Sweating the Small Stuff

STEVE D’ANTONIO (ALL)

A missing set screw: easily overlooked, potentially catastrophic.

How many times while working around a boat shop or yard have you heard the phrases “Don’t sweat the small stuff”; “Keep the big picture in mind”; or “Don’t get bogged down in the details”?

Unfortunately, those are common refrains, especially in the marine industry, where boats (they’re a product, after all) must be launched on time for bills to be paid and profits made. However tempting it might be, on occasion, to turn a blind eye, to compromise, to simply move on, we ignore critical details at our peril. That’s what my new monthly column, Attention to Detail, is about. In it I will focus on details of boat building and repair that are too frequently overlooked—to the detriment of boats, their owners, builders, and repairers

Betting on Electric

Nimbus03

The world is running out of oil. We know that, though at times it’s hard to tell, given the way we continue to buy and behave. When
National Geographic magazine published a cover story titled “The End of Cheap Oil”—in June 2004—it was right on. Only a few years later, regular unleaded gasoline at the station had jumped to more than $4 per gallon in the United States, and nearly a buck higher than that at the dock. It’s been estimated that half the world’s oil supply has been consumed in the last 50 years. If true, the end predicted is in sight, if not for all of us, then for our children.

Lifeboats. Built Like Raceboats.

RNLI-1

Green Marine (Southampton, United Kingdom) is best known for building extremely fast carbon fiber sailing machines custom engineered to be as strong and light as advanced materials and building processes will allow. (See the cover story “Some Like It Hot” in Professional BoatBuilder No. 123, Feb/Mar 2010.) That’s the glamour. The grittier side of Green Marine’s business for the past two decades has been supplying the Royal National Lifeboat Institution with upwards of 125 robust powerboats for search-and-rescue operations in the waters around the U.K. and Ireland.

Winged Victory

Van Oossanen & Associates

In the summer of 1983, in the months leading up to the 25th America’s Cup competition in Newport, Rhode Island, a storm of controversy gathered over the challenging Australian and defending New York Yacht Club syndicates.

EVENTS:

ProBoat Events logo

Advanced Charging System, Battery Bank and DC Wiring Design, by Professional BoatBuilder Contributing Editor Steve D’Antonio.

We'll post a link to the replay of this session soon. Registration is required, but there is no fee.

MORE EVENTS WORTHY OF YOUR CONSIDERATION:

March 19–20. Chesapeake Power Boat Symposium; Annapolis, MD. Learn more…
September 28–30. IBEX; Louisville, KY. IBEX is boatbuilding technology. Learn more…

Cover photo Professional BoatBuilder magazine

The latest issue of Professional BoatBuilder magazine Issue 123, February/March 2010. View TOC (PDF)

Please complete the editorial survey for this issue.

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon Eastern Standard (US) Time, Every Tuesday

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Boatbuilders For Humanity

We are setting up this area to keep you informed of progress in our efforts to build housing for the people of Haiti. The response has been overwhelming since we first announced this endeavor on January 18th. Thank you all who have written to date: We have received some amazing, imaginative proposals.

In the meantime, if you would like to help, or have ideas, please email .

Learn more...

If you are a designer who offers plans, or a manufacturer of kits boats, we invite you to enter your information at this exciting new service. There is no charge! This is for boats of ANY hull materials.

And if you’re in the market for a boat to build, this is a fine place to start.

Note: This Directory is hosted on our sister publication’s website (WoodenBoat) but, again, it is for boats of ANY hull material.

“Open your mind to
a career in boating!”