TomCat 255 Survey

M

Mike...

New member
Hello Everyone....

I went to see the boat we are buying yesterday. As I mentioned in this thread, it's a dealer demo TomCat 255 with approximately 50 hours on it. Along with me was Al Prisco, a very nice, very detailed Marine Surveyor, to whom I was referred by Thataway (Thanks, Dr. Bob!).

Unfortunately, there was no way to do a sea trial (hence the need for a survey). The boat center was closed for the holidays, though Don was nice enough to come in so we could do the survey. Besides, it had to be 20 degrees out on the water. So, the sea trial will have to wait until spring launch.

I wish I had pictures to post. But, I forgot the camera! :(

Overall the survey went well; there we no big deal-breaking surprises. However, there were a few issues that have to be dealt with -- some of which seem to be QC issues during construction. I found this surprising in a boat of this price-range:
  • The shower hoses were not clamped down tight enough, so there has been some water spraying under the galley. We didn't see any mold, but things were a bit damp under there.
  • Either the washdown pump is faulty, or it has the same hose clamp problem as above, because there is some brownish staining in that cabinet and on the hoses.
  • The refrigerator's compressor is quite noisy. Abnormally so. It would be a nuisance when trying to sleep.
  • The seals on the two live wells appear to be merely cosmetic, for they clearly don't seal anything. Both live wells were full of rainwater. I am not the fishing type, and was hoping to use these as storage. Hopefully there is a solution here.
  • The calking "goop" that is used in the construction of the head door, oozed out from under the door frame onto the door panel. So, there is now unsightly dark sticky mess around the door frame. It really is sloppy looking. I can't imagine how that was missed. Also that door is a bit more flimsy than I would like.
These issues can all easily be fixed, no doubt. The dealer will take care of some of them in the spring. On the fridge compressor, I imagine I'll have to deal with Norcold directly. The livewell seals and the head door, however, will likely require C-Dory's help. How are they in dealing with such things? These should be considered warranty repairs, I think.

In addition to the above, there were also a few more serious issues. Again, though, not deal breakers, I think:
  • There appears to be a small surface anomaly in the glass on that vertical protrusion forward on the bow between the sponsons. (TomCat owners -- what the heck is that thing called?) It looks like a wrinkle or rub. Al the surveyor thought there was a little surface crack there, but I could not see one. He didn't feel it was a big problem, but is going to check with the factory. It's difficult to tell if this is manufacturing anomaly, or happened during its 50 hours of use.
  • There is a long crack that appears to go the way through to the coring that runs almost the entire length of one of the livewells. A moisture test, however, showed that there was only a slight increase in moisture in that area. Again, Al is going to discuss this with the factory to see how big of a problem it is and how best to remediate. This must be a warranty issue.
  • There is a 6-inch or so scratch on the exterior of the port sponson, forward of the pilot house, well above the water line. It's maybe 1/16 inch deep. Al thought it could easily and soundly be repaired so as to be hardly noticeable, if at all.
  • There are what appeared some small, rather sloppy, patches (as if to fill previously drilled holes) on the transom and motor bracket platform. Again, Al thought these could be cleaned up substantially, and would not be an issue with regard to seaworthiness.
Other minor issues:
  • One of the clamshell drain covers was dented.
  • The forward tie-down ring (on the bow) has begun to rust. So much for stainless.
  • The boat needs new bottom paint and good polish and detailing job.
  • I had completely forgotten that the glass inside the pilothouse is just as it was when it was laid up; no gelcoat. I can live with it, but it is a shame C-Dory doesn't give the interior a nice polished look. It would be worth the extra dollars it would add to the total cost of the boat.
Well, that's about it. All in all, nothing seemed problem big enough to scuttle the deal. I would be interested in what you all have to say on all of this. :)

Thanks...
---
Mike
 
wannaboat (Mike) wrote:

"the glass on that vertical protrusion forward on the bow between the sponsons. (TomCat owners -- what the heck is that thing called?)"

