ProBoat Radio

Ann Avary (Northwest Center of Excellence for Manufacturing & Technology) will talk about her experience at IBEX 2010, investigating the annual innovation awards.

For years, many of us have turned to J.R.Watson at Gougeon Brothers (Bay City, Michigan) when we had questions about glue. Or questions about epoxy resins, hardeners, and a lot of other products. After more than two decades of offering tech support to WEST System customers, J.R. has become a true storehouse of information, and for this show, we invite you to send in your toughest glue questions for J.R. But do it now, because he is going to retire soon. We may also ask him about the 30 or so boats he’s built for himself, and maybe he’ll be willing to tell us about some of his favorite projects, which have ranged from hovercraft to telescopes. WoodenBoat Editor Matt Murphy will be on hand to conduct the interview, and this should be a very entertaining and enjoyable show for all.  Don’t forget. Send your questions now to radio@proboat.com

Mike Bradley (North Carolina Marine Trades) will join us to talk about the boating industry in his state, as well as his upcoming IBEX 2011 presentation on how supply chain clusters can help employers both create and retain jobs.

From the outside looking in, survey work – especially for damage claims – may look like easy money. All you need is a little technical knowledge of boats, a check list, a couple of how-to courses, and a clipboard, right? Print up some business cards, and you’re good to go. Except for a couple of key components: Professionalism and Ethics. What’s the real route to marine surveying as a career commitment? What is the proper place in a surveyor’s education for how-to courses and boilerplate protocol? While following a survey checklist may make the insurance adjustor happy -- and settle a claim sooner -- how can clients know they have gotten the best possible information? Join us to talk about how surveyors can build strong foundations for their practices, and how that solid ground will prepare them to handle damage claims and other processes as professionals.

Training/Education and Community Perception: not always in harmony: When we think of the challenges that face training and education providers, most of us think of enrollments, class sizes and the cost of tuition. Seldom do we consider the sometimes difficult world of local politics and community perception of a program, and consequently the value an education provider represents to the local and regional community, in terms of economic impact and the skill sets obtained. ProBoat West will explore this issue in our March 29 show. Join Ann Avary and her guests -- Bob Turcotte of The Boat School at Husson College and Gregg Trunnell of Pacific Maritime Institute -- as they explore this topic in depth.

Our guest from Tipton Design and Engineering will explain modular fabrication and describe how it can change the way boats are built.

Rob Kaidy, N.A. (Stuart, Florida) and Barbara Jean Walsh (Berkeley, California) will talk about their experiences in India and offer some insight into the culture and opportunities for the marine industry there.

Our surveyors return to talk about moisture meters and other devices that help to tell the story.

Fred Pace with Legendary Marine will join us to talk about marina management.

Host Ann Avary will talk about ways to find funding for marine-industry training programs.

When Catamaran Met Hovercraft: Our guest is Bruce Barsumian, founder and president of MACS Research, parent company of Axcell Yachts. We'll be talking about the new AXCELL 650 Catamaran Sport Yacht and its proprietary HybridAir™ Technology. In designing this remarkable craft, Barsumian borrowed a few ideas from the hovercraft market and developed a new surface effect hull form with large, open air chambers in the bottom of each of the catamaran's hulls. Each hull is injected with with pressurized air. The result? Approximately 50 percent of the vessel's weight is supported on an air cushion that separates most of the hull's running surface from the water.

What do surveyors need to know corrosion? We’ll discuss how to assess the types of damage that can occur, recognize common mistakes, and make the appropriate recommendations for averting additional problems.

David Veech returns to answer your questions about how lean manufacturing techniques can improve work flow -- and profit flow -- in marine industry businesses.

Our West Coast Host Ann Avary offers a little slice of the marine systems pie as we focus on electrical and corrosion. Our guest is Kevin Ritz of Cruising Essentials out of Scappoose, Oregon. Kevin has 20 plus years of experience in the industry and is widely regarded as an electrical and corrosion expert. We’ll talk about how this critical aspect of systems has evolved, what the future looks like, and why it is such an important topic for builders and yards alike. And of course we welcome your questions and comments!

If you have ever wondered what a ProBoat E-Training course really looks like, visit the Online Open House to sample all of PBE-T’s currently available offerings. On this week’s show, we’ll officially open the doors and talk you through the different possibilities for you as a student, or as a potential instructors. To access the Open House, you need to register so you can participate in the forums, ask questions of the instructors, and so on. To register, go to www.pbbetraining.com and (1) log-in with your PBE-T username and password or (2) sign up. After you have done that, select the Open House from the list of courses, and enter the key fHOUb3U when prompted. (After Dec 27, the Open House will be available via "guest access" as well.)