New to Port Angeles Wa

[swami]

We will be moving from Alaska to Port Angeles WA in November . Of course I`m really looking forward to living in good boating country.I am seriously concidering the purchase of a c dory,however I must find a home first. I`ll throw out a few questions to c brats if you can find time to respond..thanks.....
Boat ramps in Port angeles or Sequim/ vs moorage? waiting lists? costs?
Winter boating,fishing?
Travel across Straight of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island (good weather of course) Is it practical in a 22 ft Cruiser?
Does the Seattle boat show ever produce killer deals on new c dorys? Never actually owned a new boat!
Any chance to meet c brats in the local puget sound area would be great! thanks.........

 

[Sea Wolf]

The boat show should feature some C-Dory dealer(s) that probably will have special boat show prices. You can probably get a very good deal.

A few years back, the factory sold direct to boat show customers, but that era is over, unless the new factory owners change back to the old set up.

Find out the regular price, then go to the boat show and see what you can get it for. including any add-ons you want.

However, used boats are now relatively inexpensive, and some real bargains have become available.

See the archived boat prices under "Market Plasce Reference", and also look at "C-Dorys for Sale" at the bottom right of the home page. Do a careful study of what you want and the prices.

Not only can you get a bargain, but

1. most of the used boats come with lots of accessory/add ons that are included in the lesser price,

2. the "bugs" (manufacturing faults) have been worked out of the used boats, and

3. many have modifications that make them much better than any new boat you could buy from the factory.

Personally, I'd buy a boat from one of our C-Brat obsessive/compulsive re-engineering geniuses that does NASA quality work as a hobby, like Hank Brooks, who recently sold his CD-25 "Sea Skipper".

Come to the Seattle Boat Show and C-Brat Get Together in January and meet and get to know lots of C-Brats, tour the factlory, and have a hell of a time.

Hope to see ya' there!

Joe. :teeth :thup

 

[Da Nag]

Boat ramps in Port angeles or Sequim/ vs moorage? waiting lists? costs?

Whether 22/25 or Tomcat, I'd keep the boat on the trailer. It's simply far less maintenance and expense, and there's no need for bottom paint.

There are excellent ramps in both PA (Boat Haven) and Sequim (John Wayme Marina), and they just don't get that busy. And, you can get unlimited use of both for $30/year - see this Boat Launches page at the Port of Port Angeles site.

Travel across Straight of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island (good weather of course) Is it practical in a 22 ft Cruiser?

In good weather/relatively calm conditions, it's a piece of cake in a 22 - done it several times, as have many here.

However, the Straight can get ugly incredibly quickly. Even on a calm day with no severe weather predicted, I prefer to put the hammer down, and get across as fast as is comfortable. I've seen it turn from flat calm, to rough and nasty in 5 minutes. Pick your day, watch your weather and tides, and you'll be fine.

If heading farther north, you're mostly out of the woods once you hit the east side of the island...there are tons of protected areas where you can escape unexpected weather.

Any chance to meet c brats in the local puget sound area would be great! thanks.........

Seattle Boat Show in January might be a good bet...there are usually good deals to be had, and tons of C-Brats from all over the area will be there.

Welcome aboard!

 

[swami]

Hey thanks for the help! I hope to meet a few of you in Seattle in January

 

[hardee]

Dagnabit all Swami, not even the locals can beat Joe to the punch here. (It's OK Joe We love you, so keep it up, it just keeps us motivated.) And Joe is right, you will be here in plenty of time for the SBS (Seattle Boat Show CBGT, C-Brat Get Together). There are several of us here in your future planned neighborhood. Da Nag is right about the launch ramps, and when we travel out of the area we feel really spoiled if there isn't washdown water and good parking. We also have good restaurants and good access to great waters here. The launch fee is good at both John Wayne and Port Angles and includes the parking.

We have been across to the islands and again Bill is right, scoot and enjoy. We have also gone around the corner to the south, (Point Wilson) and enjoy that way too. By the way, in other water, we have seen what a 22 C-Dory will do and like that it can, but would prefer to have less fluid energy running under my transom.

Coming from Alaska (Where) you may think that winter here is mild enough to store the boat outside. My preference would be to enjoy, like our friends on JCLately do, inside storage. Much better for the boat and easier to work on anytime. Not necessary, but a nice convenience.

Sequim is dryer than PA or PT, PA enjoys better property for your dollar, PA is more industrialized, Sequim is more retirement. Port Townsend more artsy.

Glad to have you down this way, and happy to share any C-Dory info we can.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[Sea Wolf]

Harvey-

The last time I was actually in Sequim was 1995, for the Lido 14 National Sailboat Championship at the Sequim Bay Yacht Club and the John Wayne Marina.