***I think it's called a "Nacelle".

"I had completely forgotten that the glass inside the pilothouse is just as it was when it was laid up; no gelcoat. I can live with it, but it is a shame C-Dory doesn't give the interior a nice polished look. It would be worth the extra dollars it would add to the total cost of the boat."

***You could spray the interior of the boat with Zolatone, which is what they used to do on C-Dorys, wich is a splattered looking attractive paint job that hides the imperfections in the layup, or you could spray insulation material onto the surface, as developed by B~C Ken of Blue-C, or you could lay in and glue on headliner material onto it.

See:

Pain Free Insulation Solution

Any of these can be messy and require some masking off, removal of equipment, etc., but the result will be worth it!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Wannabe,

The "nacelle" is there to prevent "sneezes". When underway at speed in moderate to high seas, especially headed directly into the waves, the opening between the hulls can take in more air than can be converted to the foamy support cushion which was the design aim. A "sneeze" is kind of blowout of pressure, forward, of this bubble of air. Kind of like a burp.

Sneezing is not usually dangerous, but it is aggravating in that the water spray flies up, blocking the view and coming into any open windows.

The Nacelle is there to break up any solid waves coming in so that excess air can be expelled before becoming trapped underneath the bow. It works well at most angles to the waves, but may not work when you are headed exactly straight into the waves.


FISH BOXES - I think the doors actually run water into them by capillary action. The seal is so tight that you can see the doors suck down and hear the vacuum being formed when you run the macerator drain pumps.

They mainly fill with water slowly when left exposed to rain. They do not seem to take in seawater to a dangerous degree. My boat is kept under cover, so I have very little problem with them. Most owners just hit the drain pumps regularly to ensure they are empty.

The problem with the aft cockpit draining is that, when the TomCat is heavily loaded, the cockpit floor is very close to the water level. Normally there would be a drain from the channel under the fish box doors to the water level, but they are only about an inch above the water level in my boat when loaded heavily. I had thought about running a channel bonded under the deck surface back to the scupper drain depression, but have not had much problem with the water.

You could drain the door channels into the bilges and pump that water out and keep the boxes dry that way.

SHOWER DOOR - We need all the space we can get, so a thin door is good. They appear to be very strong in use. I put three double hooks thru bolted on both sides of the shower door to hang clothes, etc..

To have more maneuvering room I take a shower with the door open and a large towel on the cabin floor to soak up any stray water. As marine head/showers go, it is ample. I often stay out on the boat, using the shower several times a weekend with no significant problems.

If you take turns getting cleaned up/make up, dressed, etc., by letting each have the entire cabin for this, the C-Dory is very luxurious. Not that hard to take a walk or do some deckside maintenance during that time. That is why I can shower with the door open - no one else is in the cabin most of the time. I started this principle in a small motorhome and it works well to give the girls a lot of room to themselves and all the time they want/need. Works for the guys too.

INTERIOR FINISH - Most C-Dory owners like the simple, east to maintain interior walls. To make the inside shiny, you'd need to make a fiberglass liner, adding weight and creating hollow areas. Most of us have had boats with the fuzzy felt linings that look nice, but are a major pain to maintain, so we like the inside finish as is. You can get acoustic sprays or liners, insulating paints, foam liners, etc., to do whatever you wish.

Most C-Dory owners end up gluing a few wood strips here and there to mount accessories, etc., and the fiberglass look goes away easily as you add things.

It is not fun to have to try cleaning and modifying hulls with liners, esp. if mold forms under there. Most lined boats get a "smell" when left closed which is hard to get rid of, but you can spray and wipe the C-Dory interior fiberglass and be fresh as new quickly.

In summary, some of these things seem big now, but are not much of a problem. I don't think C-Dory has a good fix for the fish wells, but they are not a problem with a covered slip, camper back, or mooring cover. You can store stuff in them using the inexpensive, waterproof Kayak bags.

