Newbie Thank You: C-Brat Hospitality

I

iggy

New member
Feb 10-20: Browsing C-Brat site.

TUESDAY Feb 21:

Attempted to register, but there is a glitch in the process.

WEDNESDAY Feb 22:

2200 - 2400. More browsing. Register again under another e-mail address.

THURSDAY Feb 23:

2118: Sent PM to TyBoo re registration problem.

2152: TyBoo sent fix to my e-mail address (what took so long . . . ?)

2153: TyBoo sent PM to notify me of fix message.

FRIDAY Feb 24:

1513: Receive 2152 and 2153 messages from TyBoo.

1530: Follow instructions, get logged OK, update profile.

1606: Reply to TyBoo; everything working; thanks.

2130 - 2400: Browsing site, pictures, forums, Brat-maps. Located several owners nearby (Tigard, OR).

SATURDAY Feb 25:

0135: Sent message to John (a.k.a. Crazy) Frazey, nearby C-22 Cruiser owner.

"Could I look at your boat and ask some questions?"

0947: Phone call from John: "I'm at Stevens Marine picking up some trailer straps. I have some clean up to do on the boat, and I'm going to take it out for a few hours to get the hull wet and charge up the batteries. You can meet me at the dry storage (2 miles from my house) and have a look, or come for a ride if you have the time."

0955: Discussion with Janet -- she doesn't think I have the time, but doesn't protest too much either.

1030: Janet and I meet John for a tour of the boat.

1045: Janet leaves for home (something about paying some bills, packing for a trip next weekend, cleaning the house --- I wasn't really sure what she was getting at . . . )

1100: John and I leave for the boat ramp under the St. Johns Bridge on the Willamette R.

1145: In the water! Heading downriver to the Columbia! (NOTE: It's been 10 hours since I sent the messge to John!)

1200: Watching for debris in river . . .

1215: Demo of tilting (self-launching) anchor hoist. I like it!

I debate about large single + kicker + swim step vs. dual power, but I like the swim step idea for safety with MOB.

1245: Beached (on purpose) on sandy Columbia river shore.

1300: Watching for debris in river . . . We were very good at this; we saw all of them except one. Not a bad average!

1305 - 1310: Lowered kicker, returned to sandy beach. Got another demo of the anchor system.

1310 - 1400: Handed tools to John on swim-step as he replaced single blade on plastic propeller assembly on Honda 90. A little inconvenient of course, but a great solution to a common problem. (I'm now more convinced of large single plus kicker. The kicker was up out of the water away from hazards (logs, weeds, lines, etc.) And the swim step provided easy access to the prop.)

1405: Weigh anchor, head for ramp.

1445: Tied up to the ramp waiting for our turn.

SUMMARY:

1. Within an hour of posting a problem, I had a reply from TyBoo with the answer.

2. Within 8 hours of sending message to John, I had an invitation for a ride.

3. Within 24 hours of logging on as a member, I had my first ride (and a couple of seamanship lessons to boot).

Thanks all! Great group! Great boat! Great site!

We'll be at Cathlamet in April to meet more of you.

Ed Gallaher
 
Welcome aboard Ed..... Hey... your last name is close... You aint that guy that smashes food products on stage with a big ol wooden mallet are ya? If so.... can't ait to get some crab claws!
 
No, that's not me . . . His specialty is watermelons. I hear you don't want to be sitting in the first few rows.

I'd be a little more careful with the crab, too. I like more in the bowl -- less on the walls!

Ed
 
Welcome aboard. Sounds like you're on a roll. All you need is a C-22 order to make this a complete red letter ('Scuse me, CABERNET letter) week....

Don
 
Q/A:

(1) It was a little early in the day to be thinking about beer, but obviously we were not thinking far enough ahead. Next time I'll be better prepared . . . Otherwise, I can't fault the hospitality.

(2) Finances strained at the moment, but possibilities loom . . .

(3) Gallaher = Irish = Green. Sorry to disappoint any of the cabernet owners, but I really like the Forest Green.

Reminds me of a long-standing debate on the Honda Goldwing site -- "Everyone knows that [insert color of your choice] is faster . . . "

Ed
 
I might have known I was setting myself up for that one . . . :?

No, actually I'm still riding my '82 GW1100 - haven't come up with the bucks for the new GW1800 either.

Honda has mostly fixed these problems, but they (uncharacteristically, and disappointingly) stonewalled every step of the way.

You really feel a sense of loss when a previously trusted vendor turns their back on you. That is why it is so important for C-Dory to bend over backwards (as it seems they do) to fix significant problems.

This site is quite similar to the GW site in many respects -- the high-end product, the reasonably financially secure, but (in most cases) less than independently wealthy customer base. One difference is there are many more MCs out there, and a smaller fraction of owners on any given web site.

With the C-Dories, there is a much smaller total population, and a much higher fraction of owners in touch with each other.

The power of this organization (good, or bad) can hardly be over-estimated. Just think of it . . . I'm DYING to get my C-Dory, with almost NOTHING invested directly by the C-Dory factory in marketing. Nothing directly that is, but a HUGE investment in a good product, and a fantastic dedication to customer satisfaction.

Why else would John Mazey so enthusiastically offer me a ride? Why else were he and Amy welcomed so warmly last spring when they became new owners?

Back to the MC. I'd love to be touring the NW with Janet on the back, but she is not too enthusiastic about this, to say the least. (We did have a great ride to from Portland - Boise - Salt Lake City - 4 Corners - Telluride - Dinosaur National Monument - Flaming Gorge - Yellowstone - Spokane - Portland some years ago, but she is not twisting my arm for a repeat trip. I do a 7-10 day trip with a buddy every Sept.)

