New C-Dory coming in

M

mattpartna

New member
hey C-Brats, just wanted to get some opinions from you guys. Here at Waypoint in Seattle, we're getting our C-Dory ordered for the boat show, and I wanted some feedback on what kind of color you would like to see on the boat or any other things that will appeal at the Seattle Boat Show.
Your opinions would mean a lot to us and something we would like to take into consideration.
Hopefully we have some c-brats in here who have the same taste to make it easy on us!
 
The color is a no-brainer; clearly blue trim is by far the most appealing. 8)

A few years ago, Pat Anderson put together a collage of C-Brats' boats to reflect the different ways they can be outfitted. I think something like that would be interesting to perspective owners; help them visualize what they could do to their boat to fit their boating lifestyle.
 
if a 22 a high top is a good start, I'm 6'2", have one and it makes life on the boat a whole lot easier. Tall radar arch, windlass, offer an option other than a wallas for cooking and heat. We have a Webasto furnace, a Kenyon stove (Which we rarely use-we cook on propane in the cockpit). A 4 wheel trailer. There is endless debate over twins versus single. Have a source for canvas and interior curtains. One of the better things done in the past was inviting brats to man the booth, they showed their boats pictures, had a tripod with pictures to expand on the adventures. And on and on.
 
mattpartna":2wmpklig said:
hey C-Brats, just wanted to get some opinions from you guys. Here at Waypoint in Seattle, we're getting our C-Dory ordered for the boat show, and I wanted some feedback on what kind of color you would like to see on the boat or any other things that will appeal at the Seattle Boat Show.
Your opinions would mean a lot to us and something we would like to take into consideration.
Hopefully we have some c-brats in here who have the same taste to make it easy on us!
Click to expand...

16,19,22,25... What size you considering??
 
darker red trim is absolutely the best. It is a specific C-dory color, don't know the name of it. All of the other trim colors make the boat look....we....more common.

Yeah, I have the red trim:):)
 
Ideally you would have two or three boats at the show. For example the 22 and the Tom Cat 255. That hits both ends of the spectrum, and most likely different types of buyers--difference in dollars, and speed/ride. At the very least, have line drawings of the interior layout of all of the boats, along with dimensions. (for example the length and width of the V berth, the size of dinette seats.) Also a list of options would be very desirable. I agree with the Radar Arch, windlass "dress up"…It shows more potential.

I like the Pacific Blue best, but only one of my boats was that color--two green, and current boat is black. It does not make a bit of difference.

Although a bimini and camper canvas is almost an essential, I would not have them on the boat for the show. The boat is harder to get into.

Have someone who is very knowledgable about the boats at the show to answer all of the questions. Since you don't own a boat, you cannot answer the questions--and lots will come up.

I happen to be a fan of the Wallas Stove; having a dual purpose stove will attract many potential buyers.

Agree that a slide show, and a poster with lots of photos of C Dorys in many parts of the country, and doing many activities--cruising, fishing, gatherings. For example get Jody to give you a photo of the 18 boats at Powell this year, taken from the drone. The photo of the boats on the Columbia River Bar, Friday Harbor gathering etc.

Do not forget, the best salesman for the C Dory line are the owners!
 
mattpartna":27f48v8o said:
hey C-Brats, just wanted to get some opinions from you guys...
Your opinions would mean a lot to us and something we would like to take into consideration.
Click to expand...

I think it's fantastic that you're asking :thup It gives me the feeling that you would be great to work with, and would listen to me as a (theoretical) customer.

When I was C-Dory shopping, I noticed the obvious, which is that there are a few colors that represent about 75% of the boats. Naturally I liked two of the "odd" colors the best (my own favorites are the "true" red and the light grey). In the end though I found a blue one that was just right, so I now have blue. And love it of course :D I think my "vote" for a boat show boat would be true red if it's possible to get one. I think it looks great, it's a dynamic color, and it's slightly unusual in a C-Dory. That said, I think all of the colors are "good," and which one is more just a personal thing. The other thing I would like to see as a shopper is some sort of listing/photos/ideas/prices of just what the options are. Sometimes you don't know what you want (or what is possible) till you see it :D

Ultimately though, I think the great lines of the C-Dory will bring people in (no matter the color) and then what will "wow" them will be your attitude in asking them just what you asked us, i.e. "your opinion means a lot to us." That's gold to me when I'm shopping for something.

