New C-Dory at the show

C

chimoii

New member
Hello everyone

I had a really pleasant day at the annual fishing and boat show held at Tillicum mall here in the Victoria BC area. One of the highlights for me was a chance to take a look at the first 22 cruiser I had seen coming out of Triton. The exhibit was by my friends at Port Boathouse from Port Alberni (with whom I have no commercial connection!). I can only say that I was extremely impressed by the level of fit and finish. The gelcoat quality was exceptional. This particular vessel was fitted with 2 x 50 hp Yamahas. Should make a nice package for someone.

Nice to get a chance to see a new boat.

:D
 
We will have a total of four new Triton built boats in inventory as of tomorrow AM . A decked 26 Venture with headliner , 2- 23 C Dorys [ what I call a venture hull built simply like a 22] and a classic 25 C Dory . They are the best built boats we have seen .
We will be showing them in Jacksonville in April as well as Baypoint in Panama City in a couple weeks.
Marc
 
Marc, You are doing a great job. I just wish that the dealer in the north west, you know where they build the damm boat, gave a sh*t about showing the boats and promoting the line. C-dory could not have picked a worse dealer for their boats. I have been saying for years now and have not changed my mind about them at all. When was the last time they even sold one? no one knows because no one at that dealer cares enough to even have on at the boat show. what a waste.

stepping down off the soap box :amgry
 
Ah, Marc, you and Wefings are, indeed, a bright spot for all that is C-Dory. My "one in a row" comment was certainly not meant to disparage the fine work you do, as I know you, too, were disappointed that things did not come together for the factory to get with their dealer there to have at least one C-Dory on display at the Seattle Boat Show. Darn shame that the Florida dealer was willing to participate in that show, but the "local" dealer didn't feel the boat(s) deserved space.

Nice to see Port Boathouse supports the brand north of the border.

I think Tom speaks for a lot of folks here.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
JamesTXSD":3m7tb6w6 said:
I think Tom speaks for a lot of folks here.
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Just to be clear, nobody is speaking for me or for C-Brats.com on this particular subject.

I'm thinking we shouldn't fault a dealer for choosing to run his business as he sees fit. He has certainly earned that right, and is also certainly wise enough to weigh for himself the consequences against the rewards. Perhaps some respectful pressure on the factory to get a dealer who is more to our liking would be well placed, but then those of us complaining here are not even prospective customers. I think the best way to show disdain for a business is to not patronize it; beyond that it is really none of our business.
 
TyBoo":3ot96jiz said:
Perhaps some respectful pressure on the factory to get a dealer who is more to our liking would be well placed, but then those of us complaining here are not even prospective customers. I think the best way to show disdain for a business is to not patronize it; beyond that it is really none of our business.
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Mike-Well, in my case you are right, I am not, in the near future anyway, a prospective customer. I'm not sure how you knew that, maybe as a result of the Google's new privacy policy. But, who knows. Seriously, I would like to say that Sportcraft in Portland, an excellent dealer from whom I have purchased two C-Dorys, does in fact have a 2012 22 footer on display. Finally, let me say that this complainer does so simply because of my respect for the C-Dory boat and Triton, it's builder. I wish them nothing but success.
 
Tom speaks for all of us, it is time for Triton to figure it out, their "local" dealer needs to be shown the door...Marc, you da man! Too bad you don't like cold, rainy climates! How about a "Wefings West" out our way? Maybe Cory could run that show!
 
I spoke to the "local dealer" at the boat show and they said the 22 they had planned to show sold right before the show and that the buyer wasn't okay with loaning it for the show.

I'm surprised though that the local dealer (being so close to the factory) only had one 22?! I always see a ton of Rangers there, and I could swear there's a giant C-Dory as well but maybe it's an out of date model so not worth showing?

Anyway, I can think of at least one person that sill regularly contributes to this site that I wish was still selling C-Dory.
 
Well, there is far more to this story, but it is not for me to tell...trust me, that "local dealer" had another option to show Triton boats, and chose not to do it.

ferret30":34yj03tx said:
I spoke to the "local dealer" at the boat show and they said the 22 they had planned to show sold right before the show and that the buyer wasn't okay with loaning it for the show.

I'm surprised though that the local dealer (being so close to the factory) only had one 22?! I always see a ton of Rangers there, and I could swear there's a giant C-Dory as well but maybe it's an out of date model so not worth showing?

Anyway, I can think of at least one person that sill regularly contributes to this site that I wish was still selling C-Dory.
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Pat Anderson":aynem6a0 said:
Tom speaks for all of us...
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All except one, it seems.

Pat, your bar does not serve the kind of beer I like to drink, or if it does, you do not do enough to promote it. By the reasoning I am seeing here, I have the moral authority to shred your taproom in public.

Regardless of how much there is to the story, the dealer being trashed can run his business anyway he wants right up until he goes broke. And if Triton is so foolish as to not see the light, then C-Dory will be broke again soon enough and you guys can buy it.

I'm not trying to be mean here, and I understand the frustration in seeing a brand we love so dearly not being given its best chance at succeeding. But this kind of discussion is not helping the brand one iota. Go back and read over the posts in this thread on the site that prides itself on being nice and see if you honestly believe that someone considering buying a C-Dory will be helped toward the choice by our insightful comments.
 