After cooking fish, crabs, fishing with chum, bait and all the other offensive odors, an easily wipable, or sprayable interior is wonderful.

Good luck, and I hope you find the boat meets your needs,

John
 
wannaboat":n4f8c9ys said:
.....
  • The shower hoses were not clamped down tight enough, so there has been some water spraying under the galley. We didn't see any mold, but things were a bit damp under there.
  • Either the washdown pump is faulty, or it has the same hose clamp problem as above, because there is some brownish staining in that cabinet and on the hoses.
  • The refrigerator's compressor is quite noisy. Abnormally so. It would be a nuisance when trying to sleep.
  • The seals on the two live wells appear to be merely cosmetic, for they clearly don't seal anything. Both live wells were full of rainwater. I am not the fishing type, and was hoping to use these as storage. Hopefully there is a solution here.
  • The calking "goop" that is used in the construction of the head door, oozed out from under the door frame onto the door panel. So, there is now unsightly dark sticky mess around the door frame. It really is sloppy looking. I can't imagine how that was missed. Also that door is a bit more flimsy than I would like.

  • There appears to be a small surface anomaly in the glass on that vertical protrusion forward on the bow between the sponsons. (TomCat owners -- what the heck is that thing called?) It looks like a wrinkle or rub. Al the surveyor thought there was a little surface crack there, but I could not see one. He didn't feel it was a big problem, but is going to check with the factory. It's difficult to tell if this is manufacturing anomaly, or happened during its 50 hours of use.
  • There is a long crack that appears to go the way through to the coring that runs almost the entire length of one of the livewells. A moisture test, however, showed that there was only a slight increase in moisture in that area. Again, Al is going to discuss this with the factory to see how big of a problem it is and how best to remediate. This must be a warranty issue.
  • There is a 6-inch or so scratch on the exterior of the port sponson, forward of the pilot house, well above the water line. It's maybe 1/16 inch deep. Al thought it could easily and soundly be repaired so as to be hardly noticeable, if at all.
  • There are what appeared some small, rather sloppy, patches (as if to fill previously drilled holes) on the transom and motor bracket platform. Again, Al thought these could be cleaned up substantially, and would not be an issue with regard to seaworthiness.
Other minor issues:
  • One of the clamshell drain covers was dented.
  • The forward tie-down ring (on the bow) has begun to rust. So much for stainless.
  • The boat needs new bottom paint and good polish and detailing job.
  • I had completely forgotten that the glass inside the pilothouse is just as it was when it was laid up; no gelcoat. I can live with it, but it is a shame C-Dory doesn't give the interior a nice polished look. It would be worth the extra dollars it would add to the total cost of the boat.
...
Mike
Click to expand...

I have learned that all boats at all price levels come with some of these QC problems. It is shocking and disappointing but a reality. With that being said, all fixable. I think of brand new boats as really diamonds in the rough unless you discover a major structural crack or something.

Pictures would definitely help with our suggestions.

Loose or leaking water system hoses are common and easily fixed.

For the washdown pump, take a look at the small plastic circular housing under the pump. This holds your raw water strainer. These can easily crack and leak, especially if not winterized (I forget where you are located at the moment). Also check the water hose connections. You should see these little plastic 'nubs', like plastic wing nuts, that you use to connect/disconnect by hand. These may be loose.

I was pleased and surprised at how quiet my Norcold fridge was with the compressor is running. "Loud" is of course relative to the person but if you noticed it, it's probably too loud and something is wrong. If you are getting the full warranty as though purchased new, this would be handled through the factory.

The livewell seals are a mystery of science actually. If you turn on the macerators you will not be able to open them for quite some time due to the residual vacuum pressure. If you listen closely you will hear them hissing. As airtight as they are they still seem to allow rainwater. I don't have any canvas on my boat and they fill up when it rains. Actually, mine have never filled completely but rain water definitely collects there. There are fixes but I have not bothered. I store my fenders and other things in there that I don't mind getting wet and just empty the water when I board. Some have fixed the seal and some have drilled holes to allow the water to run into the bilge. I would personally prefer to fix the seal than have it run into the bilge.

