ProBoat Radio

  While we were at IBEX, we took a break to chat with Bob Adriance and Beth Leonard about BoatUS. Adriance has been part of the team there for more than 30 years, and Leonard–a two-time circumnavigator–is new kid on the block. We think you’ll enjoy this conversation with Adriance, Leonard, and ProBoat Radio WEST host Ann Avary. P.S. In case you think Adriance’s voice is familiar, he played the part of Bob in last week’s melodrama, A Dark and Stormy Night.

This week on ProBoat Radio, we've assembled a stellar cast of characters to present the first, and possibly last, episode of ProBoat Radio Readers Theatre: "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night at Boat Shop Univerity." Recorded live at IBEX 2012, this melodrama has it all including suspense, romance, evil twins, a dead body, alien abduction, and of course, a dark and stormy night. 

This week, Ann Avary, of the Northwest Center of Excellence in Marine Manufacturing and Technology (Anacortes, Washington) will interview Heidi Boley, a math and science educator from Oakland, California. What’s the connection? Avary says manufacturers and other marine-industry employers often tell her that new hires are lacking in basic math skills.  Boley says the schools she works with are highly concerned about graduating students will real-word abilities.  Listen in to hear them discuss better ways for education and employment to work together to develop a stronger workforce.

Naval Architect David Jones and Mike Bergen (U.S. Navy [ret.]) join us for a conversation about construction details and the importance of doing it right--whether the build is a pleasure boat, commercial vessel, or combatant craft.

  Daniel Flanigan joins us to discuss Scout, a twelve foot long autonomous robotic boat designed to cross the Atlantic Ocean, relying only on pre-programmed commands and information that it can collect about its environment through sensors. According to the project website, “It is built to deal with anything the ocean can throw at it” — and its status will be reported live online. Check out the build page to see how Scout is being constructed. The project started in February of 2011, with plans to launch soon. Check the blog for the most recent updates. And here’s the fun part: Most of the team members are 21 years old, or younger.

What's the difference between surveying a fiberglass boat and a wooden one? In this episode, our surveyors will focus on wooden hull design and construction, explaining how they detect  with rot, corrosion, fractures, and joint failures. We'll also talk about how these problems should be addressed, from the surveyor's point of view. Got questions? Send them now to radio@proboat.com.  

ProBoat Radio WEST host Ann Avary welcome's Ben Ellison to give us an update on the latest electronics gadgets, especially those he has chosen for his lobster yacht Gizmo. For more on this topic, go to http://www.ibexshow.com and sign up for Ben's sessions at IBEX 2012! Or visit his website, Panbo.

Our guest this week is David Veech (Institute for Lean Systems), author of The C4 Process: Four Vital Steps to Better Work, offering a way to teach a structured problem solving method to everyone in your organization. This will be an intro to the C4 Process. For a more detailed experience, register for the MITEC pre-conference at IBEX 2012: "Problem Solving Skills for the Marine Industry."

  Bruce Schwab (Bruce Schwab Energy Systems LLC) joins us to discuss new and anticipated changes in marine energy storage systems. A two-time solo circumnavigator, he has real-world experience to share with us, both as a sailor and as a marine-industry veteran. Join us to find out what batteries are being used in the world’s top yachts, and why.    

  Marine surveyor Jack Hornor joins our roundtable crew this week to discuss why good props and shafts go bad.    This will be a preview of an IBEX 2012 session on the same topic, with the same caveat: "If you are wrong in your selection and installation method, the result may well be shaft failure leading to a serious accident."    Join us for some real-world case studies. 

Carol Hasse is a world renown sail maker with more than 30 years of experience. Since 1978, she has owned Hasse & Company (Port Townsend Sails)  and has built a reputation for technical and sail making excellence. In this ProBoat Radio WEST show Ann Avary interviews Carol about the evolution of modern sail making, the use of new technologies and materials, and doing things the right way.  

IBEX 2012 is a few short months away. The brochures are in the mail, and the new website is up and running. In this week's show, we invite ProBoat publisher Carl Cramer & editor Aaron Porter, along with IBEX marketing director Anne Dunbar, to join us. Tune in to hear about what's new and different on the trade show floor, and what will be taking place in the seminar rooms this year.  IBEX will take place in Louisville, Kentucky, Oct 2-4, 2012.

Naval Architect Rob Schofield will be participating in four seminars at IBEX 2012, covering a variety of topics including Fabric Selection and Production Economics in Laminate Design, Composite Materials Testing, Gelcoat Cracking, and Fire Performance of Marine Craft Structures. He tells us he’s also very interested in attending the seminar Scantlings: ISO 12215 Update to be presented by Eric Sponberg and Ulrich Heinemann. So, in this episode of ProBoat Radio, we’ll take a quick look at Rob’s IBEX offerings, but we’ll also ask him his opinion on ISO 12215 and how it applies to U.S. boat manufacturers, whether they are working in composites, metal, or wood. If you have questions for Rob, please send them now to radio@proboat.com.  

  We started ProBoat Radio three years ago, with Andre Cocquyt as our guest. On July 10, Andre returns for another chat. Please do send us your questions in advance by email: radio@proboat.com. We will be on vacation the week of July 1, so we will not be broadcasting live on the 3rd, but we do encourage you to check out our list of past shows and listen to some that you may have missed. As always, we welcome your comments.

  Air Date: June 25, 2012 As promised, Ann Avary is back to learn more about marine corrosion from Kevin Ritz, and this time he has back-up from Ted Swartz. Ritz is an ABYC Master Tech, CEO of Cruising Essentials, LLC in Oregon and, with Swartz, is part of the team at Electro-Guard, Inc. Marine Corrosion Solutions. In the second part of series, we’ll bring you up to date on what we discussed in Part I,  and then we'll launch into a discussion of specific case studies, corrosion mitigation, and the impact of corrosion to business and the boat owner.