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Peeling off old gelcoat

no program for boat specific repair technicians. Not long after graduation, I had my own body shop and it wasn’t long before someone came to the door and said, “Can you paint boats?” The technology of marine paints was not as sophisticated then as it is now, so we said, “Sure”. These small jobs lead to others and eventually to more complicated repair work. We began to develop an expertise with jobs that other shops shied away from. Today we do very little purely cosmetic work

BIC: How has the type of work you do changed over the years?
HB: As our skills have expanded, so has the scope of work. The vast majority of our jobs now are structural repair such as rotten engine beds, stringers or bulkheads and transoms and, of course, collision damage.

BIC: So you really don’t do much paintwork?
HB: We do have paintwork as part of the repair process and to get the best results we prefer to use colored base coats and cover them with a clear coat, which we sand and polish for a good finish.

To view the complete article, visit
Boating Industry Canada

Source: Boating Industry Canada
October 2009 Issue

Welcome to the Offshore News!

This is the first edition of Offshore News. This newsletter will focus on things of interest to our cliental. We will be gathering snippets of information from other sources to include in the newsletter.

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This is an exert from an article In Boating Industry Canada Magazine.

AFTER MORE THAN 25 years in the fiberglass boat repair business, Herman Bolger (HB) has some definite ideas of what can be done to raise industry standards. He has recently developed a seminar on “best practices” for boat shop owners and employees that allows him to share this experience.

BIC: How did you get started in this business?
HB: Straight out of high school I started a three-year apprenticeship as a Collision Repair Technician, through Fanshaw College in London, Ontario. Then, as now, there was


Destinations Detroit, Michigan Detroit is a dynamic, vibrant city, with substantial new development visible by boat or by land. From distinctive cultural institutions, new casino hotels and a transformed riverfront to championship sports, exciting nightlife, fun festivals and evens, delicious dining options and many other activities for boaters, now is an exciting time to visit the D. Detroit’s International Riverfront has been completely transformed with more than three miles of RiverWalk complete, perfect for walking, biking, running and enjoying the views of downtown Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Popular features along the riverfront include fountains, a carousel, concessions, plazas, pavilions, a bicycle shop offering bicycle rentals and fishing platforms. Also located along the Riverfront is the GM Renaissance Center. Visitors can explore this massive building which has shops, restaurants, a cinema, free tours and the GMnext showroom.	One of the newest developments along the riverfront is William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor (formerly Tri-Centennial Park), the first urban state park in Michigan. The 31-acre park offers several covered picnic areas, shoreline fishing and a newly renovated 52-slip harbor. A 63-foot light tower that is a scaled-down lighthouse marks the harbor entrance. The park also has a wetlands demonstration project, which shows how wetlands act as nature’s water filtration system. Interpretative signs explain how the wetland naturally cleans the water and then returns it to the Detroit River—without going to a wastewater treatment plant. To view the complete article, visit Great Lakes Scuttlebutt source: Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Spring 2010 Issue	Fighting the battle against Asian Carp Species of the fish known as Asian carp were introduced into the United States in the 70’s by southern catfish farmers to remove algae and suspended matter out of their ponds. However, heavy southern flooding in the early 90’s allowed the Asian carp to escape and later arrive in the Mississippi River basin. One species can grow up to 60 inches long and over 100 pounds. They can jump several feet out of the water when boats pass and cause injury to boaters. As I mentioned in our last issue, the Senate has voted to provide over $6 million to help prevent this fish from getting into the Great Lakes. In addition, both Michigan and Ohio have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review steps taken to stop the Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. source: Great Lakes Scuttlebutt Spring 2010 Issue


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