For the door frame, can that stuff be cleaned off without a stain? I did not have any running caulking so I'm not sure exactly what it is.

The surface anomaly on the nacelle and the long crack along the livewells would concern me the most. (Did you mean to write livewells/fish boxes here?) I'm trying to imagine how the livewells could have been cracked?? Tough to guess here without pictures...the nacelle is dead center and perhaps it ran into something or had a rough docking. Or perhaps there was a problem with the glass layup?

The port scratch can be easily repaired.

I would look closely at the transom patches. Check on the inside and see if they were indeed holes drilled, filled, then redrilled in another location. Are these patches symmetrical?

The stainless requires annual attention on these boats. Some of my stainless had some surface rust on the dealers lot but they cleaned them up nicely before I took delivery. The clamshell can be easily replaced.

I too liked the no frill interior of the C-Dory line. Maybe a full gelcoat polished interior would be nice but I definitely would not want any carpet, fur, or vinyl padding. This will of course be individual preference.



Since these types of issues will exist on every boat, it's really about the big picture of course. If it's a good deal, it may be worthwhile to accept some things. Good luck with the process. You will not regret the boat once she's ship shape.
 
Hello Everyone,

Thanks for Joe, Alok, John and Captain Matt for the replies!

I meant fish boxes, sorry. :)

The spray-insulation idea is interesting, but I would be worried about how well it would hold up over time without some strong surface coat of something to protect it. Maybe a few coats of good semi-gloss plaint would do the trick? Still, unless I start having a problem that merits adding insulation, I think I'll hold up on doing anything to see if it still bothers me after its first season. It gets hot here in the summer, so maybe that will motivate a change of heart. I definitely would not like carpet, vinyl, and especially not fur. :)

I spoke with Al the surveyor today, and he was not at all troubled by the anomaly on the nacelle. He didn't actually see a crack (I misunderstood that). So, as suggested above, it may simply be a wrinkle in the cloth below or wayward strands of it that got caught up in the gelcoat. Al says to not worry about it, and we'll see what the factory has to say.

I did forget to mention that it appeared that there had been water standing in the battery box for a while. The battery tray is rusted, and we could see that some water had been also been in the aft compartments. Also, there is a little corrosion on the ground bus bar. My guess here is that the infamous TomCat scuppers are the cause of this.

In addition to draining the fish box seal-channels into the bilge, as suggest above, perhaps the thing to do is to seal up the scuppers and drain the cockpit into the bilge as well?

At any rate, I do have some pictures from Al to post. I just sent TyBoo a request for an album.

Al hasn't finished his report yet, but my gut tells me that the survey will still come in higher than the purchase price on the boat. As long as the crack in the fish box is not an indication of some larger, scary structural issue, I don't see why all of these issues can't be fixed, and the boat made to look as good as new.

As always, I appreciate everyone's advice on all of this.

---

mike
 
wannaboat":puvqllx0 said:
In addition to draining the fish box seal-channels into the bilge, as suggest above, perhaps the thing to do is to seal up the scuppers and drain the cockpit into the bilge as well?


Al hasn't finished his report yet, but my gut tells me that the survey will still come in higher than the purchase price on the boat.

mike
Click to expand...

NO :!: Don't drain the cockpit into the bilge, unless you want to take a chance on sinking the boat or doing other damage! :roll: :cry That cockpit can collect a lot of water (it's big) and, if for some reason your bilge pumps quit on the automatic function (it's happened), the bilges will fill up really fast! :!: If your boat is in the water, it'll sink, if on a trailer, it'll flatten the tires (water is heavy!), if on a lift, it'll likely break the lift....

As for the survey, I'd be really surprised it it was higher than the purchase price unless (1) the purchase price is really low or (2) Al the surveyor knows C-Dorys and what they are worth.

