Interesting question - C-Dory Warranty

hank heise":23tle9lg said:
Hi

I appreciate the comments on the warranty question. I am in the middle right now trying to get my hull fixed. From what most of you are saying, I will be on my own. I don't think it makes good business sense on the part of Sea Sport but Jeff Lindhout told me to go to the dealer and the builder. There is no more builder and it is asking a lot for the dealer to cover it by himself.

If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate hearing them.
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Hank, what kind of problems are you having?

Charlie
 
One of several factors involved in my boat-buying decision had to do with the quality of the particular boat. Other important factors included particular features specific to the boat...and the dealer.

Now, in my particular case, my boat had no warranty. Absolutely no warranty at all. The manufacturer was out of business; no one had purchased the company (or it's assets, warranty obligations, or otherwise). But I wasn't uneasy with this situation because I felt I was buying a quality product from a quality dealer. And, in the end, that dealer would likely do what he could to keep me happy. Thus far, there have been only 'minor' things.

And, today, as one of Wefings capable mechanics dropped what he was doing to work on my boat I admired the many C-Dorys that were in stock on the sales lot. It seemed less important whether the new owners of the C-Dory line would honor warranties on boats they had not made, what seemed VERY important was that dealers like Wefings stay in business. At some point down the line, the "new owner" (7th or 8th owners???) of the boat company in question will NOT honor previous warranties...where will we be then? Well, I suspect we'll be back at door of our dedicated dealer. So, along with pressuring the new owners to at least consider covering warranty issues, it is vitally important that we also pressure Sea Sport to support their current C-Dory dealers.

Warranties (and companies) come and go; we need our dealers to STAY.

/david
 
Hi

The problem is "stress" cracks in the hull. There are some at the transom, a couple where the molded steps in the hull are and some on the front deck by the windshield. None are very large but need to be taken care of. Jeff at Sea Sport doesn't want to accept liability. Not a fun place to be.
 
Doesn't sound like fun Hank. Do you have photos? On a 2006 boat, if they were going to be a major prolblem they would have gotten bigger. If they haven't, they are primarily cosmetic. Usually just in the surface gel coat, can you see any depth to them, or are they just on the surface. Not too hard for you to repair yourself or for a FG shop to do it, at probably not too much expense if there are not a lot of them.

Charlie
 
hank heise":26dxzi86 said:
Hi

The problem is "stress" cracks in the hull. There are some at the transom, a couple where the molded steps in the hull are and some on the front deck by the windshield. None are very large but need to be taken care of. Jeff at Sea Sport doesn't want to accept liability. Not a fun place to be.
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Hank - are you the first owner of your 2006 C-Dory or did you buy used?
 
Charlie

The cracks are not to large but at the dealer they say they want to take off the motor and the black over piece on the transom and make sure that the cracks there are only surface and that makes sense to me.
 
hank heise":tkx4g323 said:
Charlie

The cracks are not to large but at the dealer they say they want to take off the motor and the black over piece on the transom and make sure that the cracks there are only surface and that makes sense to me.
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Me too Hank. Let us know how this comes out... BTW, if the dealer installed the motor (and he probably did), maybe he'll meet you part way on any work. Who is your dealer? Is he one of the regulars on this forum?

Charlie
 
hank heise":1ydgi8eb said:
Hi Capt Matt

I am the first owner and only owner. Bought it new. That is why I am frustrated. I have a warranty but no one to carry it out.
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Well...unless there is something I'm missing here, such as a dispute over the cause, it sounds like we have our answer....
 
FWIW- Stress cracks in gel coat are rarely covered by the warranty of most manufacturers (unless there is an underlying structural defect).

So we have a Reynolds built boat, which Fluid may or may not have been willing to cover, that Sea Sport doesn't plan to cover. Since it was two builders ago, I can understand Sea Sports thinking.

This again brings up the importance of having good dealers that are customer oriented and healthy financially.
 
Matt Gurnsey":pzf8wxiq said:
FWIW- Stress cracks in gel coat are rarely covered by the warranty of most manufacturers (unless there is an underlying structural defect).

So we have a Reynolds built boat, which Fluid may or may not have been willing to cover, that Sea Sport doesn't plan to cover. Since it was two builders ago, I can understand Sea Sports thinking.

This again brings up the importance of having good dealers that are customer oriented and healthy financially.
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Yes of course that is an important point, and would be a key detail if some kind of dealer or professional inspection was done to determine whether the crack was non-critical flexing vs. structural problems.

