NO MORE!!!"Pinholes" leaking water into dinette st

So glad to hear that your boat problems ar being resolved and this will no doubt change a production method, or quality control inspection process.
I would just like to make the point that we stood with you and will again when legitimate boat concerns go unresolved. That's one of the true values and spin offs from this Board. Friendship and common interests of course is the core value here.

CatyMae n Steve have a Merry Christmas and don't break and more bottles over the bow when you launch it--eh-- LOL
 
Looking forward to the post repair results and teh fishing/crabbing pics.
I been wanting to get out too and I an a bachlor this next week. I may have to get out myself.
 
Who ever put the rails on (dealer or factory) had only spent an extra 5 minutes and used some chaulk it would have saved much money and a lot of bad feelings. If you do it right the first time, its a lot cheaper than doing it over.BTDT.
C-Otter
 
I was sooooo excited -- all for naught :cry:

Steve came home as I was lining up to put the boat trailer on the truck ball and I asked if he wanted to get inside the boat to see my discovery...he climbed aboard and much to our disappointment, there was a huge puddle of water in the floor -- and it was coming from the originally marked leak holes in the wall under the dinette. The bolt leaks are, as it turns out, in addition to the old leaks in the sidewall -- it just took the old ones more time to show up.

Scot, Bret and Rachel arrived from the factory later (yes, a housecall!), saw the interior of the boat and the leaks and pools. Scot has stepped up and agreed to make us a new boat. We both appreciate them making the trip here and doing what is right in resolving this issue. We all were so hopeful that the latest repair attempt fixed it -- it's a disappointment for all of us.

Steve wants me to tell everyone thank you for all of your support and help. I'm gonna be one very cranky old bat until we get the new boat rigged and in the water. But the wheels are turning to get this all straightened out, and it's a huge relief to know that.

PS Steve asked if y'all would keep me busy to take the heat off him cuz we can't go fishing :smile
 
Byrdman, you are spot on!
I know of ZERO folks who have not been made good on their boats by the factory. Something is weird on this and I feel sure it will be corrected.
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CatyMae n Steve, I'm glad C-Dory has finally come through for you, it's evident you've gone through much frustration and agony. It may have taken much longer than you wanted and now you'll have to wait for a new boat but it will all be worth it in the end.

It's also evident that C-Dory stands by their product and will do whatever it takes, including making house calls, to make things right. We've all invested a lot of money into our boats and it makes me feel good to know that if we discovered a major problem with our boat, that C-Dory will step up to the plate and make things right.

Peter
 
"Scot has stepped up and agreed to make us a new boat." -- unreal. I've been operating boats 40 years and this is the first time I've seen a manufacturer of this size boat simply step in and replace it. You got a lemon -- it happens -- just about (and I put "just about" in without having a clue who else would have done it) any other manufacturer and you'd just have been stuck with it.

Thank goodness there are still some that do the right thing.
 
I am certainly impressed. I can't say my faith is restored, because it was never really missing, but it is comforting to see that it is well placed. Yep, I'm still a CD salesman.

I also appreciate the restraint in the tone of Caty's public comment. I believe when this problem was first mentioned, she used the words "Yikes!" and "Zowie!", and those proved to be the strongest expletives uttered. There's a lesson in there for me somewhere.

While it may have seemed like a long time for Caty and Steve, it should also be recognized that despite the unsuccessful attempts to fix the problem, and the hassles and frustrations endured by the customers, the committment to absolutely resolve the issue came amazingly quick from the factory. Unheard of in just about any industry. You'd rarely get your Ford fixed that fast, and never get it replaced. There can be little question that they bought the right boat. The seeming delay, and the unsatisfactory attempts to find a simple yet acceptable fix are very much understandable. This isn't a television you can just take back to Costco, and a company cannot be expected to automatically replace something so costly if it can be avoided without sacrificing customers. Even though these folks are missing out on catching a few of those sickly upriver sturgeon, by this time next season they will have an even better feeling about the product they chose to buy.
 