Good luck with the boat!

Charlie
 
Captains Cat":3u7nefa4 said:
NO :!: Don't drain the cockpit into the bilge, unless you want to take a chance on sinking the boat or doing other damage!
Click to expand...
Well, that would be bad! :shock:

How do others deal with the scupper problem? Surely there must be some solution.

Al has done at least one other TC255 survey. And, I do believe this to be a good deal, but I guess the survey will tell me that or not. :)

Thanks...
---
mike
 
I personally think that the scupper problem is a bit over blown--I run a fairly heavily loaded boat and don't have any water coming in through the scuppers.

Your other questions have been well answered--and these are "normal" problems with the C Dories. Other boats have similar problems, but they are not as easily seen. The hose clamp issue seems to be a perineal problem--not difficult to fix--and as you say quality control. I am sorry to see that quality control does not seem to have improved much in the 2 1/2 years since I purchased my boat.

I see the interior finish as a real plus--unless you really have an unfinished glass inside (which I doubt--it would be much rougher than what you describe).

Yes, the fish boxes are a problem--there are solutions, but so far not worth the trouble for me to fix them--this would be using an entirely different type of hatch/seal system. I doubt that a crack in this area is structural--the boxes are part of the cockpit liner, which is not a structural component of the hulls.

I agree, do not drain the box or cockpit into the bilge.. Yes, there can be some water under the aft seat around the batteries. The best solution to most of these problems is to get a full camper back--please see the "Thataway" album for photos of a high quality and functional cover--which is useful in summer and winter running. There are other solutions, such as a slant back Sunbrella cover.
 
I too will chime in about the scuppers.

45 square feet of cockpit space in the Tomcat can catch A LOT of water. I think the scuppers on the Tomcat are in fact excellent. (I must admit I've never heard of a scupper problem in the Tomcat with the exception of one owner mentioning some reverse flow when loaded with guests in the cockpit). They are larger than those found on any other C-Dory.

I don't have any canvas and leave my Tomcat on a mooring from April to November and I've never had a single problem with my scuppers. I've never had any standing water in my cockpit even after serious rains. They drain well and work great from my experience. I've also never had a reverse flow problem even with 4 divers suiting up in the cockpit each with double tanks.
 
The funny thing about those fish boxes is that we don't fish. So I have no use for them other than storage.

What I would really like is some serious seating back there - under which would be far more useful storage. I've been pondering how to do that without adding a bunch of weight to the boat.

On the scuppers, I have seen several posts here complaining about them. However, it does seem that C-Dory has taken action, over time, to address some of the various comments made here on C-Brats Online. So maybe I was a bit too hasty in my conclusion in this regard.

Dr. Bob - a canvas top would indeed be a solution and just plain good to have. Don't know that a full camper-back would be our thing, though. I hear there is a good custom canvas shop out toward the water. I'll give them a call once I get the boat down here.

Regarding the interior finish, you can see what it looks like here on the wall whereon the leaking washdown pump is mounted. Note the little symmetric depressions. It's not awful. I just had not remembered it being quite like this on the TomCat I was on previously - though I do remember noting that the interior was not polished gelcoat. Seriously though, this is not a big deal. If it gets to be one, I'll find a solution.

But I have other, more interesting upgrades planned for the boat first. :)

Thanks....
---
mike
 
wannaboat":jbobjjhg said:
<stuff clipped>

Regarding the interior finish, you can see what it looks like here on the wall whereon the leaking washdown pump is mounted. Note the little symmetric depressions. It's not awful. I just had not remembered it being quite like this on the TomCat I was on previously - though I do remember noting that the interior was not polished gelcoat. Seriously though, this is not a big deal. If it gets to be one, I'll find a solution.
<stuff clipped>
---
mike
Click to expand...
Mike, that interior finish looks pretty typical to me. It washes just fine but would be easier to clean if it was smooth and flat. No big deal though.
 