Back to the C-Dory:

- Flaming Gorge by C-Dory has got to be one fantastic trip!

- I discovered Owyhee Reservoir (SE Oregon) by MC last Sept. Incredible geology. Mostly inaccessible by road - NOT by C-Dory!

- Columbia River: I want to follow Lewis and Clark down the Snake from Lewiston, and down the Columbia from Tri-Cities. There are road signs all over the place, but a few years ago someone asked the obvious question to the Army Corps: "Why are there road signs everywhere, and no river signs? They did the ENTIRE trip on the river!" The Corps actually listened, and a major effort is underway to do just this.

With a larger boat, I'd have to travel UP and then DOWN the river. With the C-Dory, launch from Richland. C-Dory: not too big, not too small!

- Lake Chelan - Oct 2005 made first trip by excursion/work boat (55 m) to Stehekin. Need to do it again in C-Dory!

- Upper Columbia: inaccessible by larger boat, accessible by C-Dory (as per El and Bill's travelogue).

BTW - Janet IS quite interested in this mode of transportation -- in fact, she's taking the USPS intro course as we speak! Together we'll start the intermediate USPS Seamanship course in March.

(Hmmm . . . I just got an e-mail about a $10M 'investment opportunity' in Nigeria. Maybe I need to take a closer look . . . That would pay for a C-Dory real quick!)

Ed
 
I just had to pass on the hospitality that I received from the C-Dory group when Amy and I first purchased our boat and attended 2 gatherings! Ed was a very nice guest on board during our cruise.

Sure felt good to get out on the water and drive around a bit. Lots of folks fishing. Need to get my poles out and join them.

Waiting for some more sunshine!!!! Looking forward to more gatherings and much more boating!!!!

Crazy Frazey :smiled
 
B~C -

Oh, yeah, the Sound!

I saw your Owyhee pics a few days ago. That's what brought it to mind after my recent MC trip.

Our interest began last fall with a "You don't suppose . . . "

. . . we could sell the house and live on a trawler . . . ?

. . . cruise the Inside Passage . . . ?

Hmm . . I suppose we should get on a boat (any boat) and start getting a clue. Boat shows, Portland and Seattle. USPS intro courses. Chapman's and Waggoner's Guide, Douglass Guides . . .

We'll be on Vancouver Island in June (condo), exploring up and down both coasts (from land). Wouldn't a C-Dory be nice? And of course Desolation Sound.

Unless one is REALLY rolling in dough, it doesn't make sense to have a trawler large enough to cruise on, AND a house. One or the other (usually the trawler) will be sitting un-used most of the time. And of course, it's difficult to get a Grand Banks, Krogen, or Nordhavn to Owyhee Reservoir or Lake Chelan!

A trawler might still be in the future, but a C-D seems like the best way to develop seamanship and piloting skills. And it is quite likely to be a fine way to see the Inside Passage as well. As per El and Bill, I can already picture the things we -could not- do if we 'moved up' from a C-D to a trawler!

Ed
 
When I stumbled on this site a while back, I simply was lookng for info about the cool-looking boat I happened to see in the local storage lot one day (an early 1980's 22' Angler). What I found here is just what you did...pretty darn cool bunch of friendly folks who like to help each other modify their boats to suit their particular needs as well as almost rabid company loyalty...something I once compared to Harley loyalty. Like you, we were welcomed here even though our current boat isn't a CD. That will soon change, though...we've got a buyer for our boat and when we move this spring, there's gonna be a CD22 in our driveway. I have the folks here to thank for that. Better than any factory ad campain...happy owners sell products.

Rick
 
I don't know---- maybe you better talk to Joel (SEA3PO) he'll tell to go get a BMW bike to tow with--- better yet, one with a side car :lol:
 
Ed --
We'll be doing some cruising in NW waters this summer and perhaps will have a chance to visit -- probably arrive around the first week of May.

Did you see the pictures of Flaming Gorge on our Halcyon Days website?

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/flaming.htm

and some of the geology of the Flaming Gorge?

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/flamingrks.htm

Keep up the dreaming -- without a dream, reality isn't a possibility.

And you don't need to be "rolling in dough" to have the BEST cruising life -- in fact, many with the big boats can't do a fraction what you can do in a little boat. With a huge bankroll, we wouldn't be doing a thing differently than we are -- all that stuff you think you 'need' in life, when you have a big wad, usually gets in the way of 'having a life.'

Welcome aboard!!
 
El and Bill -

I noticed you were signed up for the Lopez Island meeting, so I figured you'd be up this way around that time. I would like to connect with you - we have family in Seattle, so we're up there often. If not this time, then sooner or later . . .

Yes, I did see your Flaming Gorge pictures -- that's what brought it to mind. (I've been doing a LOT of browsing!)

I appreciate your other comments as well. We just subscribed to PassageMaker, and the big boats are spectacular (and seductive). However, just the past few days I've been reading:

(a) articles on overload alarms to avoid blowing AC fuses when the A/C (dishwasher; washer/drier; microwave; hot tub) circuits kick on.

(b) re-fitting/paint jobs done in Mexico to lower the costs 'down' to $35,000.

I could go on . . .

Janet has been interested in geology for years, after being 'forced' to take a couple of classes in college to satisfy science requirements. Flaming Gorge, Columbia R., and Owyhee Reservoir offer 3 great examples for exploration. (Like I said, not with a Grand Banks!)

Look forward to meeting you (and many others) when our paths cross.

Ed
 
Otter-BelleHavenMarina wrote:
If only the Honda Goldwing 1800 could work as a tow vehicle for a C-Dory...


A Harley could do 'er!
Click to expand...

But you'd have to clean the oil off the front of the boat before every launch! :P

Ed
 
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