Help Fluid Marine?

D

Doryman

New member
The banking crisis is making loans much harder to get, as we all know. This affects companies building big-ticket items purchased with discretionary income the most -- boat sales are down 40% from last year. My question is, can we, and should we, be doing anything more than the support we already provide to to current and prospective C-Dory owners to help Fluid Marine and its dealers get through this? And if so, how?

Just today I read that Brunswick is laying off 1400 employees and closing four plants, including Meridan Yachts in Arlington. The world doesn't need any more Bayliners but a world without new C-Dories would be sad.

Warren
 
I think what most C-Brats probably already do is a big help to Fluid Marine and their dealers. Recently on a two week trip up the ICW to NC I as most are was stopped by three different individuals who were inquiring about my C-Dory. There were others but the three I'm referring to I felt were earnestly interested in purchasing a C-Dory. One older gentleman was at a Marina I was at and was in a nice Nordic Tug. He said he was tired of the associated problems with owning a larger boat and wanted to down size. I spent time showing him my boat and offered him a ride which he declined. I went further to tell him about the C-Brats site and gave him the address. Another was at the same Marina and he and his wife meet me at the ramp as I was putting in. He had previously met Larry and Tracy and they had invited the couple to the C-Brats gathering in Oriental. They went on to tell me they had never owned a boat but had been long time RV'ers and were interested in boating. I told them I had been a long time RV'er and C-Dory were much the same except on water. The third guy I met was at a Marina in Surf City NC and traveling in a sailboat. He said he was getting to old for the sailing life style and wanted to move to a affordable power boat. He said he'd seen a few C-Dory's but never up close. I gave him a tour of my boat and information about how to access the C-Brats site. I think most C-Dory owners do this and it has to be a real bonus for Fluid Marine and thier dealers. No telling how many boats have been sold just from a visit to this website or to a C-Brat gathering.
 
I know that 4 people who have been on rides with me have bought boats. Some had never been on a c-dory and other just needed a ride to make the final jump. One is still a warm weather warrior and lover of dolphins.
 
Hi All,

Being the person who answers the phones at Fluid Marine - first - let me say that it warms my heart just to have even seen this post.

Secondly, when the Brats are out and about with their boats, it helps. I received a phone call yesterday from a gentleman on the road, trying to catch up to a C-Dory because the look of the boat attracted his attention. He called me when he got closer and asked me if we were the makers of C-Dory and do we make a boat called "Rana Verde". I told him that was the name of the boat, not the model - but yes we make the C-Dory.
He had never seen a C-Dory and thought it was just the neatest looking boat he had ever seen. I put a brochure in the mail to him. He is from the San Diego area.

So, Thank You for keeping us in mind and wanting to help! Personally, I love reading all the posts and viewing your photo albums.

Casey Nelson
Fluid Marine
253-839-0222
caseynelson@c-dory.com

p.s. Looking for permission to use a picture of a 25'Cruiser.
 
I hate to burst the bubble here,
One Boat builder goes under, who can afford a Boat now?
I can, but am planning for my future, like retirement,
That's a good one, most peoples retirement is going so dam fast,
You are just seeing the start of a Very Bad Time in the US, WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT WE ARE IN A RECESSTION PEOPLE...
IT MIGHT BE OVER IN 2-5 OR EVEN 10 YEARS.
People will stop spending money on big ticket items like boats cars just to name a few, The auto industry is next, GM said yesterday their business is as bad as 50 years ago??
Our next bail out will be people walking away from all the Dept they have acquired mainly the young kids Our Future!!!!
All I can say is HOLD ONTO YOUR MONEY………..
 
I agree the boating and all recreational manufacturers are going to be hurting for the next few years. People are still going to have a little money for recreation though and as far as boats go C-Dory is probably in a lot better position than most and hopefully will be able to weather the storm. The C-Dory is such a versital boat that can satisfy pretty much all the needs of most families and pretty economical. I expect they may see some sales from people wishing to down size to something more affordable and trailerable. Time will tell.
 
starcrafttom":3uo1s3dw said:
I know that 4 people who have been on rides with me have bought boats. Some had never been on a c-dory and other just needed a ride to make the final jump. One is still a warm weather warrior and lover of dolphins.
Click to expand...
and if I remember rightly, it was not long after I took Tom out fishing on the Sensei that Tom ordered his 22...lol...
 
Hi
I agree with Marvin there are a lot of Boaters out there that want to down size, I was talking to a Man & his wife at a Marina with a 32' Cabin cruiser, they wanted to look at Our C-Dory. I asked them to look inside they were very inpressed with it. He said that I have more Elctronics than he had and the same cooking fetchers that they had but in a little smaller scale.
If people are making a little money they are going to buy some toys they want, that is what I did several years ago when I was making only $6.00 per hr. (several years ago)
Jim
 
And if I remember rightly... we were sailors who wouldn't have considered a powerboat just a few years ago. Then we found out about C-Dorys and the owners groups. I still think this is a powerboat with a sailing sensibility.

I don't think all boat manufacturers are going to tank. Boats that go in circles, pulling kids on tubes are in a world of hurt. But boats that you can use to go places, boats that also provide you with comfortable accommodations, these make sense to anyone with a spirit of adventure. The C-Dorys just do so much in such a compact package. The speed options just add to the versatility.

Yes, Tom gets credit for giving us our first ride on a C-Dory... but if I remember rightly, we had flown up from deep south Texas with the intent to buy one of these boats.

And for anyone keeping score: a great owners group is a real asset for any manufacturer. Loyal, fanatic owners are the best marketing any manufacturer could hope for.

Like most owners, we have shown Wild Blue to scores of interested folks. Along the Texas Gulf Coast, these boats are rare and they attract a LOT of attention.