We befriended a few of the locals at the time, and decided that about a lot of the new Sequim people were

1. Retired.

2. From San Diego.

3. Lived on a local golf course.

4. Belonged to the Sequim Bay Yacht Club.

5. Kept a boat at at the John Wayne Marina.

6. Were both liked and resented by the true old time locals because of what the new folks had done to the housing prices and community structure.

But the locals still kept building new expensive, elaborate housing units on speculation to sell to the next batch coming up I-5 and the Olympic Peninsula to "The Bananna Belt" (Sequim's alias name because of the low rainfall (17.5"/yr) in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, for those unfamiliar with the term.)

Sound familiar? Still happening?

This type of thing happens many other places too.

Hope to see ya' all in Seattle!

Joe. :teeth :thup

 

[hardee]

Joe,

You are right again (still) and though I am not an oldtimer here, I didn't come from down south. I grew up in the Vancouver Island equivalent of Sequim (Sidney) and like here and everywhere, we are growing.

Another AKA for Sequim is "The Blue Hole" known from the transoceanic pilots that saw their first ground after crossing the Pacific and all the clouds as they crossed through the rain shadow on the way into Seattle.

Have a great night Always,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[mailbox101]

If you are looking to get a boat at the show I would suggest, from experience, that you do your research in advance. Know what you want, what options you are looking for, and what is a good price before you go. That way, you won't have to do what I did, and kick yourself in the behind until the next show, because someone who was better prepared bought the boat you wanted, before you made a decision, and the ones that aren't "boat show priced" seen so expensive by comparison. The dealers often have one or more boats at very good prices in order to tempt you, but the prices are usually just for the actual boat that they have there, and once it's sold that price is gone. This has been a slow year for boat sales and I would expect to see many good deals at the show.

Also, as of mid August Lake Union Sea Ray was liquidating their C-Dory inventory, and had some special prices on remaining inventory in stock. I do not know if they still have anything left.

That said, there are several places to find used C-Dories; Craigslist, Yachtworld; Boattrader, etc.
The best is probably right here, on C-Brats, in the C-Dory Boats For Sale By Owner and C-Dory Sales - Dealers forums.

When buying a used car, you are often better off buying either from a reputable dealer, or a person who you know, whether from work, a club, or other association. The same holds true for boats. The C-Brats site is more then just a blog; it is a virtual yacht club. Not to say that everyone here, or at your local club is of good character, but the odds are significantly better then if you are dealing with a complete stranger. Also, you can read their posts and get a feeling for who they are and how their boat is set up. If they are regulars, you can also get a sense of how they have been using/treating their boat, as well as the boats history.

Best of luck,

David B.

 

[Pat Anderson]

Had a bit of a conversation with Rich Finlay, the current CEO about this = he was emphatic that the factory would NOT return to factory direct sales.

A few years back, the factory sold direct to boat show customers, but that era is over, unless the new factory owners change back to the old set up.

Joe. :teeth :thup

 

[Pat Anderson]

That might be true but in past years it definitely wasn't - the "Boat Show Price" was for a specific package, for example, in 2005 the CD25 package was boat with specific options included (Wallas, windlass, trim tabs, I forget what all else), BF135,and trailer. You could order that package for that price (quite a bit less than it is now!), and wait for your produciton slot. The things you negotiated were other add ons to induce you to sign the order that day - extra batteries, swimstep, whatever, "thrown in." We bought two different boats this way, as did David on Anna Leigh. Part of our negotiating in 2003 was that it was a "two-fer" deal and in 2005 a "three-fer" as Jim and Laurie also bought their CD25.

It would be a shame if the only boat available at a given price was the floor model - and frankly, that does not make sense for selling at a boat show. I would definitely want Master Marine, who I assume will be responsible for selling C-Dorys, Ventures and TomCats at the SBS now that LUSR is gone, to confirm whether or not this has changed. I just have to believe that if there is a SBS Special on any model, they would be taking orders for any number of boats at that price to fill out the C-Dory factory production schedule.

The dealers often have one or more boats at very good prices in order to tempt you, but the prices are usually just for the actual boat that they have there, and once it's sold that price is gone.

David B.

 

[mailbox101]

Pat,

I only have bought one new boat ever and that is the one I just bought. What was explained to me by Bill at the Outboard Motor Shop in Oakland is that once a boat sits a certain amount of time in their showroom they have to start paying interest on the value of the boat. Therefore, when sales have been slow they are anxious to move existing floor models rather then order a boat from the factory and they arrange their prices accordingly. I don't know if that's true, but that's what I was told and I ended up going to an out-of-area dealer to avoid paying MSRP.

David B.