Hank - was there some kind of determination from the dealer that the crack was "cosmetic" vs. structural or was it a flat out "no" regardless? If caused from non critical flexing then I understand it would not be covered. I did not see where this was determined from Hank's post.

I wish I had a good dealer here in MA (we have none) but I can't imagine a dealership that would be willing or have the resources to replace a hull should it ever come to that.


I'm shocked that some see no consequence to abandoning C-Dory owners who have purchased this brand in the last 4-9 years. Obviously we have nothing definitive until we hear from Sea Sport (or multiple owners with evidence of dismissed legit warranty claims). I recognize all of this is speculation at this point, but Hank's situation warrants attention.
 
I hope this discussion of warranty is moot. It seems there have been very few major hull problems with the C-Dory. And as has been noted here, many of the boats' major components are actually under warranty with the manufacturer.

I often have occasion to say to my wife, "premature and out of proportion" -- she hates it :) -- and that might apply here. Sea Sport either has legal responsibility for warranties issued by previous builders or they don't. It seems they do not. That being the case, our warranties disappeared with Fluid. While under no legal or ethical obligation to do so, dealers and Sea Sport may choose to help as they can in individual cases, but no one should be expected to shoulder the burden that belonged to the C-Dory company that no longer exists. My take is that we should be happy that the boat will continue to be built -- and by a very good company -- and that our great dealers have a chance to continue to serve us.

At this point, I am going to exercise the right of the aging to be indulged in a little story telling -- about my Dad, who was the role model for everything I know about honor and honesty. In the very early 50s, he started his own business -- TV sales and repair. Early on, Motorola produced a set that had a widespread problem. Honoring the warranty would have been very, very costly, and they chose not to. Today it would be lawsuit city. Then it was tough luck. My Dad honored Mortorola's warranty for every one of his customers, and it nearly put him out of business. I was too young to know what was going on, but I remember the fear in our home during that period. I also remember the respect his loyal customers had for him throughout the 35 years he served them.

Regards to all,
Greg
 
Hi

In response to the questions. The dealer is on my side and is hoping for an ok to fix the "cracks". They want to take off the motor and remove the black rubberized piece that covers the transom to make sure there is nothing in the transom itself. They have no problem fixing but are calling Jeff at Sea Sport pushing for me. They are also pushing because they have new boats they want to sell and need to know the status of the warranties. They have been calling both Sea Sport and Fluid Marine trying to get me taken care of. I have to say that Bulldog Boatwerks, my dealer has been working hard for me. I understand, especially in these times that they can't just do the work and see what happens.

there is a story going around that Sea Sport will begin making new C-Dory hulls next week. Don't know if that is true but it sounds resonable.
 
matt_unique":1d7f5ro4 said:
...

I'm shocked that some see no consequence to abandoning C-Dory owners who have purchased this brand in the last 4-9 years. Obviously we have nothing definitive until we hear from Sea Sport (or multiple owners with evidence of dismissed legit warranty claims). I recognize all of this is speculation at this point, but Hank's situation warrants attention.
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One last post on this topic, then I'll sit on my hands. I DO think there is a consequence. I think it's a damn shame that C-Dory, then Fluid, were not able to successfully stay in business. That affects all of us with a boat still in warranty (and I'm in that group). There have been plenty of boat businesses that have gone away and then the hull and name are resurrected. The new owners bought the right to use the name and the molds. It's a completely different company, often manufacturing in a different part of the country. Whether the warranty claim is "legit" or not, it has nothing to do with the new company. I don't like the fact that C-Dory and Fluid no longer exist, but that doesn't make Sea Sport the responsible party (or the bad guy if they cannot cost justify the expense of servicing a warranty claim on a product that they did not make nor derive any income from).

Please understand that I am not promoting any action on the part of anybody. It's a simple statement of the facts: if you bought a C-Dory that was produced by C-Dory or Fluid, THEY are the ones you have a warranty contract with. THEY no longer exist as boat building businesses. Not a happy thought, but those are the facts. The dealers don't do warranty work out of the goodness of their hearts - they are reimbursed by the manufacturer (often at a rate less than their normal shop rate and they usually have to wait a while to get their money). Your warranty is NOT with the dealer. With no C-Dory or Fluid, there is no one for the dealer to go to for their reimbursement. Sure puts them between a rock and a hard place.