That Norcold refrigerator is NOISY. No argument about it. When we got Journey On, you could hear that thing running from the outside, 10' away. Couldn't get a replacement because it worked and "they all sound like that."

So I pulled it out and found out that it's a Chinese thing, and you have to rework it. One by one, I located the parts that vibrated and either tied them down or insulated them. If I remember, the radiator and the feed lines needed some restraint. Then I put a THIN pad of rubber underneath and slid the thingy back in. Not as quiet as the last boat refrig, but quiet enough to sleep. Trying to figure out if I could replace the Norcold with something else, I found out that they are all made in China, even those that advertise that they're an American Co. You just have to finish the job to make them quiet. Runs well though.

Good luck and don't let that one thing detract from a great boat.

Boris
 
Mike,

The cure for the backflow from the scuppers is two 1.5" bathtub stoppers. If you have 300# of house batteries back there, like I do, you'll get water coming in with more than two people in the cockpit.

All the water problems are fixable. I figure boats are meant to get wet! My advice for what it's worth, Buy the TomCat and enjoy!
 
The staining you show on the interior is due to poor maintenance and detailing. Shame of the dealer for not fixing the leak and detailing the boat. What happened to the shelf which goes over the floor in this area?

I would make sure that the dealer cleans up the boat and puts it in like new condition.

Many of us do not use the "fish boxes" for fish--and would love to have this area for storage.

As for seating--we have folding plastic chairs, as well as use both an ice chest and a box (which holds the generator and electrical cords) for seating--with these boxes, and the aft seat, we can comfortably seat six--which is about all you want in a boat this size.
 
I'm with Dr. Bob on the abysmal conditon of that aft locker cabinet! I've had mine in the water for over 2 years, used all year around, and that cabinet is as clean as anyone's kitchen cabinets. You could easily store towels/food in there on my boat. It looks like a leak in the deck wash pump has been ignored and no effort made to do regular maintenance.

I guess you could say it is good in that they apparently are not trying to hide that problem!

I think the nacelle is made of two pieces or something like that in that mine has a seam in it also. No sign of leaking or looseness.

I have had no reverse flow in my scuppers at all. At sea, whether bobbin around drifting or powering through storms, etc., the aft cockpit drains well on my boat. It will collect about an inch of water against the back wall there when I wash it at the dock while it's heavily loaded, but that water eventually drains out. I think the rubber flaps on the scuppers need quite a bit of water against them before they open up if you are not at motion.

The only time I have water in the cockpit is when I wash the boat for extended times in calm water. That leaves a puddle in the aft corners. As soon as the boat moves up and down or goes under power, the cockpit drains rapidly. The ping pong ball scupper valves won't work on the TomCat since the scupper drains are on the sides and you could easily knock off on of the ping pog valves.

The fish boxes seem to slowly collect water by a capillary action. Large amounts of water in the cockpit seem to drain thru the scuppers with little getting into the fish boxes. Only left sitting still in the rain for long periods do the fish boxes on mine collect water and they've never been even 1/3 full, but I am under a covered dock most of the time.

As for the unfinished walls, after you get all the gizmos and decorations on, very little wall will be visible. On a hot night without A/C, it feels good to back up to a cool hull on the bunk side and in the winter I put pillows, blankets, pads, whatever against the bunk walls.

If you have ever been on one of the older C-Dory 22's (before they put in a cockpit floor), you would have noticed the stable, comfortable feel of standing below the water level. The TomCat's cockpit floor is very close to the water - that is a big reason I bought the boat. Most boats of any size have you 3-5 foot above the water level. That makes balancing and walking trickier, but you lose the real feel of the water and have difficulty with fishing, crabbing, getting on and off and unloading/loading dinghies, etc..

The closer I am to the water, the more fun I have on the water. Many of my dockmates have boats in the 40-60 foot range, but love to ride on the TomCat with their head in the wind out of the center window, or back in the cockpit just about an inch over the water's surface.

