Seattle Boat Show - Such a sparse showing

S

san juanderer

New member
A TomCat and a 23 Venture, does not seem like the dealerships and factory are putting on much of a showing. After walking around, thought, I'm seeing all kinds of aluminum skiffs ( very simple low cost models ). Why is the factory not putting on a larger show ?
Off course, the Ranger Tugs display was very impressive.
Was anyone else disappointed ?
 
Disappointed in the C-Dory showing? Almost always, at least some, but then I am very biased -- some would say :lol:

The primary reason for showing the Venture and the TomCat; easy they are more $$'s for the mfg. And if you noticed, they were shown pretty Plain Jane, not like the Seasport with the accent lights or the Rangers with the flowers and wine bottle on the table and pillows on the couch.

But then these guys are not marketers. They are manufactures who largely depend on the boat's laurels to sell themselves. And yes the boats have laurels, but the mfg stance is to show the ones that brings them the most $$ return.

The absence of the C-Dory line-up has been addressed most every year going back several years. It isn't new it is just disappointing.

I noticed that the vendor portion was smaller and fewer this year than before too, and noticed that West Marine was not there this year.

I was also thinking we might see more C-BRAT faces at the potluck, and hoping for that but I know it is not an easy "to-do" for the out of towners.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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In addition to Harvey's comments, here's a couple of other thoughts-

1. Unlike Ranger, the C-dory 'Factory' does not sell direct, so it's actually the local C-Dory Dealer that puts on the display. The dealer also sells a number of other lines, including the other NMI brands (SeaSport, Osprey, etc) plus a couple of ski-boat / runabout lines, as well as a couple of those aluminum brands that are so ubiquitous these days. It's a lot of time and effort to drive all those boats down from Mount Vernon and back.

2. The available inventory of C-dories may be low at the present time. I drove by the dealer on Tuesday and noticed no C-dory's in the lot, assumed they were all down at the show. If there was only 2 at the show, that might be all that's currently available to display. Just a guess though.

-Mike
 
Pretty much the way it has been for years, since the Reynolds' factory ownership tanked. There were a couple years in there where NO C-Dory was shown at the Seattle Boat Show. It comes down to having the resources to promote your product: Ranger Tugs management knows that they will sell everything they display at the boat show. The current C-Dory factory entity is building boats on a sold-order basis. Frankly, the fact that they had a TomCat and a 23 in the show is actually an increase from their previous presence.

We ordered our CD-25 at the 2006 Seattle Boat Show, from Jeff Messmer (the VP and marketing guy at Ranger), and they had one of every model on display... and filled much of their year's production from sales at that show. There were smiling reps from the factory, in matching C-Dory polos, there to answer questions and get you in the line to put your money down. Yep, those were the good ol' days.

It's a tough Catch-22: you can't sell what you don't show, and they don't have the sales/production/resources to make one of every model for display.

The last Seattle Boat Show we went to was 6 years ago. In spite of encouragement and offers to help man the display from some of the Brats, there was one lonely CD-22 in the show... back in a corner, and completely unadorned with the usual place mats, pillows, a bottle of wine/glasses, etc that smart marketers use to help potential customers "picture the dream."

Some manufacturers understand that they are selling a lifestyle, and some think they are just making a boat.
 
It's an interesting time in the pleasure boat market and I'm rather glad that I am not making the decisions for a manufacturer. The boom days before the global financial crisis are gone and the market seems to have recovered but the "geezers" have probably bought their boats and later generations are looking for a different lifestyle. There is much discussion over on the Ranger tug website about the changes they have made this year. The original R21 and R25 boats that were the backbone of the success story have been "suspended" as production is fully loaded with the R23 and R27OB. Whether this opens up a spot in the market for an alternate trailerable classic diesel inboard remains to be seen. There will certainly be more changes to come. Who would've thought even a short while ago that Brunswick would be selling the Sea Ray line, once the flagship of the company.
 
I believe that the main problem with the current factory and dealers is that they just do not and can not understand or appreciate the cdory line as we do. They see it simple as a fill in boat. You cant afford a seasport? well heres a cheaper fishing boat. But they refuse to make the necessary changes to transform the cdory into a serous fishing boat.

They do not understand a cruising boat of this size or the people that love them. I have tried countless times to explain it to the builders and salesman. You can see their eyes glaze over after about 10 seconds.

It truly is a shame. I do drive by the dealer in mt veron all the time and all winter they had 8 or so cdorys parked at the fence. I have no idea why they are not at the shoe other then its a line they dont really believe in.
 
I agree with Starcrafttom, it is a shame.
The wine, ambiance, and lighting is already in place, C-brats organization.
The dealership may favor there other boat lines, harder to be enthused when you favor your brawny offshore Osprey or Weldcraft.
Not the right boat mix ?
 
I am just grateful that the C-Dory line continues to exist under NMI and the Wrights. It has been on the brink of extinction at least three times since we bought our CD25 in the waning Reynolds years. Do I wish it were otherwise as far as the marketing of C-Dorys? Yes. But it is not as though the Wrights don't KNOW what C-Brats want, it just does not match up with their business objectives, and I cannot fault them for that.
 
