NO C-DORY AT THE DETROIT COBO HALL BOAT SHOW

T

therevdr

New member
The C-DORY dealer (the only one in Michigan) at the Detroit Boat Show decided not to bring a C-DORY this year!!? I first saw the C-DORY at the show some six years ago; my son and I decided that it was the boat that would be ideal for the Great Lakes. After DRIFTWOOD DREI (a 22-foot cruiser) became our reality, it was still great to see the changes in the new models up-close-and-personal each year . . . but not this year!
(The other boats, no matter what size, don't come close!!
Bruce
therevdr
 
How far are you from Valparaiso, Indiana?

There will be two ( 19 & 22 ) there this weekend at the Northwest Indiana "Spring Fling" being held at the Porter County Fairgrounds.

It's actually closer to Chicago...

If anyone's close... Ya'll don't have to buy a boat, just stop in... We'd like to meet you!
 
I'm always happy to give a dealer a chance to make a pitch . . . I think!!?
It is, at least, good to know that some dealers are ready to really sell C-DORYs (or is it "DORIES"??) in the Midwest. I ended up travelling to Door County, Wisconsin (no longer a C-DORY dealer) to buy my boat.
Good luck at the show (I'm not sure that RABIDFISH is a great name for a dealer . . . what happens when you get your teeth into a sale?)!!
Bruce
therevdr
 
WOW... Bruce.. That is a bit amazing to me...but I guess once the "C-Dory-idus" hit me, I have been hooked ever since. It was the 1st hardtop boat that me and the RPMs made the call as to how fast I was going... I loved that on pontoon boats, but those deep V boats just do not have it....so it is trolling along....or 20 mph to stay on plane....which often was was uncomfortable with the wind/water conditions. Now, I can just throttle up or down and find my pleasure.

I would be interested to know just what brand boats that dealer did bring?? Or, they may be able to sell more than they can get in now...so why use up the show space for them? Interesting.

Byrdman
 
Byrdman,

In response to your question about not bringing C-Dory's to the Detroit Show, let's just say that the dealer in question is less-than-enthusiatic.

When I was Midwest editor for Boating World magazine, I tested a CD 22, wrote the "Cruiser with Character" piece than is on the factory website and decided if I ever got into power (I was a hard core sailor) that the CD 22 was the one for me.

About 12 years later, we sold Spirit and went looking for a C-Dory. The Detroit dealer is a couple hours away, but all I got was an answering machine saying that they were closed for a few months (it was December). Both mail and emails went unanswered, as well. Once I got the cleaning woman on the phone who said that I could come to the yard and look at the ONE that she thought they had in stock, but no one would be around.

As a result, we wound up driving almost 400 miles to the next nearest dealer. Rabidfish was not a dealer at the time.

For a few years, I was on the start-up staff of GREAT LAKES SAILOR magazine and when we did our homework before kicking-off the first issue, we found that about one-third of the registered boats in the country are in the Great Lakes states. The market is there for the boats, but the "local" dealer hasn't been showcasing them very well.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
The Valkyrie's skipper is correct about the Michigan dealer's relative lack of interest in selling C-DORYs. When I got serious about buying in 2002, "Chuck" from Ohio (on one of the C-DORY websites) suggested that I go up to Door County, Wisconsin, because that dealer was committed enough to selling C-DORY's that he actually ordered them from the factory (the Michigan dealer told me they could get only one or two a year from the factory). It seems to me that Michigan would be a great market for the C-DORY line of vessels.
(By the way, the Michigan C-DORY dealer decided to bring a big variety of up-scale pontoon boats to the Detroit Boat Show!)
This is not "complaining" . . . I've got my C-DORY!! (The only thing that I might really complain about is that DRIFTWOOD DREI is still sitting under cover until the weather gets warmer!!)
Bruce
therevdr
 
For those interested in looking at new C-Dorys Stateamind in St. Louis has 5 new boats in stock both 22s and 25s. We just came out of the St. Louis boat show. I cannot imagine not taking a C-Dory to one's hometown show. People just swarm around the boats because there is nothing else like them-especially in the Midwest.

Best wishes, Randy
 
Randy,

You're right about that! When we dock somewhere on Lake Erie, especially in the islands area, there are so many people asking to see the boat I feel like we should get a take-a-number machine.

Last fall, after anchoring out for three days, we went inot a small marina, very anxious to use the facilities and get a shower and nine, count 'em, nine people wound up "getting the tour" with all of the accompanying questions. Hey, don't get me wrong, I love it.

Having an active, gung-ho dealer in close proximity to the major, on-the-water population areas of Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit and Chicago, and others, would be great for building a much larger CD fleet in the Midwest. As far as I can tell there are only about 6 CD's in Ohio.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Hi Nick,

We are by no means a large dealer and we sell at least 5 Tige's for every C-Dory we sell. I have been in the retail boat business for more than 20 years and I have never been as "sold" on a boat line as I am on C-Dory. I have been around a bunch too. (good and bad) These boats are really in a special niche by themselves. Feel free to stop in if you make it to St. Louis-everyone is welcome.

Best wishes, Randy.
 