One of my other boats is a Hobie Mirage Adventure Island sailing kayak, It is fun since you are sitting about 3 inches below the water level and it goes right thru the big waves. 7 knots on one of those feels like 20 knots on a 30 footer.

The TomCat has the stability and feel of a boat about twice it's size, but it will turn on a dime, cruise like a tugboat/trawler, plane like a deep sea fisher, and -properly handled- will run level and kindly in most seas.

Good luck,

John
 
Hello Everyone...

I posted the pictures from the survey. Bear in mind that these were taken by Al the surveyor who was obviously trying to document problems. There would have been other, nicer pictures has I remembered to bring my camera. :(

I just talked to Al, and he finally got through to C-Dory. They had been closed for the holidays. Rich was on the call, but it seems the call did not go as well as planned. The surveyor felt they were trying hard to not be specific or committal with regard to addressing his concerns. Al says he has never experienced a call with a Manufacturer quite like it. That has me a little worried.

Obviously if that fish box or some other issue develops to be a big problem, I need to know that the manufacturer will stand behind the boat's warranty. It would be crazy for me to buy the boat otherwise.

Any suggestions on where to go from here?

Thanks...
---
mike
 
I put some comments on your pix. I see no reason there not to buy the boat. If we promise not to try to buy it will you tell us the asking price? I see some cosmetics but nothing insurmountable. We all get water in our fishboxes. There's a drain and pump there that handles that. If you put fish in there, water is good. If not, put stuff in there that won't get hurt (fenders/lines/etc, I do).

Unless you're not happy with the price, suck it up and buy the boat and have fun....Fix the little stuff, it's all little stuff from what I can see, nothing that warrants a factory fix or the trouble to get someone to do it for you and charge it to the warranty. The new owners are not the old owners and I believe they will take care of you if you have a major problem. The surveyor should not have made that call, you should have.

The factory can't be comittal to fixing a warranty problem until the boat has an owner. As yet, it doesn't have one of those and Al won't be it (unless you decide not to buy it and he does!! :lol: )

Good luck..

Charlie
 
Mike -

Andy and I attempted to answer Al's questions and I think we were helpful as to how TomCat's are currently built. We could not answer specific questions regarding a boat we haven't seen. He seemed to be most put off by our refusal to provide a MSRP, we asked him to check with dealers as we just are not comfortable setting retail price expectations. Sorry if he took our reluctance badly.

Best regards,
Rich F.
 
wannaboat":fr4yrd2k said:
Hello Everyone...

(Some discussion edited)

I just talked to Al, and he finally got through to C-Dory. They had been closed for the holidays. Rich was on the call, but it seems the call did not go as well as planned. The surveyor felt they were trying hard to not be specific or committal with regard to addressing his concerns. Al says he has never experienced a call with a Manufacturer quite like it. That has me a little worried.

Obviously if that fish box or some other issue develops to be a big problem, I need to know that the manufacturer will stand behind the boat's warranty. It would be crazy for me to buy the boat otherwise.

Any suggestions on where to go from here?

Thanks...
---
mike
Click to expand...

Mike-

You're new to the site, just since early December, so you may not realize the situation that C-Dory is in right now.

You do realize, don't you, that C-Dory is under new ownership, right?

The new owners are trying to honor the previous manufacturer's warrantees, but I'm sure they have to be cautious to overextend themselves. And there were, unfortunately, some quality control issues during the last owner's tenure.

They have agreed to fix some problems already with individual customers, but may hedge on some issues, particularly if the problem is of a type where they know there is no simple solution, where most everything easy or obvious has already been tried, and which, I think, applies to the fish boxes.

I know of no simple solution to this difficult situation, nor to the fish box problem, but perhaps some of the TomCat 255 owners here on this site can offer reassurances regarding the best mechanical fix for the problem that will make it seem to be a manageable situation for you.

Good Luck with the Purchase!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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