Seminars at a Glance > Monday > Tuesday > Wednesday > CEUs
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
SESSION 301
High-Performance Powerboat Design
For more than three decades, Michael Peters Yacht Design (Sarasota, Florida) has developed literally hundreds of powerboat designs, ranging from 20-knot motoryachts to 175-mph (281.6-kph) raceboats—and everything in between. Constructed of wood, aluminum, FRP, and advanced carbon/honeycomb composites, each of these vessels represents Peters’ thorough knowledge of hullforms and propulsive and structural engineering. As a result, MPYD is responsible for the creation of some of the world’s fastest boats. In this session, Peters will outline and discuss the design details that have made his high-speed boats so successful. We encourage you to bring your questions.
Speaker: Michael Peters (Michael Peters Yacht Design)
SESSION 302
Design Criteria for Cored Transoms
Although plywood once dominated the transom-core business, a number of high-density PVC and SAN structural-core options have since entered the market. More recently, fiber-reinforced and non-reinforced polyurethane products have been introduced as transom-core materials. At the same time, some boatbuilders are turning to poured polyester putty for transom work. In this session, our panel of designers, builders, and researchers will answer your questions about these different materials and methods, how they absorb loads, and how they affect the design criteria for transom cores for both outboard- and I/O-powered boats.
Speakers: Lou Codega (Naval Architect), Kurt Feichtinger (Alcan Baltek), Additional Speakers to be Announced
SESSION 303
Industry Perspective on Production Closed-Molding
Like any other boatbuilding process, closed-molding is perfect for some applications, but an unprofitable struggle for others. In this session, we’ll consider the facts that come into play when closed-molding makes sense, and when it does not. We’ll describe how conventional closed-molding differs from both open-molding and vacuum-infusion processes. Join us here to find out what changes closed-molding might make in your shop’s process flow. We’ll also describe how a conversion to closed-molding will affect your personnel as they adapt what they already know about laminating to this process, while simultaneously learning about new resins, reinforcements, mold releases, and closed-molding’s particular plug- and tool-making considerations.
Speakers: Stephen Crane (US Marine Inc.), Valentine Jenkins (Southport Boat Works LLC), Bruce Pfund (Bruce Pfund/Special Projects LLC)
SESSION 304
Building the “Response Boat– Medium” for the Coast Guard
In this case study in aluminum boat building, we’ll introduce you to the U.S. coast guard’s Response Boat–Medium, or RBM, a 45’/13.7m all-aluminum patrol boat built by Kvichak Marine Industries (Seattle, Washington), in partnership with Marinette (Wisconsin) Marine. Intended to replace an aging fleet of 41’/12.5m utility boats now operating in coastal waters around the United States, the RBM is expected to have a long career in the coast guard’s fleet. In our session, we’ll give you the details of the specific construction requirements for the RBM, and we’ll describe the hurdles that Kvichak had to overcome as its design for the RBM moved ahead to become a mature product. This case study continues in Session 504 Setting Up for Production Aluminum Boatbuilding.
Speaker: Craig Miller (Kvichak Marine Industries)
SESSION 305
Surveying Structures
In this short course for surveyors and insurance-company adjustors, we’ll concentrate on how to survey—and then report on—problem boat structures. For example, what are the tools that surveyors need to be able to sort out real structural problems from the cosmetic ones? We’ll also offer some guidelines for identifying a boat’s latent structural defects, and we’ll discuss policy coverage for those conditions. We encourage you to bring your questions to this comprehensive review of structural concerns, whether composite or metal. [Note: We’ll also cover “structure” in Session 101 Naval Architecture for Service Yards and Surveyors, and in Session 605 Appropriate Structural Modifications.]
