Hello Fellow C-Brats,
In early 2009, I noticed a hairline crack, about 2 inches long, located in a 2.5-inch-diameter slight depression on the floor of my CD 16 Cruiser on the back-left, port side. I thought it was a crack in the gelcoat. Then late summer, that crack opened wide enough to fit a playing card inside. Alarmed, I asked my boatyard to look at it, and they confirmed my fear: the crack penetrated through to the balsa core. They hauled the boat out of the water, brought it inside their building, removed the top 9" by 9" layer to expose the balsa, dried it out, re-fiberglassed that section, and reapplied the gelcoat. They did an excellent job, I might add, but as one might guess -- it was costly at approx. $1,300.
Even though my boat had a 5-year warranty, I was told that the new owners would not honor it, because the previous owners had filed for bankruptcy. I understand the law -- bankruptcies void contracts, and the new owners were not obligated to honor warranties for boats that they did not produce. The point of this communication is not to complain about it, but to raise up the flag, so to speak, for existing and prospective C-Dory owners.
Anyone who sees a crack in the gelcoat on the floor of their boat should not assume as I did that it did not penetrate through to the balsa core.
Judging from comments in this forum and from my own personal experience, C-Dory's made by the previous owners in the time period of my boat may have had quality control issues. I recommend that anyone interested in purchasing a used C-Dory should closely inspect a prospective boat prior to purchasing it. Really, I would recommend a qualified marine inspector to go over every inch of the boat.
If you are buying a new boat -- any new boat from any manufacturer, I would still hire a qualified marine inspector to go over their boat prior to making your purchase. You can't assume, particularly in this difficult financial climate, that because your boat has a warranty, the manufacturer will be around to honor the warranty contract. Boat repairs can be costly.
I've had my boat for two seasons, buying a new 2006 model in 2008, and have approximately 200 hours on the engine. In 2008, I had 5 engine failures on the water that was due to a wiring harness issue. In 2009, I had the crack in the floor. So would I buy a C-Dory 16 Cruiser again? The answer is "yes." Despite the issues I've had, it's actually a very well constructed boat. It's solid, safe and economical. I love the boat! My Suzuki engine has been very reliable once the wiring harness issue had been resolved. In fact, my confidence in the Suzuki engine has reached a point where I intend to remove my 4 Stroke 4 HP Kicker from my transom, replacing it with a 55-pound thrust, saltwater-rated electric trolling motor. This will lighten the stern by 30 pounds, and give me adequate thrust to take me into the slip or get me out of the shallows. Last year I experimented with a 30-pound thrust motor that could propel the boat to about 2.3 knots. By my calculations, a 55-pound thrust motor should get me to 3.1 knots in dead-calm water. This is all I need, because I subscribe to SeaTow, and the places I travel are all within their range.
In early 2009, I noticed a hairline crack, about 2 inches long, located in a 2.5-inch-diameter slight depression on the floor of my CD 16 Cruiser on the back-left, port side. I thought it was a crack in the gelcoat. Then late summer, that crack opened wide enough to fit a playing card inside. Alarmed, I asked my boatyard to look at it, and they confirmed my fear: the crack penetrated through to the balsa core. They hauled the boat out of the water, brought it inside their building, removed the top 9" by 9" layer to expose the balsa, dried it out, re-fiberglassed that section, and reapplied the gelcoat. They did an excellent job, I might add, but as one might guess -- it was costly at approx. $1,300.
Even though my boat had a 5-year warranty, I was told that the new owners would not honor it, because the previous owners had filed for bankruptcy. I understand the law -- bankruptcies void contracts, and the new owners were not obligated to honor warranties for boats that they did not produce. The point of this communication is not to complain about it, but to raise up the flag, so to speak, for existing and prospective C-Dory owners.
Anyone who sees a crack in the gelcoat on the floor of their boat should not assume as I did that it did not penetrate through to the balsa core.
Judging from comments in this forum and from my own personal experience, C-Dory's made by the previous owners in the time period of my boat may have had quality control issues. I recommend that anyone interested in purchasing a used C-Dory should closely inspect a prospective boat prior to purchasing it. Really, I would recommend a qualified marine inspector to go over every inch of the boat.
If you are buying a new boat -- any new boat from any manufacturer, I would still hire a qualified marine inspector to go over their boat prior to making your purchase. You can't assume, particularly in this difficult financial climate, that because your boat has a warranty, the manufacturer will be around to honor the warranty contract. Boat repairs can be costly.
I've had my boat for two seasons, buying a new 2006 model in 2008, and have approximately 200 hours on the engine. In 2008, I had 5 engine failures on the water that was due to a wiring harness issue. In 2009, I had the crack in the floor. So would I buy a C-Dory 16 Cruiser again? The answer is "yes." Despite the issues I've had, it's actually a very well constructed boat. It's solid, safe and economical. I love the boat! My Suzuki engine has been very reliable once the wiring harness issue had been resolved. In fact, my confidence in the Suzuki engine has reached a point where I intend to remove my 4 Stroke 4 HP Kicker from my transom, replacing it with a 55-pound thrust, saltwater-rated electric trolling motor. This will lighten the stern by 30 pounds, and give me adequate thrust to take me into the slip or get me out of the shallows. Last year I experimented with a 30-pound thrust motor that could propel the boat to about 2.3 knots. By my calculations, a 55-pound thrust motor should get me to 3.1 knots in dead-calm water. This is all I need, because I subscribe to SeaTow, and the places I travel are all within their range.