Perhaps some respectful pressure on the factory to get a dealer who is more to our liking would be well placed
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that was me being respectful.

as for who I speak for??/ I speak for me and only me just fine. never claimed to speck for anyone else nor do I want to ( smiling as i type just to be clear). but I do know that others feel the same.
 
Given the reaction to my initial post I am regretting starting the thread. My intention was not to criticize anyone but rather to say that I had seen a very nicely built boat exhibited by a dealer that is, in my personal experience, good to deal with.

I will say this. I have experience running a business, quite a large one in fact. Target marketing is not for amateurs and learning from mistakes is expensive. Port Boathouse chose exactly the right show for the CD22. I have no idea whether they showed a CD at the Vancouver (BC) show since I didn't attend and didn't ask. I will say that higher end boats, $130,000 +, are selling well around here. The CD22 range is flat at best. If that is the case south of the border then I would have chosen to show Ranger or Cutwater models in Seattle, assuming I had the same lines as Port Boathouse. (I didn't attend the show and don't know what was shown). Whether that would have been the right decision would have shown in the results. Since it would have been a very expensive decision and my money I would have hoped I got it right.
 
Beleive me- if there were as much demand for C-Dory's as we would all like there to be, there would still be two dealers in Washington State, and both would be stocking boats.

Remember that until a few months ago there was no flooring available for the line, and that flooring money is hard to come by and expensive, so a dealer has to make decisions based on what will give the most bang for the buck.

Aluminum is selling right now, hence our decision to take on Lund, so I can't fault any dealer for stocking his very expensive boat show space with what is selling. How expensive is boat show space? We had close to $10k in our modest booth with space, electricity and set up labor (and I work for free when setting up).

And if showing at the boat show were such a sure fire thing- Triton would have done so. They are already set up to sell used product out of their facility, so if they felt there was enough demand, and that the local dealer was underperforming, they could jump into selling the boats themselves. Assuming they have the money to do so.

Just rememebr that the space for let's say 5 boats and the cost of building and powering the boats and putting them in the show would be in excess of $250,000. And I'll bet thet Triton would seriously consider giving the franchise to a dealer who has the funds to order 5 or more boats and put them in the show. But I don't see anyone stepping up to do that.

Vender count was down at the Seattle Boat Show this year something like 20%. Traffic at the show was down 10 - 15% from last year. Don't fault dealers for making decisions based on what the market is doing right now.

And before faulting a dealer on his decisions, you should hear both sides of the story. Sometimes what's a good deal for one side isn't for the other.

I know how passionate all of you are about the C-Dory boats and the brand- but very few of you are going to be in the market in the forseeable future. You have to realize that C-Dory isn't the only brand of boat out there, and right now, it's not selling very well, for a variety of reasons.

We're all on the edge of our seats hoping for the market to improve.
 
I think it's perpetual post-purchase cognitive dissonance. People want a C-Dory at the show to huddle around and tell their stories. I don't think that is a good enough reason, and it should be driven by market forces and economics.
 
I was also happy ( and surprised) to see the 22 cruiser at the Victoria boat show and had a short chat with Mike of PBH who I bought my boat from in 2010.

I went to the Seattle Show also and didn't see any C-Dories or Skagit Orcas. There was one Seasport and only 2 Arimas. Not blaming anyone. But I like to see these boats.

Anyway, hope sales improve for the C-Dory brand in 2012!
 
chromer":3ioy6pa3 said:
I think it's perpetual post-purchase cognitive dissonance. People want a C-Dory at the show to huddle around and tell their stories. I don't think that is a good enough reason, and it should be driven by market forces and economics.
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Ouch-I've had a lot of cognitive dissonance in my time while trying to justify the many cars I've bought on impulse over the years. Never ever had buyers' remorse about a C-Dory, not yet anyway. Over the years I have enjoyed hanging out around the C-Dory display at the boat show. Sure, the camaraderie was great, but I also enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm about the C-Dory with prospective buyers. I'll bet it helped sell more than one boat, in fact I know it did, and I'm not the most knowlegable person in the world when it comes to boats or motors. Maybe it's time I just go and light up a cigar, because sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
 
chimoii
Glad PBH had a Cdory at the Victoria show.
I was disappointed at not seeing any at their display the Vancouver show.
Jimbo
 
Tyboo Mike, of course, you are right... apologies for being snarky. While I may not be in the immediate market for another boat, we are frequently asked about ours. When folks ask what the new ones are like, I have to say, "I don't know - haven't been able to see one." :| I do have Wefing's info and do pass that on.

Regarding folks wanting a boat to stand around at the boat show: that was certainly an influence when we bought ours. In fact, Jeff was able to say, "There are some folks who have had a 22 and a 25 - ask them about their C-Dory experience." I did see C-Dory folks around the Ranger display at the recent Seattle Boat Show... seems that there are quite a few Brat folks who have moved to a Ranger.

We had a saying in our industry: "If you don't show it, you can't sell it." I think that translates to a lot of products. I have no doubt that Triton is building a good C-Dory (Marc and others who have seen them say so)... if more people could see one, perhaps there would be more buyers? Certainly not my place to tell the factory or any dealer how to run their business. If something catastrophic happened to our boat, I would sure be inclined to do business with someone who acts like they want my business and supports and promotes their product.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
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