Interesting as stated before. Now, let's look at our calendars and see where other CEOs are on 23/24Dec..... Bet not flying to the house of a new owner with issues.... well.... the boat had the issues. I have not met Caty-n-Stever yet. Hope to. Now as far as the fishing....there are other boats in OR...and one on this posting link indicated he is batchen it and fishing next week. Maybe a good will gester for an outing??? Hummm

Sounds to me they all are simply doing the next right thing to keep the mix of a great boat, great owners, and great factory representation tracking C-Dory TRUE.

Now I have to hook my 1984 18' C-Dory Angler up and take it to Mt. Juliet TN to enjoy a little more of that Greal Ol' Cumberland River system and show my family my "new boat." :mrgreen: Wonder how many other 84 model boats are going to be enjoying the water instead of the graveyard??? :xseek

My year to cut the turkey....so gotta go! Yall all have a very Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.... See some of yall soon in SanDiego, LA, or Seattle/Kent. Byrdman :xlol
 
As a small business owner that produces a complicated piece of equipment for a niche market, I have been watching this thread closely. There are a bunch of lessons in here on customer service, how to deal with problems (from both the customer and manufacturer's side), and the power of the internet.

As Mike mentioned, Caty & Steve stayed pretty calm in public even though they were very frustrated. This not boiling over and trashing the product really kept the other folks here involved and sympathetic. It also kept the manufacturer involved.

The company was between a rock and a hard place on this one. They had to follow a procedure for dealing with this kind of problem. They needed to keep their dealer involved, try to solve the problem that was hard to find and satisfy an unhappy customer. They also must have had discussions about the precedent that they were setting. Replacing a boat is expensive and a company can't give everyone who has a problem a new boat without wrecking the business.

That Caty & Steve got a new boat is a credit to C-Dory and also shows the power of the internet and this site. I'm sure their competitors are envious of the incredible marketing machine that C-Dory has gotten for free because of the rabid owners that visit this site. But as Shelley describes some situations in our business, this site is scary/good for C-Dory. Imagine having everything that you do examined in detail and commented on publicly every day. Every mistake that you make is held up for review. Every email that isn't answered can be mentioned, every change to a design is scrutinized in detail. All of your problems are open for your competitors to see and use. That has to be very scary for C-Dory.

This is a good resolution for C-Dory and Caty & Steve. I think the goodwill generated by this will more than pay for the cost of a new boat. Let's remember that they're a small company growing at a very rapid rate. They're going to make a few mistakes but they still make a great product. I saw the new 25 Tomcat in production and it's going to be a home run.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the boat show.
Lyle
 
Bess-C":poone9m1 said:
But as Shelley describes some situations in our business, this site is scary/good for C-Dory. Imagine having everything that you do examined in detail and commented on publicly every day. Every mistake that you make is held up for review. Every email that isn't answered can be mentioned, every change to a design is scrutinized in detail. All of your problems are open for your competitors to see and use. That has to be very scary for C-Dory.
Lyle
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Very good point (and overall analysis) Lyle. Personally I think C-Dory is ahead of the game in the "new" marketing era where Internet forums and Blogs give virtually instant feedback and in depth reviews of most any new product out there.

The smaller "niche" companies have always known that customer service, ethical conduct, and "going the extra mile" results in favorable referrals, and referrals are the lifeblood of the entepreneur.

Don
 
Very well stated ,Lyle. There is no company out there that 100% of the time makes a 100% trouble free product. This is the case in airplane. automobile, electronics and all other companies. C-Dory did just what I thought they might do in the end, if all else failed to fix the problem.

C-Dory is a great company. This is a great site and I have met some great people because of it all.

Wishing everyone a great New Year of boating and fun. See some of you at the boat show.
 
