Your new, ‘ideal’ shop should not fit your needs like a glove. By Gary Legwold Your shop is a tool, the biggest tool you have to get a job done. So it makes sense to find the best tool for optimum efficiency and to keep that tool sharp. In your quest for the ideal shop, [...]

Imagine a new customer bringing in a crusty, old vintage boat that has been stored for decades in his or her grandfather’s garage. They want an estimate on how much it would cost to bring this old gem back to life. Steve Shoop, president of the Land O’Lakes chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat [...]

Business operations within the marine industry can face numerous risk exposures including, but not limited to: Property exposure from flammable paints, lubricants, oils, degreasers and solvents used in service and repair operations and the combustibility of watercraft. The risk increases if flammables are not properly stored. Welding exposures are often a part of the repair [...]

By Dara Syrkin Fabricators are mobilizing their know-how and dreaming up options for the future. “We will soon be installing a sewing machine on our work barge,” says Justin Jones. “It currently serves us by being able to get all our tools and product right to the boat for fitting or installation. At some point [...]

By Dara Syrkin Laura Rendell, owner of Coastal Marine Care (Portland, Maine), uses whatever mode of transportation is necessary to get the job done. “I do lots of work at our local Centerboard Yacht Club, and they gladly shuttle me in their runabout to any mooring. I travel, on average, a 15-mile radius and up [...]

by Dara Syrkin The America’s Cup organizers approached Liz Diaz because they needed race-course marker buoys. “We have CAD software, which includes an application called Revolver that allows us to tackle 3-D projects like cones. So we came up with a design that met all of the race’s requirements and included symbols for where the [...]

Managing the customers’ expectations of longevity is key. by Thad Bowes, marine division director, Rainier Industries Ltd. Printing on fabrics is fairly nuanced, and there are a number of factors that affect the final results, such as the materials used and whether the boat is exposed to the elements year-round or is covered when not [...]

Darren Arthur’s business strategy is to be a custom shop with a standardized process. In short, mass customization. He hopes his new plotter-cutter will help. “We want to have a standardized method so we don’t have to rethink the process every time,” says Arthur, owner and president of Nautilux Custom Canvas LLC in Hazlet, N.J. [...]

More information about some of the products mentioned in the "Going hi-tech" story and others related to the same tasks. Proliner by Prodim USA www.prodim-systems.com Prodim International is the maker of the Proliner 3-D/2-D measuring device. The mechanical wire measuring mechanism, which is attached to a pen, allows the user to capture both 2-D and [...]

> By Maura Keller In an environment literally surrounded by water, foam products within the marine fabrication industry face the chance of mold and mildew surfacing on cushions, seat backs and other areas of a vessel. Mold and mildew not only pose a health threat but they also unleash an unpleasant odor. It should come [...]