These are submissions to the 2018 and 2019 Marine Fabricators Conference Tools, Tips and Tricks contest.

Tip 1

Document your projects with a drone

Photo documentation is the most important tool we use to show our work to potential customers on our websites and in promotional documents. But in a tight marina with full slips or for a large yacht that towers over every other boat, we often find getting good photo documentation difficult or impossible.

Camera-mounted drones are a vital tool in documenting our finished products and are useful for getting a detailed look at boats for bidding projects. Flying one for photography or video is as easy as aiming and pushing a shutter button. We chose the DJI Mavic Pro. While $1,000-$1,500 for a complete package seems expensive, after taking pictures with a cell phone for years and looking to upgrade to a professional digital camera, it is only a few more dollars and you have a quality 4K photo that flies high above your project.

—Ryon Figgins, Sea2Sky Upholstery & Canvas

Tip 2

Use a wire rack for binding and other materials

This electrician’s wire rack is the perfect holder for the spools of binding, leach line, shock cord and welting products we use in our shop. Because it’s on wheels, it’s easy to roll it out of the way when it’s not in use or to move it to various locations in the shop.

—Rick Balabuck, Good Vibrations Canvas