I recently purchased a used Current Designs Storm (in good condition), and I’m trying to establish when the boat was built . . . maybe these clues will help some knowledgeable person: there seems to be no serial number on the boat; it has neoprene hatch covers with plastic lids, front and back; the rudder is controlled by a metal lever; a Canadian maple leaf is a part of the Current Designs logo. The CD people said it was built pre-2000 at the original CD factory in British Columbia. Can anyone help me pin it down more precisely? Thanks
Serial Number
I’ve got a Storm that has the same details you’ve mentioned. The serial number on my boat doesn’t really stand out. It appears to have been hand scratched into the hull on the stern.
They may have warmed the hull slighlty and took a sharp instrument to carve the SN into the plastic. Hard to see becuase it is the same color as the boat.
If you find the SN, taking some paper, placing it over the SN and then rubbing some pencil lead over the paper will help to reveal the number. I think the last 3 numbers give the the production year - the last 3 on mine is 202 and I did buy it in 2002.
Hope that helps.
Found it!
I did as you suggested and, lo and behold, I found the serial number. As you say, it had been hand scratched into one side of the stern, just below the rudder. To see it, I used a flashlight held at a side angle and then looked from the other side (I also did the pencil shading trick) . . . never would have noticed otherwise. The last three digits clearly are 001, so I’m going with 2001. Thanks much for your help.
Couple of other things
Sounds we have the same vintage boat.
Within the warranty period (I bought my boat new) the rear bulkhead started to leak. The Storm design at the time had a plastic bulkhead that was set in place with what looked like silicon caulk. I tried to solve by re-applying silicon caulk - no luck. Contacted CD and they said they were having problems with the bulkheads leaking and had made a design change. They sent the dealer new foam(I think) bulkheads and the dealer installed them using some king of welding(I think) process. Haven’t had a leak since.
Secondly, when I didn’t use the boat I would not leave the neoprene covers installed. Over time I found I could not get the neoprene covers to stay on. I guess they shrank. Called CD - Wenonah now - and they sent me new ones free of charge. This was after owning the boat for 5 years or so. Great customer service - hope they still have it. I now leave the neoprene installed all the time unless I am accessing the hatch.
Glad to help - it’s a great boat - very seaworthy and handles big water well. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Neoprene reply
Thanks for the tip on the neoprene covers - I’ll do as you suggest. The person I bought it from said the bulkheads don’t leak . . . we’ll see. I rented a CD Storm about a month ago (before the purchase) for a one-week Lake Superior trip; I really liked it - spacious, steady in rough water, tracks well without the rudder, reasonably fast.