat. Whether to buy new or used comes up in most of those conversations. The factory guys make a good point that they could use some help on the new boat referrals, but no one buys a new boat if they believe there is little chance of it keeping its value for resale. So we have the chicken or the egg, which recommendation actually helps new sales more? I have alway made the point that C-dory's age very well. Mine has had plenty of use, but it runs and performs like new. The Honda 90s are persnickity when cold, but run wonderfully at all other times. It trolls perfectly on one motor, as many a surprised salmon can attest. And someone with limited mobility, like me, can pilot it singly with ease. I'm sorry that economic times are hard on new boat sales, but I think I will keep recommending that a used C-dory is a good option.
 
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