Questions from a Dealership employee.

[Master Marine]

Sorry if this is a mess of a question!

I work at a C-dory Dealership as a Marketer, and I will admit that this question is entirely work related but also it is a genuine question for me. Over the years after getting to meet the owners, managers, and some of the workers several times at the factory and at boat shows, and seeing the boats everyday at work has solidified them as my favorite brand in terms of quality and customer service. But when I look across the country, there are maybe 4-7 New C-Dory's for sale at a time. Would there be a good channel, or forum chat that would be able to post these models when they are available. I say this knowing that there will be some people that might like this, and some people that might be annoyed by it so I am asking to see if there is an option that would be appeasing to either side, or and option to only see it if you choose to.

Here's the thing, C-Dory as a manufacture limits what we can show online, So all models that are Current Year(2026) will not be able to show PRICES. I know, I know, I know that's one of the most important factors when looking for a boat, but C-Dory will not allow us to share Current Year Prices; Any models from previous years could and would be shown. The listing would include all the information on the base model, include the options and equipment that we rig it with, and a price(If we are allowed to show it)

So if y'all could, please let me know your thoughts. It might just be a dumb idea from a dealership but I would wonder if it would just make things easier for C-Dory owners looking to upgrade. Thanks!

 

[TyBoo]

Not a dumb idea at all. In fact, the forum for that is already set up right here: C-Dory Sales - Dealers.

It wasn't used much on the previous version of our site but we would like to see it get some action now that it is easier. All we ask is that it be for C-Dory dealers and that the notices be for C-Dory brand boats only. Of course, as a C-Dory dealer you can include a link to your site so the prospective customer will be free to look at any other offerings you have.

As I recall, here was some spam content that showed up on the forum previously so it was shut down for a while but long before the move over to the new site it was cleaned up. A couple of the dealers who used the forum are no longer affiliated with C-Dory so there has not been any recent activity.

Maybe we can even get someone from the factory to comment occasionally about boat shipments going out or special projects going on at the factory. We haven't heard from Julie for quite a while. Facebook is becoming more trouble than it is worth anymore and while it certainly is able to reach more potential customers it may not be the best for holding on to them.

So please, feel free to share your C-Dory inventory, both new and used, along with whatever relevant info you are allowed. With the new format we have a lot more members viewing the site and a great many more lurkers. I am fond of saying that we here on C-Brats have sold more C-Dorys than C-Dory has so you would be well served by following your not so dumb idea.

Who knows, we might even inspire you to get your business featured in a banner ad at the top of the page. The other Admin guy is the one to see for that. Either way, the forum linked above is there waiting.

Thanks for asking, and welcome aboard!

 

[Master Marine]

Not a dumb idea at all. In fact, the forum for that is already set up right here: C-Dory Sales - Dealers.

It wasn't used much on the previous version of our site but we would like to see it get some action now that it is easier. All we ask is that it be for C-Dory dealers and that the notices be for C-Dory brand boats only. Of course, as a C-Dory dealer you can include a link to your site so the prospective customer will be free to look at any other offerings you have.

As I recall, here was some spam content that showed up on the forum previously so it was shut down for a while but long before the move over to the new site it was cleaned up. A couple of the dealers who used the forum are no longer affiliated with C-Dory so there has not been any recent activity.

Maybe we can even get someone from the factory to comment occasionally about boat shipments going out or special projects going on at the factory. We haven't heard from Julie for quite a while. Facebook is becoming more trouble than it is worth anymore and while it certainly is able to reach more potential customers it may not be the best for holding on to them.

So please, feel free to share your C-Dory inventory, both new and used, along with whatever relevant info you are allowed. With the new format we have a lot more members viewing the site and a great many more lurkers. I am fond of saying that we here on C-Brats have sold more C-Dorys than C-Dory has so you would be well served by following your not so dumb idea.

Who knows, we might even inspire you to get your business featured in a banner ad at the top of the page. The other Admin guy is the one to see for that. Either way, the forum linked above is there waiting.

Thanks for asking, and welcome aboard!

Thanks so much for linking that! I will get right to it! I agree, as someone who works with facebook everyday, scams are getting far too common in facebook groups.

 

[ssobol]

I wonder what the reason for not showing prices is? I've seen other manufacturers do this (e.g. Ranger Tugs). If a dealer has a new '25 model sitting on the lot, they can publish a price, but not a new '26?

 

[Master Marine]

I wonder what the reason for not showing prices is? I've seen other manufacturers do this (e.g. Ranger Tugs). If a dealer has a new '25 model sitting on the lot, they can publish a price, but not a new '26?

From an "Insider" point of view, all eight of our brands give use different rules(MAP Policies/Advertising Guidelines) so it's hard to specify one reason, but boats in general are widely ranged in prices even on the same model boat. Two 25 Ventures may sell $100,000 apart due to equipment(e.g. Getting a motor upgrade, Garmin accessories, Relocating the bathroom), If a customer sees a 25 venture sell for $150K and then comes in to see another 25 Venture and its a 70k, 35k, or even 10k difference can really leave a sour taste in customers mouth. Another reason is to Prevent Pricing Wars between two dealerships, this can devalue the brand and raise tensions between dealers which most manufacturers just don't want to deal with that. And the last reason I can think of right now, and really the only reason that I really don't like, Lead Generation. "If people don't know the price and are interested, they will reach out and ask the price", I think that is dumb and it leads to more abrasive interactions than otherwise. Because what actually happens isn’t “more leads,” it’s worse leads. From the customers side, they are forced to fill out one or more forms, wait for a salesmen to respond, and then sit through a sales pitch just to get some info they were scrolling online for. It pushes away buyers that are serious but don't have the time for or are already past the early stages of the sale.