Speaker: Robert A. Schofield (Naval Architect)
SESSION 306
The Synchronizing Inverter
Here, you’ll learn how to improve an AC-system’s performance by installing a smaller generator, and running it less often. A synchronizing inverter has the ability to parallel its output with either a shorepower cord or an onboard ac generator, picking up inrush currents, and sharing peak loads. This ability completely upends the traditional formulas for sizing shorepower cords and onboard generators. Those formulas are based on being able to support peak loads that may be many times higher than the average load. The result is evident in high-powered shore connections, and generators that are operated for much of the time at less than 20% of their rated load. That mode of operation is chronically inefficient. By installing a synchronizing inverter to pick up peak loads, builders can size shorepower cords and generators much closer to average load, resulting in a radical downsizing of both the shorepower cord and the generator. The payoff is a dramatic improvement in efficiency, and a substantial reduction in generator run time. If you think it all sounds too good to be true, come to this session and see how it can be done.
Speaker: Nigel Calder (Calder Enterprises)
SESSION 307
The OSHA-Compliant Shop
The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has developed a five-year strategic management plan for reducing job-related injuries, illness, and fatalities. In that plan, the agency targeted seven industries—including ship and boat building and repair—whose activities comprise some of the most dangerous workplace operations. Major concerns include exposure to toxic substances, hazardous atmospheres, electrocution, falls, fires, and explosions. In this presentation, we’ll cover OSHa’s inspection process, and explain how a compliance officer evaluates your workplace. And, to help you prepare for that inevitable OSHa inspection, we’ll also give you some guidelines, including how to identify hazards commonly found in the marine industry, and, most importantly, how to develop an effective safety and health program for your boatyard or marina.
Speaker: Vergie Bain (U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
SESSION 308
Training Options for Yacht Designers
What are the educational and training options available to people wanting to begin careers in yacht design—both in the United States and the rest of the world? We’ll define the phrase “yacht designer” to clarify its different possible meanings, and we’ll explain the training and education appropriate to each of those different aspects. Join us to learn about the variety of educational routes to becoming a yacht designer. We’ll outline their advantages and disadvantages in terms of focus, cost, time, and professional recognition. We’ll also provide details about accredited programs that specialize in technical yacht and small-craft design, including an overview of programs that concentrate on artistic aspects of design, or are delivered in languages other than English. We’ll wrap up with a commentary about the pressures faced by all yacht-design programs in the face of rapidly changing and developing technology, and we’ll show you how some programs are addressing those challenges.
Speaker: Steve Dalzell (The Landing School)
SESSION 309
Boat Fuel Systems: Design and Compliance
With the U.S. Environmental Protection agency’s evaporative-emissions rule now finalized, and its implementation date fast approaching, boatbuilders must take the necessary steps to comply with these new regulations. In this session, you’ll gain familiarity with the EPA’s specific technical, certification, and enforcement requirements for vessel fuel-system components. We’ll also relate efforts by leading trade and standards organizations to assist you in your implementation. We’ll explain canister-installation standards, as well as specific fuel-system modifications and the additional equipment you’ll need to protect the canister. In addition, we’ll provide an update on requirements in the State of California. If you’re to control your engineering costs to meet these regulations, you must identify the modifications, and then properly plan for the level of design effort that the changes will trigger to meet both EPA and American Boat & Yacht Council requirements. For example, the canisters must be self-draining and accessible; to achieve this on some boat models will involve significant fuel-system redesign work. If you wait a year or two before starting the process, the costs will only go up—or you may just be too late. Here, we’ll explain exactly what you need to do, and we’ll provide you with the tools to get started.
Speakers: John Adey (American Boat & Yacht Council), John McKnight (National Marine Manufacturers Association), Michael Samulski (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
SESSION 401
Developing Engineering Standards for Production Boats
Many boatbuilders suffer through the process of introducing new models every year, especially when it seems that every new item on every new model is now different from every item on every previous model produced in the plant. How can designers create new models that come together well in a production setting, and still consistently satisfy the needs of the customer, year after year? The answer is in the development of engineering standards. This session is directed at both the builder and the designer. In it, we’ll identify the key design and production areas that typically require standardization; and, we’ll offer a process for the establishment of engineering standards, including a “skeleton” of the details. As we progress, we’ll show you the advantages of adopting engineering standards, and we’ll teach you how to apply them to advantage in your own shop.