How long can any entity (dealer or manufacturer) go, doing work or replacing items out of their pocket? Certainly, there should be some money set aside by the manufacturer for warranty... that's only good business. C-Dory and Fluid are no longer building boats (if the companies even exist) - the source for the reimbursements is gone.

How long would you work for free and/or pay to replace items if you were not being paid? That's exactly what some are asking of Sea Sport or their dealers. I don't like the idea of having to pony up for something that should be covered by my warranty, but I also understand business and a sense of being fair. Sure, it would be great if Sea Sport would just step up and cover everyone's warranty - but don't expect it. It's the sort of thing that would be good PR, but it's not their responsibility. Keep in mind cost vs benefit - any business has to weigh their cost of doing business vs what they need for a return.

This owners group is pretty amazing. We are enthusiastic to the point of being fanatical. There were outcries about changes made to our beloved boats - molded interiors, no factory service, no factory direct sales, no factory participation here... yet for all our discussion, it didn't change anything with the factory. We can all proclaim, "It's just not fair!", but that doesn't bring back the businesses who were on the other end of our warranty contracts. In a perfect world, those businesses would have set aside money in an account for warranty support, but in this current business climate, it's a rare business that doesn't need every dime from every source just to stay in business.

Sea Sport will do what they think is best for their business. That's why they will be making new C-Dory boats. It's a tough business (as evidenced by all the failures)... we have to be realistic about their part in this. I wish them luck. Just like I wish all of us with C-Dory or Fluid produced boats happy operating with no problems.

In the past two years, I've replaced a couple pumps (out of pocket). Not much else beyond normal maintenance and upgrades. If I had hull problems, I understand who is the responsible party. Getting warranty items reimbursed from C-Dory was like pulling teeth. It took 5 weeks to get the check, and that was only because I called them weekly (and was promised, "the check's in the mail" with each call). What your Momma told you is true: life isn't always fair. We paid good money for our boats. Part of that cost was the insurance a warranty provides. That's one "liability" that no business looks for in a purchase, and why "assets only" is the way most business is done these days.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
What will probably happen is Sea sport dory's will be of such superior quality as to keep folks from wanting these from all those companies with such questionable history.
Yes they are good boats for most part but look back a ways, LOTS of nitpicking went on here! Floks coming to this site doing reserch will see many negatives discussed which probably really dont help resale of used boats?
Martin
 
Dory-Ling":2dmzwo0f said:
What will probably happen is Sea sport dory's will be of such superior quality as to keep folks from wanting these from all those companies with such questionable history.
Yes they are good boats for most part but look back a ways, LOTS of nitpicking went on here! Floks coming to this site doing reserch will see many negatives discussed which probably really dont help resale of used boats?
Martin
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Don't agree Martin. The positives far outweigh the negatives. You need to have been here awhile and not just look at bad things. Why, if these not so great are there so many of us Brats! The boat market is down, not just for C-Dorys but for all boats, new and used. Wait a while, it'll turn around! :lol:

Charlie
 
Dave Deem;

I would be fascinated to hear what the "factory" tour was like. On our way up to Canada, we stopped by a friend in Lummi Isle, and drove by the Wright Brothers factory in Bellingham, where Sea Sports are built. The building seems to be no bigger than the C-Dory and had only one Sea Sport sitting outside. In all fairness, there were plenty of boats at the dealer by the marina. No sign of C-Dory.

All we can hope is that these Wright Brothers are as good at their product as the other Wright Brothers were at theirs. As C-Dory owners, we don't need arguments over the warranty, we need good businessmen/builders so they don't disappear. The C-dory line is a good compliment to the deep-V Sea Sports as their news release states. I wish them well.

Now sitting in Port Alberni, heading for Barkley Sound. Free truck parking at the launch ramp.

Boris
 
Boris,
My friend is out in Bellingham as I post. He is supposed to take a look at the factory and ask a lot of questions. He is looking at a Rosbough (sp?) and a 26' Venture. I think he is very interested in what the Sea Sport people actually think of the 26' Venture. Saturday he is supposed to take a spin on a Rossie with Birdman and friends. I'll try to squeeze him as much as I can. I'm sure the warranty thing will come up. My guess is what ever they say he will be asked to keep it on the down low. I'm as interested to hear about all these things as much as any one else.
D.D.
 
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