I hope you have a fantastic show!

Sunbeam
 
I think you should buy whatever trim color you can get cheapest, and then both buy a matching color jacket from Henri Loyd on sale or West Marine. Whenever ya'll have a question regarding lack of tastefulness, I can always offer a worthless opinion for free.
Cheers!
John
 
As many C-Dories as are out there, there are also opinions as what is best; from colors to options, thus its strength.

After stating the obvious earlier here, just a thought of a subtle 'safety' item.

If and when the camper back is offered, include a full width zipper running close to the cabin roof line that will allow the owner to enter and exit the cockpit without ducking under the top. [This was an after thought when I purchased it locally for SEA ANGEL, I'm 6' 2".] It also allows me to mount the anchor lite without leaving the cockpit, since I had the factory mount it above the cabin door(not everyone will go this way since it is in dry storage with its rack clearance as a challenge).

By the way, SEA ANGEL was ordered with blue trim - sharpest little cruiser in the area and easiest on the eyes inside and out!

Art
 
localboy":3e8z11ns said:
Anyone and everyone knows only one color rules. Black. Henry Ford sure didn't build RED cars.... :wink:
Click to expand...

Hey Mark, maybe Henry didn't but someone down the line sure did.

Img RED 57 Ford T-Bird Convertable IMG*

Should be a RED 57 T-Bird there. Besides, in pigments, black is really the accumulation of all the other colors :lol:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

PS: That did not work well. H
 
mattpartna

Thanks for asking, and good to see you back here so soon. So now you have opened the door, and already have a peek at the C-Brats passion and diversity.

Best color.......hhmmmmm, My favorite, the one that keeps the water on the outside......of course 8)

I would look closely at the options, those listed and some others.

It might be a new idea for the factory, but one option that should be available is to have the forward voids under the V-birth left without foam and available for storage.

The Brass strip on the bow stem should be an option, eliminating the screw hole penetration possibilities.

The aft lazzurets MUST have the proper covers, specified for horizontal application. this was a huge issue that we (C-Brats) went through and many of us fixed, that was absolutely a factory screw-up.

As to color; Everyone knows that red shows up best on the water, (Except for high-vis lime green) so maybe that would be good. Personally, I think Cabernet (the darker red) is the better choice.

And as to Twins, vs Single....... not going there now.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP0884.thumb.jpg
 
My thoughts are to show a boat with every possible option available from the factory. When seeing a car at a carshow, the manufacturer will display a totally loaded model.

It would also be nice to see the factory begin offering aftermarket options such as bow mounted light and windlass, etc.
 
Thanks everyone for the great feedback. We still have a lot to think about, but you guys are definitely making it easier. Now we have something to refer to when making our decision on what to do with the boat we order. Again thanks C-Brats. looking forward to hearing more opinions on this topic!
 
Regarding color - blue is the most popular but as you can tell, everyone has a different idea of what looks best. I think it would be useful if C-Dory could take a piece of the premade sheet they use for the bulkhead and put the current color offerings on it in say one foot squares. To my knowledge, the current color offerings are blue, cabernet (the maroon like red), green and black. I have also seen boats in a red that was closer to fire-engine and a couple in yellow (which I despise but someone must love). I think it would be cool if occasionally, the company would introduce a "new color" with the headline "New for 2015" or similar.

Not much changes on these boats each year and when something does, invariably there are those who love it and those who hate it. From a boat sales perspective, it's nice to have something that's new each year as it provides another way to grab a potential customer. The advantage of a new color is that I assume it will be hard for such a change to create huge dissent amongst the "base" of current owners (but you never know).

On a related issue, I also think the factory could standardize on all LED lighting as a "new for 2015" change. There's relatively little additional cost to do that up front, and I think it's a good sales feature.