The replies to my posting of "NO C-DORYs at DETROIT BOAT SHOW" are a fulfillment of my unconsciousness (-or- semi-consciousness) attempt to
pose the question : What's going on with C-DORY sales in Michigan??
I have shared in Randy's and Nick's convictions that "if people see them, they will buy!!". So much so, that I wondered if I should try to become a C-DORY dealer (the fact that Paul in Door County, Wisconsin was shut out as a dealer because he was not also a Honda service center...that convinced me that I probably would not be approved as a small-scale dealer).
As a C-DORY owner, I am constantly stopped, asked about, shouted at, etc. about what a great boat I am towing or piloting. The same holds true as I talk with the four or five C-DORY owners with whom I have come into contact on Lake St. Clair...all of them not only talk about what a great boat they have, but also about the people who ask about it.
Where is this all going?....for me, it is out on the water as soon as the slip is open and the skies are not cloudy all day!!
Bruce
therevdr
 
I bought Paul's last boat in Door County. I looked at the boats at Deck and Docks but they didn't have quite what I wanted. They are not located on the Great Lakes but are in the middle of suburban small lakeville. They do sell many more pontoon and deck boats. When I was shopping I heard many good things about the dealer on Lake Superior in Wisconsin. That dealer doesn't have much of a web presence. Also State a Mind in St Louis and the "New Guy" in New Hampshire both were both helpful and prompt with emails, etc. Now we also have Rabidfish in Indiana.
I have tried to tell my Honda dealer in Traverse City that they should carry C-Dorys. They do service a couple of others besides mine. As noted these are very popular boats at the docks, not everyone wants a reverse sheer boat (they look like pregnant penguins to me).

Mark
 
Rabidfish and Randy,

When we are in your areas, we will indeed stop by to check out the boats, say Hi and just talk C-Dory's. It seems that we can't get enough of them!

Bruce and Mark,

As far as I can tell, Valkyrie is the only CD in the western basin of Lake Erie. We'll be docking in East Harbor, near Port Clinton, this year. Chuck S (CD16) is in the Cleveland area and Salty Dog from Columbus has come up to the lake to run with us.

Here's something to think about. Maybe the CD fleet might be interested in an informal gathering/rendezvous somewhere between our two locations this summer. Let me know. I'm not talking a big blowout, but just meeting somehere for a day or two to talk CD's and compare notes.

I'm retired and Marcia often gets 5 days off in a row (it helps owning the practice) so maybe we could run up the Detroit River to Lake St. Clair for a few days.

I know that Marcia would love to do that again after the fun we had at the Chesapeake Gathering last year. You might consider that, as well.

By the way, when I did the BOATING WORLD piece on the CD22, I went out of the Northwest Outlet dealership in Superior, WI and was very impressed. Yes, it's true that when a writer from a boating magazine shows up, things often do work differently, but the owner was very good and owners who happened in while I was there were very complimentary.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
There was email talk on the C-DORY OWNERS' website about a "Midwest Gathering" . . . maybe that planning will shift over to the C-BRATS' site??!
Bruce
therevdr
 
Rabidfish posted the same message here, but there was nothing definitive that came out of it, unless I missed it, which is a possibility. Once again, I'm just talking a few boats getting together, nothing like the logistics involved in a full-blown gathering.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Nick - I'd call three boats a full-blown gathering, even without the banjo and redhots!


Valkyrie":2bbc3so3 said:
Rabidfish posted the same message here, but there was nothing definitive that came out of it, unless I missed it, which is a possibility. Once again, I'm just talking a few boats getting together, nothing like the logistics involved in a full-blown gathering.

Nick
"Valkyrie"
Click to expand...
 
Nick --

We'd sure agree with Pat -- we have been to three-boat gatherings and they were great!! Just being together on the water, with the comradeship of boat ownership, is well worth the name Gathering! Go for it!
 
Pat, El and Bill,

Okay, you three, you've got me there! Hey, I've only been to one gathering, the BIG EAST COAST GATHERING and our boat hadn't even come in yet! We'll be there with boat this year.

I think what I meant about "not full blown" was let's keep it simple and with as little bother as possible. Having been involved with MANY Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited banquets, I dread the organization that those big shindigs take.

Okay, my goal for this summer is to organize a three boat Gathering!

Best regards,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
There was a reason that the metro Detroit dealer did not have any C-Dory's at the Cobo boat show. If you where in his shoes you would have made the same decision. I met with the owner the day he returned from Florida to see the 25 C-Dory he had in stock. I asked if he was going to be at the boat show and he told me yes but he would not have any C-Dory's. He did tell me the reason but I'm not going to disclose it in a public forum. I will call him and bring this thread to his attention and if he wants to disclose it he can.

I would disagree with anybody who says he is not committed to the C-Dory line. He was honest with me about the line. He was the first salesman that told it like it is. He did not sugar coat the problems with the boats that you guys are discussing here and led me to believe that he would be there for me to help with those issues. He offered me a test ride as soon as the ice melts in March and he directed me to this site to gain first hand information about the quirks of the boats.

As far as him going away to Florida in the winter and basically shutting down the business for those months. Can you blame him? It's not like there's a large demand for boats in Michigan in December and January. He can't even give someboady a test drive. Are you going to drop $50,000 on a boat without a test ride? I'm not. These boat dealers work hard during the season here and deserve some time to get a little boating in during the winter months.

He hasn't lost me as a customer and based on my limited experience with him during the off season I would say he did a great job cosidering the circumstances.
 
I just got off the phone with Larry the owner of Decks and Docks. They will be at the Novi Spring Boating Expo Boat show March 16-19. He apologized for not having C-Dory at the Cobo Hall Show. His display space at Cobo HAll (which is very expensive) was paid for by Brunswick. Brunswick did not think too highly of letting us slide a couple of C-Dory's into the display. We are both sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused.

Jeff
 
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