Speaker: Robert S. Kaidy (Naval Architect)
SESSION 402
Pilothouse Design and Helm Ergonomics
For a variety of reasons, boatbuilders often seem to sacrifice horizon sightlines and helm ergonomics to aesthetics. Does it have to be that way? Onboard any vessel, the skipper needs a clear, 360° horizon sightline from the helm, plenty of standing room at the wheel, and a helm console with controls, gauges, and electronics situated so he or she can see and reach everything easily and naturally. In this session, we’ll show you many production-boat examples of how not to design pilothouses, and we’ll follow that up by presenting a number of great-looking boats that also are a pleasure—and inherently safe—to operate, both offshore and near the dock. In our study of vessel control stations, we invite you to join us in discussing appropriate standards for pilothouses and helm setups.
Speaker: Eric Sorensen (Sorensen’s Guide to Powerboats LLC)
SESSION 403
Basics of Vacuum Infusion
This session will zero in on the basics of vacuum-infusion processes, differentiating key elements from those parallel considerations that come into play in conventional open-molding via hand layup. We’ll describe the characteristics of vacuum systems, and we’ll discuss whether central or on-site systems are more practical. We’ll also offer advice on resin selection to help you make the best choice for your project. In addition, we’ll give you a primer of all the other necessary vacuum-infusion materials and equipment, from films and fabrics to vacuum manifolds. We’ll close with a conversation about when you, as a builder, should choose vacuum-infusion processing, and when it might make more sense for you to continue with open layup.
Speakers: Thomas Anmarkrud (Os Båt), Richard Downs-Honey (High Modulus), Jason Gibson (Composites One)
SESSION 404
Custom Yacht Interiors: Subcontracting vs. Construction In-House
When does it make sense to subcontract the construction of a custom yacht interior rather than build it in-house? Our speakers will compare and contrast the two approaches, drawing on the protocols from two of the world’s leading custom wooden-boat shops. The first—Hodgdon Yachts (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)— has just opened a new 30,000-sq-ft (2,787-sq-m) facility employing 50 joiners who are building and installing interiors for megayachts worldwide. The second—American Custom Yachts (Stuart, Florida)—builds sport-fishermen whose custom interiors are designed and built primarily on site. By studying the methods of these very different shops, you’ll learn the practical aspects and challenges of off-site, prefabricated, interior construction combining robotics and handwork, as opposed to building on-site—with special emphasis on the economies of each approach.
Speakers: Peter Horne (Hodgdon Interiors), Randy Deaton (American Custom Yachts)
SESSION 405
Core Repair
Does your facility specialize in runabout repair? Perhaps you focus your business on racing sailboat modification and repair. It makes no difference: nearly any boat can suffer from core damage. In most repair shops, you see core damage that’s been caused by: a lack of maintenance by the owner, or by a manufacturing defect, or by a catastrophic event like a collision. For the boat owner, committing to the necessary repairs is sometimes more of an emotional choice than a sound financial decision, so we’ll discuss how to work with owners. And, we’ll share some tricks and tips to facilitate the appropriate core repair in different scenarios, offered for your consideration and recommendations.
Speaker: Joe Parker (PRO-SET Inc.)
SESSION 406
Hybrid Marine Propulsion Systems
On the way to creating his holistic approach to energy conservation on boats, Nigel Calder has long been tracking marine diesel-electric and hybrid technology development. Frustrated by the lack of objective data comparing relative efficiencies of diesel-electric and hybrid propulsion systems with conventional ones, Calder was also aggravated by an apparent failure to optimize the potential of many of these systems. Was it really impossible to progress beyond working prototypes? He decided to experiment on his own boat, both to collect these data and to study the interactions of the various components in diesel-electric and hybrid systems. His experiment has since morphed into a multi-million-dollar European project involving high-charge-rate batteries, extensive propeller experimentation, and the development of sophisticated systems controllers. In this session, you’ll have a front-row seat as Nigel Calder reports on his preliminary round of data collection, and presents the complex interactions that must be optimized to realize the full benefits of the hybrid approach.
