January 2015

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    Premier Marine Inc. of Wyoming, Minn., has promoted Lori Melbostad from vice president of operations to company president. The move puts Melbostad in charge of the company and all operations. Current president and founder Bob Menne will remain the CEO of the luxury pontoon builder and will continue his involvement as a spokesperson for the [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    Anticipating what makes a client difficult for you can help to resolve problems before they swell. By Melynda Norman-Lee So you have a client you don’t like to work with. Have you taken the time to figure out why? What is it about working with this client that bothers you? Is it the client’s lack [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    How did your shop get started? As a young woman, I lived in South Florida and wanted to do something I could travel with. That was canvas work, and I found a job as an apprentice for the wonderful pay of $4.64 an hour and quickly found out I had a real talent for it. [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    Photo 1: From left: The author's grandmother, Elizabeth "Nana" Granewitsch, sisters Abigail Granewitsch and Henrietta Granewitsch, and rowing companions Frank Felkner and Robert Bruce Crisswell. Whether these are your early years as a fabricator or you are a seasoned “salty dog,” we all are walking a road with a unique language and set [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    During the past few years, there have been a large number of new fasteners and fittings made available in the industry. I have found a number of them very applicable to the marine fabrication industry. With the import items from New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Holland, to name just a few, the U.S. market has [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    In October 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard dropped its life jacket type code scheme—Type I, II, III, IV and V—that has been used for years to label and differentiate the types of life jackets and their specific use. The move is expected to lead to more comfortable and innovative life jacket designs and lower costs, [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    Steve Szenay, first vice chair of the Marine Fabricators Association, and Tom Hunter, longtime MFA board member, each released books this past fall. Szenay’s “Marine Canvas Track to Track” offers “seven secrets to installing the perfect track.” They are his insights, gained from visiting some 1,100 canvas shops across the country, into the business of [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is looking to fund Grassroots Grant projects that utilize new, innovative approaches that encourage safe and clean boating among the boating public. Organizations with the best ideas will be awarded grants of up to $10,000 to implement their project. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15, [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    Intrepid Powerboats of Dania, Fla., offers the first natural-gas-powered hybrid yacht direct from the factory. The boat features fuel system technology from Blue Gas Marine to power its outboard motors. The Blue Gas Natural Gas Hybrid is the first technology of its kind and it was developed by Blue Gas Marine Inc., which is based [...]

  • Published On: January 1, 2015

    ADP Lightspeed of Salt Lake City, Utah, has been renamed CDK Global Recreation. It is now a business unit of CDK Global Inc. CDK Recreation remains part of the former ADP Dealer Services organization, and the CDK Recreation team will retain the same people and size. Lightspeed will remain the name for products. The business [...]