Caty and Steve,
Congrats on the new boat. I have been following this thread from the beginning, and like Brydman felt sure CDory would make it right some how. After I talked with Jeff and spent some time at the factory, I really got the feeling that they would take care of any problems encountered with their product. You don't develop a fan base like this otherwise. This just reaffirms that we all made the right decsion by going with Cdory. I encountered problems with my last boat too, and I'll tell you it took alot more effort and months( almost a year) to get them to replace the hull. Not to mention numerous trips back and forth to the factory. I'm glad to see it worked out, and commend the factory for taking care of their customers in a stand up way. :thup

Sark
 
I agree with C-Otter, that a little caulking at time of manafacture would have prevented this problem and saved everyone some grief not to mention $$$$$ :shock: Back in the days of wooden boats "everything" got bedded in. NOW HERE'S A THOUGHT......the C-Dory has a balsa cored hull, etc; has anything been attached via a screw or bolt?? If so, make sure that it's been bedded in to protect that core. The canvas guy that did my canvas also installed floor mats that were snap fastened. Guess what, none of the snap screws put into the deck were bedded :shock: Had to remove each one and refasten with bedding.
 
I just joined the C-Brats group, and read this entire thread with great interest. We are very interested in the CD-22 or CD-25, and these issues are not trivial for a prospective new owner.

A few comments. No one expects, or even wants, the mfg to give away the store to provide customer satisfaction. It might seem great in the short run, but it doesn't help anyone if they go out of business. We're all smart enough to recognize this.

Everyone stayed civil, despite the frustrations on all sides. Very important!

Now I need to relate similar experiences on the Honda Goldwing forum. Similar market base - high end, high quality products. Unfortunately, Honda has had signficant problems with the latest model. Even more unfortunately, they have been disrespectful to their customer base, and stonewalled every step of the way.

For example:
"Hmmm, none of our other customers have had that problem . . . "

(a) "I don't give a rat's --- what your -other- customers tell you. I'M having the problem, and I want it fixed!" . . . . and . . .
(b) "If you'd read the web forum, you'd KNOW that many others are having the same problem." . . . and . . .
(c) "You have (apparently) purposefully set up a dealer communication network that specifically prevents these reports from working their way back up to the factory. NO WONDER you're still clueless!"

Now let me tell you the two main problems:

(A) Chronic overheating at low speeds. Like stuck in traffic. The weather didn't even have to be too hot. Does your car do this? Mine doesn't! And I would not expect my $20,000 MC (6-cylinder) to do this either.

(B) CRACKED FRAMES!

Yes, you read it right!! How comfortable would you be riding a MC prone to frame cracking? Exactly, me too.

The HUGE difference between the Goldwing problems and this C-Dory site is the huge, bitter, ongoing battle between those WITH problems, and those WITHOUT the problems. Those lucky individuals without problems saw this "bad publicity" as bad for the market value of their own bikes (as should be the case), and repeatedly called those with the problems "whiners". In turn, the "whiners" referred to the others as "the sunshine boys".

Absolutely amazing, and self-destructive, to say the least. So much for camaraderie!

This web site certainly does cut two ways for the C-Dory mfgs. On the one hand, it is GREAT advertising. What an incredible resource!! On the other hand, they are under the microscope, nationally, within hours of any such problems.

Again, I applaud them for doing the right thing, I applaud the owners for staying reasonably calm despite what must have been unbearable frustration, and I applaud the group for being reasonable, and supportive to both the owners and the company. Absolutely amazing!

As a final note: I would imagine this boat is not a total loss. Although they are making a very impressive effort at customer satisfaction, I assume that with enough time and attention, the 'lemon' boat will be made right. It may not be sold as new, but I certainly don't expect it will be a $60K loss for the factory either. In the meantime, the owners can get on with their lives; they've put up with enough already.

I live in Tigard, OR, and hope to meet some of you at Cathlamet in April. TyBoo warned me there may be no turning back after that. I think it's too late already. Got some finances to get in order, but I'm chomping at the bit already . . .

Cheers,

Ed Gallaher
 
I assume that with enough time and attention, the 'lemon' boat will be made right.
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I'm sure it will be. It amazes me how well the factory supports these little cruisers. At their core, they are just a simple boat. They were never intended to be the Queen Mary or a Hatteras megayacht, yet they are supported as if they were.
 
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