When the boat becomes a year older, like what just happened to the 2025 models, the competitiveness of its value drops. The thought process becomes “Why would I buy last year’s boat unless I’m saving money?” Once the next model year comes out, the focus naturally shifts from equipment differences, price wars, and brand positioning to helping dealers move remaining inventory to make space for next years models. At that point, since the boat is already built and fully equipped, it’s easier and more appropriate for dealers to present clear, market-based pricing.

But yeah, in conclusion, We are not trying to be scammy or sell your information to weird websites. We are just following the rules given to us by each specific manufacturer.

 

[ssobol]

From an "Insider" point of view, all eight of our brands give use different rules(MAP Policies/Advertising Guidelines) so it's hard to specify one reason, but boats in general are widely ranged in prices even on the same model boat. Two 25 Ventures may sell $100,000 apart due to equipment(e.g. Getting a motor upgrade, Garmin accessories, Relocating the bathroom), If a customer sees a 25 venture sell for $150K and then comes in to see another 25 Venture and its a 70k, 35k, or even 10k difference can really leave a sour taste in customers mouth. Another reason is to Prevent Pricing Wars between two dealerships, this can devalue the brand and raise tensions between dealers which most manufacturers just don't want to deal with that. And the last reason I can think of right now, and really the only reason that I really don't like, Lead Generation. "If people don't know the price and are interested, they will reach out and ask the price", I think that is dumb and it leads to more abrasive interactions than otherwise. Because what actually happens isn’t “more leads,” it’s worse leads. From the customers side, they are forced to fill out one or more forms, wait for a salesmen to respond, and then sit through a sales pitch just to get some info they were scrolling online for. It pushes away buyers that are serious but don't have the time for or are already past the early stages of the sale.

When the boat becomes a year older, like what just happened to the 2025 models, the competitiveness of its value drops. The thought process becomes “Why would I buy last year’s boat unless I’m saving money?” Once the next model year comes out, the focus naturally shifts from equipment differences, price wars, and brand positioning to helping dealers move remaining inventory to make space for next years models. At that point, since the boat is already built and fully equipped, it’s easier and more appropriate for dealers to present clear, market-based pricing.

But yeah, in conclusion, We are not trying to be scammy or sell your information to weird websites. We are just following the rules given to us by each specific manufacturer.

Two things IMO.

1) Yes, equipment makes a difference in the price, but (for example) cars have varied equipment and it is pretty easy to find out the price of a new car with whatever equipment you want from the choices the dealer offers. Cars have MSRPs that allow comparisons, even though the price you actually pay will likely be different (maybe by a lot). Boats are more individually customized, but a base price or an "as equipped" price would be useful.
If an ad doesn't show a price, I've lost interest in that ad. If the dealer/seller can't be bothered to show the price, then I won't be bothered to find it out. For me, this applies to everything, not just boats. Whatever I am buying, there are other sellers.

2) If the price of a '25 model is published but the '26 model is not, how can the competitiveness of the value be judged?

I don't want this to be interpreted that I am beating up on Master Marine. I'm just having an interesting discussion.

 

[Master Marine]

Two things IMO.

1) Yes, equipment makes a difference in the price, but (for example) cars have varied equipment and it is pretty easy to find out the price of a new car with whatever equipment you want from the choices the dealer offers. Cars have MSRPs that allow comparisons, even though the price you actually pay will likely be different (maybe by a lot). Boats are more individually customized, but a base price or an "as equipped" price would be useful.
If an ad doesn't show a price, I've lost interest in that ad. If the dealer/seller can't be bothered to show the price, then I won't be bothered to find it out. For me, this applies to everything, not just boats. Whatever I am buying, there are other sellers.

2) If the price of a '25 model is published but the '26 model is not, how can the competitiveness of the value be judged?

I don't want this to be interpreted that I am beating up on Master Marine. I'm just having an interesting discussion.

Those are both really valid points, and honestly I don’t disagree with you on a lot of it.

On the car comparison, MSRP works really well in that industry, and I think that’s something boating could probably improve on. The challenge is that boats tend to have a wider swing in how they’re actually rigged and sold. A “base price” can sometimes feel a bit misleading if most boats on the lot are equipped quite a bit above that. That said, I agree that having more consistent reference pricing would make it easier for customers to compare.

On your second point, that’s kind of the weird part of the industry. There’s not really a clean way around it right now. Since dealers can’t always post pricing publicly on current models, a lot of that comparison ends up happening the old-school way, over the phone or in person. Not ideal, but that’s where you actually get real numbers to compare.

And yeah, I get how that’s frustrating. You’re basically trying to compare a priced ‘25 to a “call for price” ‘26, which doesn’t give you much to go off of upfront.

And no worries, I didn’t take it as you beating up on us at all. It’s a good conversation. I think being transparent with how we advertise and operate will prevent more abrasive interactions for both our customers and staff!