Also, (and I've said this before), it would be AWESOME if the factory could create a standardized wiring harness option that would reduce the rigging effort and make it easier for potential owners to trace wiring in the future. Such a harness would be pre-made for each model and include color coded wires for not only the standard lighting but a VHF, a chart plotter a fridge freezer etc. Pre-bunding wires for the most commonly added accessories, adding a few extra positions on a fuse block and documenting the wire colors and fuse block positions in the boat manual, would make life as an owner much easier and would reduce the cost of rigging.I'd estimate that a well made harness might add a couple $100 to a few $100 to the cost but that money would be saved in future rigging and troubleshooting costs.
 
A couple of things (maybe I am exceeding the scope of the original query):

- Most cars are built with the wiring harnesses made up for all the available factory options. In a lot of cases if the owner wants to add a factory option later the components will just plug in. The C-Dory harnesses should be built this way.
- There should be spare wires in the harness. This allows for added equipment and reallocation of wires in the event of breakage. In the equipment I work on for my job, we always specify 20-30% spare wiring when we order a new device.
- The wiring should be clearly marked or coded.
- As mentioned before there should be spare slots in any fuse blocks.
- There should be spare switches or at least spare switch positions in any installed switch panels.
- On the 22 and 25 there should be an additional panel for switches/equipment/etc. that runs along the sidewall between the instrument panel bulkhead and the part of the cabin where the helm seat mounts. This is in front of the throttle lever(s) and below where the main wire bundle currently passes. This area is fairly large and unused. I am thinking about adding something there myself, but IMO I think the factory can probably do a better job. My main panel is short of space for all the stuff I want to put there.
- There should be small LED lights installed in the compartments under the v-berth to illuminate the contents if these spaces are going to be used as storage.
- On the 22 I would like to see the water tank moved to one of the bow compartments. The forward bow compartment is kind of a pain to get into. Putting the water tank there and leaving compartment under the aft dinette seat open for other uses is better for the owner.
- The latches on the side windows could be improved. I know that they come from Diamond Sea Glaze that way, but there should be a better solution to keep them from coming off and make them easier to operate. Perhaps windows with the screens on the outside?
- Maybe some sort of prefitted storage containers/bins/etc. that are fitted to the cabinets of the CD. Most people come up with a solution on their own (to greater or lesser success). A option to have factory storage bins installed might appeal to some buyers. Sort of like how Ranger tug has some bins installed. There are companies that will make all sorts of things to customize the interior of RV cabinets/closets.
- Put a sink in that has the drain opening in the forward outboard (when installed) part of the sink. This will move the drain fitting and line to a better location in the cabinet underneath. On my CD22 the drain line is the way of some of the storage space under the cabinet.
- On the 22 and 19 put saddle tanks in for fuel along the cockpit side walls. Again this is kind of dead space. The saddle tanks would open up a lot of space under the splashwell for storage. Some people might want to put one or more tanks in there as well (as the boats are currently delivered) for extended cruising.
- Improve the covering for the wiring at the back of the panel (in the berth). IMO a hard cover would be better.
- A bulkhead with hatch or removable panel (or snap in fabric divider) to separate the berth from the anchor rode space should be standard on the 22 and 25 (at least).
- The shore power option should have a standard installation, wiring, and equipment list.

Regarding color, when we bought our CD22 my wife said "I'm glad it's not red."
 
localboy":33fevlp4 said:
Anyone and everyone knows only one color rules. Black. Henry Ford sure didn't build RED cars.... :wink:
Click to expand...

Henry Ford was not a Fireman! :lol:

(and as you well know...Sea Shift is FIRE ENGINE RED)

(Of course I do know why you prefer Black and Whites :wink)
 
I would vote for a 22' Cruiser, dark gray trim color, with shore power, hydraulic steering, trim tabs, LED lighting,
Wallas stove, twin 40hp Honda power, and windless. In my opinion what makes the C-dory so appealing is the simplicity of the boat making it very easy to maintain. If you want lots of bells and whistles perhaps a Ranger tug would suit a person better. C-dorys have survived because of the uncomplicated design.
 
Back
Top