Pat is absolutely right. The Wrights are not newbies at building and selling boats. They've been in the business for at least a couple of cycles. The C-Dory is a boat that probably returns a good profit, or they wouldn't build and sell it. However it's not the most profitable boat they build, I'd guess. And they don't own the molds. We ought to be glad the C-Dories are still being built and sold.

You know that they could redesign it and start selling that version. Then listen to the screams.

Oh, wait, did I just say that Pat was ABSOLUTELY right? Oh, my god (or yours.)

Boris
 
Newbies or not, constructive criticism is just that. Successful businesses know that marketing is just as important as manufacturing." Build it and they will come" is fine in mythology but doesn't work in business.
 
chimoii":2thfk6l5 said:
The boom days before the global financial crisis are gone and the market seems to have recovered but the "geezers" have probably bought their boats and later generations are looking for a different lifestyle.
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Correct !
 
Two things I can say for sure about the Seattle Boat Show. First, the Cutwater and Ranger Tugs are beautiful boats that have superior fit and finish. Second, there are some really bad welding jobs on some of the aluminum boats.
 
forrest":1o7j1i7g said:
Two things I can say for sure about the Seattle Boat Show. First, the Cutwater and Ranger Tugs are beautiful boats that have superior fit and finish. Second, there are some really bad welding jobs on some of the aluminum boats.
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And the fit and finish on the V-23 and the TC-255 (which I didn't look at really close) was very nice. They look very well done.

Everything so far sounds right on.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
The guys at the booth were not very attentive given I was carrying a hefty down payment for a new boat or a full payment for a used C-Dory. We drooled over the Tomcat Friday at the show and would have loved to have seen a video of it in the water or asked about the cruiser vs the tomcat but I'm sure they were tired after a long show and were saving their energy for Seattle city slickers.

I had tickets to the show from a broker who had arranged a very disappointing sea trial of a 25 that afternoon. Fortunately, after reading the broker the riot act, the amazing service manager replaced both the batteries and took us out for a good Puget sound sea trail after viewing the floating dock in the morning. After giving it a good scrub for an hour in the brokers yard, before bringing it home to show the wife, we got home at 11 pm and managed to fit the 25 in our driveway.

Looking at the price tag on the Tomcat and all the other boat sure helped us pull the trigger, on our used one!
 
The bigger question is what is the long term plan for NMI. Ron is not a spry chicken anymore - what happens when he retires? I dunno my friends. I think the problem in part is that the C-Dory line fills a niche but I am not sure there is much passion on the builders side to grow it or improve it beyond what it already is. I spoke with the local dealer here and sales are not easy to come by. In our local market (PDX) Aluminum boats are where its at if you are in the business of sales. My local dealer (have I mentioned they are awesome :-)) sells new boats in addition to their existing business maintenance/repair/consignment not as a main focus.
 
This thread is sadly amusing . Almost none of you are new boat buyers , yet the postulating about making and selling new boats keeps coming . They have simply priced themselves out of the market and have zero innovation happening. All that flash you see on the Ranger Tugs will go to hell quickly ,and is not built nearly as well as a C Dory . But it sells boats . I remember the Livingstons saying Ill never put an outboard on a boat,I hate outboards .
They dazzle em with 10 pounds of *hi* in a 5 pound bag.

I figured it out, Ill let somebody else run the new boat museum and Ill keep giving folks what they want . Good used ones and good service.
How to make a fortune in the new C Dory business ? Start with a large fortune and get out with a small one.
Marc
 
Ordutch1975":hp6jpi0g said:
In our local market (PDX) Aluminum boats are where its at if you are in the business of sales.
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That's fine if you keep your boat only in fresh water but ALL aluminum boats used in salt water will eventually corrode. It's just a matter of time before people realize that and go back to glass.
 
Wefings":3jzlu4w7 said:
This thread is sadly amusing . Almost none of you are new boat buyers , yet the postulating about making and selling new boats keeps coming . They have simply priced themselves out of the market and have zero innovation happening. All that flash you see on the Ranger Tugs will go to hell quickly ,and is not built nearly as well as a C Dory . But it sells boats . I remember the Livingstons saying Ill never put an outboard on a boat,I hate outboards .
They dazzle em with 10 pounds of *hi* in a 5 pound bag.

I figured it out, Ill let somebody else run the new boat museum and Ill keep giving folks what they want . Good used ones and good service.
How to make a fortune in the new C Dory business? Start with a large fortune and get out with a small one.
Marc
Click to expand...

I think one of the problems with getting priced out of the market is the supply of labor and the cost of doing business on the water in WA, which contributes to being priced out of the market. Service from a mediocre mechanic at a medium-sized dealer is $159 an hour on lake Washington, plus taxes if the consumer is paying for it. What they are paying in labor rates is amazingly low in comparison but healthcare and payroll costs are not cheap. I'm not super knowledgeable about the fiberglass, rigging and canvas labor rates but with the economy booming, I think it is tough to hold onto people as there are lots of big yacht retrofits going on.

The prep and service you put into a boat for sale and marketing it Marc is amazing compared to the dealer/broker I bought from up here and one I was talking to on the East Coast.
 
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