Speaker: Nigel Calder (Calder Enterprises)
SESSION 407
The Away Team
The owner wants the hull painted, a new engine installed, and numerous equipment upgrades. This work order could easily bring thousands of dollars in profit to your yard—provided you have the most competitive bid. The boat is cruising now, but will be in your area during the off season. What an opportunity to keep your work force busy! So, what’s the hitch? Pitching a bid with so many unknowns is risky, but sending a crew to inspect the boat in person is expensive. Fortunately, you can create a virtual “away team” to compile a realistic estimate. In this session, we’ll outline the ways and means for obtaining accurate information quickly from a remote location. We’ll show you how to produce quotes with readily available technology and “away team” guidelines that establish the parameters of the job, as well as the current condition of the boat. Join us to find out how to examine the boat in question, and how to determine the scope of the job—without ever stepping onboard—so you’ll be ready, willing, and able to take on that work when the boat arrives in your yard.
Speakers: Patricia “Pat” Kearns (Recreational Marine Experts Group/ RMEG), Mark Slee (Olsen Marine Service Inc.)
SESSION 408
Work Force Development
As a marine industry employer, you may need to change the way you deal with your current and future work force. Your success in attracting and retaining quality employees depends on your ability to enhance communication and elevate your employees’ trade skills. In this seminar for managers, we’ll focus on proven methods of communication designed to strengthen your organization. We’ll help you build a better relationship between the folks who keep your operation moving forward each day and the people who lead them. Join us to learn how to teach your frontline supervisors to communicate more effectively with your work force, and how to develop in-house training programs that tap into the skills of your senior workers. Both of these options will have a significant and positive impact on your operation.
Speaker: Jeffrey Baker (Sabre Yachts)
SESSION 409
Warranties: Their Use, Effectiveness, and Limitations
Have you looked at your product warranty lately? Maintaining a competitive advantage means you’ve updated your products and changed your publications, brochures, and advertising. But, are you still offering your original warranty? Do you know if it’s in line with current legislation? Warranties are powerful tools that can help limit your obligations and exposure should a defect exist in your product. But, each state has its own warranty laws, and an over-arching federal law applies to manufacturers and sellers of products who provide warranties. In this session, we’ll discuss: different types of warranties, including both express and implied; guidelines for properly disclaiming risks and limiting damages; and circumstances in which disclaimers and limitations do not apply. If you’re offering an outdated warranty with an updated product, you need to take part in this seminar to learn whether you’ve done all you can to protect yourself.
Speaker: Michel Weisz (Berger Singerman)
6:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
SESSION 410
Professional BoatBuilder Magazine’s Boatbuilders’ Forum: Surviving the Storm
Gasoline and diesel prices are at record highs. The U.S. dollar is weak. Unemployment and inflation are edging upward. Not surprisingly, a recent study predicted that North American boat sales won’t begin to rebound until 2010. Those who’ve been in the recreational marine industry a long time have weathered previous recessions. Smart companies anticipate periodic downturns by developing new strategies. To identify what might work over the next few years—whether it’s diversifying into non-marine sectors, downsizing, exporting overseas, retooling the product line—we’ve invited a panel of industry veterans who can speak from extensive experience (design and construction, sail and power, yards and shops) on how to weather the current storm of severe economic conditions. And emerge on the far side of it in better shape than you probably now think possible. Join us for a lively discussion on a critical topic affecting us all. THERE IS NO FEE TO ATTEND THIS SESSION, AND YOU NEEDN’T REGISTER IN ADVANCE.
Speakers: To be announced.
Space is limited. Register TODAY to secure your seat.