Best wishes,
Jim B. (heading for home and boat sweet boat)
 
Hi CNelson
Thanks for all of the kind words, we are proud of our C-Dorys
You should be proud to be a part of the company. If you need any Pcs of a 22 use any that I have in my photo al.
Jim & Sandy
 
I think we've hit some of the major support efforts here... our best talking points as the unintended (yet willing) sales force for Fluid Marine. I suspect most of us are more than happy to spend a few minutes with the curious and interested folk who approach us every time the boat isn't moving.

1. It's a quality boat that speaks to a sense of adventure.

2. A real sense of community that comes with a wealth of support.

3. Dealers who are part of that "family".

When we discovered the C-Dory brand six or seven years ago, it was by word-or-mouth. We were directed to the Fluid Marine web site and to C-Brats. What sold us was what we heard you all saying about C-Dory, C-Brats, and your adventures. We made up our minds having never physically seen the boats. Six years passed and, still, our only experience was through the internet.

Two months ago we walked up to our first C-Dory ever and, an hour later, we signed papers. What we were purchasing was a boat, a place in a community, and an opportunity for a few adventures. We will share those reasons with every wide-eyed and curious person who wanders up to us. We are newbies for sure, but no less passionate about our dream.

(Oh... and I can forget about government when out on the water)
 
I think all us C-Dory owners do and have done a lot to help who ever happens to own and produce the C-Dory boats. I have owned 3 of them now. I have to say that some of the folks that I have met thru these boats are truly some of my best friends and for sure have had some of the best times of my life with. I have lost count on how many states and waters I have been on C-Dory boats now. One of the best and "fun-est" Thanksgivings we had at the Byrd house was when we had a Gathering on the Cumberland and about 6 other families joined ours, with their boats, from several states, for Thanksgiving.

The folks that spend endless hours and funds to make this owners group possible and happen have for sure made much of my good times possible. Thanks folks!

As far as what can we do to support Fluid Marine (current owners)...well, just keep doing what we are doing, and hope they have gotten a handle on the QC issues on the boats being produced now. I have not heard much on that of late, so either they are getting it right now....or...folks ain't talking. I hope they are getting it right. I know for a fact having spent a bit of time around Wefing's in FL and EQ in Oak Harbor WA, that QC was a great issue, as we spoke of as owners on our site here, and that was truly a un-justice to us all. It is not that the whole boat was bad, but, the check list of things that the dealerships had to fix simply was growing, and in my opinion, the worse thing was the same issues kept happening. That played a large roll in one of our oldest and for sure most supportive dealership, EQ, no longer willing to deal with the boats. Allow the dealerships to control their inventory flow, do not dictate that to them. Some boats may possibly only need to be built ever other year...or from a waiting list rather than attempting to force many types of hulls into market areas where the dealerships, the small ones particularly, have to tie up their funds and sooner or later dump a particular hull ....just to be able to have the hulls that do sell.

So, my support is still here, I still travel to gatherings when I can, where I can, open our home and home waters for a gathering or two a year...spend more than likely too much of my life on this site, and most importantly......I do look forward to the next time myself and others from this site can get together on our boats!!....

And to the factory folks, none of which I even know now, Thanks for opening up the factory around the Seattle boat show each year. That is fun and enjoyable and I think I have attended every year since the factory is now where it is. I understand not getting boat show tickets out by the hundreds to us too. This may be a bit selfish on my part, but I am glad. Having been in the mix or attempting to herd cats, match first names, boat names, site names, last names to someone who wants a free ticket...has been interesting, fun, but...it did take away from being able to just simply hang out at the hotel with a few friends from cross country that I only get to see around the boat show...and that will make those few days more enjoyable. ...and just fun around C-Brats.

And with times as they are, just my opinion here... please do not worry about entertaining us...or spending money on that entertainment for the factory party. We have a pretty good bit of entertainment within our C-Brat crowd. As for the food cost and work....I think all of us know and understand times are hard. Most of us do not expect handouts and speaking for myself, even free meals/drinks. It has been rumored that some of us are pretty capable of showing up with our own beverages..Our hotel parties and fun seem to have always been pretty good. Go ahead and cater the gig and I bet 90% of us that make the event would be glad to pay about $7 a head, bring our own beverages ......and for those 10% of us who would not be willing, or with times as they are not able to pay, some of us would be glad to get their dinner for them.... ....or....we have learned thru our travels that there are a few tight folks within us that just want free stuff....and we will just let them fend for themselves.

Maybe that should be our next site pole.... Who would pay for the meal to be catered at the factory and allow them to just cater the gig allowing all of them to mix with us and not have to work (like they are not busy enough thru that time frame with the boat show itself)...

WOW...great question Warren...and link. I enjoyed that and had a laugh or two just thinking about some of my travels around these boats and my C-Brats.

Go get on your boat…or another C-Brats and have some fun!!

Byrdman
 
The comments posted in this thread are encouraging! :thup :thup

One idea that occurred to me relates to "boat cards". Many of us hand out cards with our boat's photo, email address, phone, etc. to other cruisers. Perhaps if we were to add the website addresses of the factory and the Brats to those cards they could be handed out to interested parties -- or perhaps to avoid giving out too much info, a second boat card could be designed with the factory and Brat info and as much personal information as you are comfortable in giving to strangers.

Warren
 
tsargent":rfyiardz said:
What we were purchasing was a boat, a place in a community, and an opportunity for a few adventures. We will share those reasons with every wide-eyed and curious person who wanders up to us. We are newbies for sure, but no less passionate about our dream.
Click to expand...

Now that right there is a great sales pitch. Well said.
 
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