New Job. Cool Boat.

[mcrandall]

I started working for Torresen Marine here in Muskegon, Michigan this week.

I started working on this boat today. Repairing the auto-pilots for a start. The owner (Fred Ball) had this thing made. Reminds me of Kevin Cosner's ride in Waterworld.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gretchdori ... 204089611/

[cs3079]

Congrats on the new job! Checked out the TM website.... Quite a place. This sounds like it could be the proverbial kid in a candy shop kind of thing.
Also checked out the used boats for sale just for giggles. Where are all the Chryslers hidden?

[Dallasbob]

Very nice! . . . but too many hulls . . .

[mcrandall]

Kid in a candy store is ABSOLUTELY right! I love it, so far! And they're paying me too!

The only Chrysler I know about in the area is in my winter storage!

I'm told this boat went over sideways once AND did an endover once! The cockpit would have been nearly 40-feet in the air! Ouch!!

[Rivercruiser]

Very nice! . . . but too many hulls . . .

Bingo!

[clair hofmann]

Concrats on the job. Sounds like a dream job. I buy my Sunfish parts from them. Missing the point on too many hulls. Why slog along at 6 knots when you can fly at 12- 13 plus? I'd trade my whole fleet of monohulls for a 32ft cruising cat.
Clair

[mcrandall]

The photo is at the harbor on Mackinaw Island after the Chicago-Mac race. He came in first in the solo multihull class. Not sure how fast then, but one year I found online where he averaged beter than 9.5 kns over the 333-mile race.

I'm going to talk with him soon, I'll try to find out just how fast she goes.

[turbo1168]

Nothing wrong with multihulls in my opinion. My father has a Hobie 33, a very fast boat for a monohull, and we have seen over 20 knots on it. She planes easily at 8 kts and cruises at 12-13 in about 20kts of wind with a chute up. However, I remember a race one year from Clearwater to Key West, we were running over 12 -13kts surfing down the waves and watched a F-27 trimaran pass at at least 5 kts faster than we were going. Glad we weren't in the same class.

[J. Austin]

Congrats Mark,

They're luck y to have you. Glad to see someone making a living in the marine business. Very rare anymore.

AS for the multihulls, they have their place. They are great fun. I would never have one for cruising. I crewed for four years as a younger man on 47' sailing cat under the illustrious Capt. Len Shellhorn. They a a wonderful animal if you love space, however most sail like a cast iron tub with a sheet tied to it, and don't get me started about bad weather. If your talking about ocean-worthy craft, it's a mono for me.

[CaptainScott]

Congratulations on a cool job! I agree, making money in the marine industry is very tough now days.

Scott

[Mario G]

Congrats on the job. I always like the chance of playing with different boats.

I can tell you here on the east coast the Marine business is well and fine, Anywhere I drop anchore I have a chance to make money working on someones boat.

[Ferdi The Bull]

Just and incredible and inspiring job on your homemade lift. Bravo. It appears that your lift mechanism consists of nylon vehcicle tow straps, connected to a number of come alongs. Is that correct? Any details? Looks like your trailer came out like new. Did you sandblast it first?

[mcrandall]

Yessir, El Toro, 4 stout come-alongs and two heavy nylon tow straps. All over rated for safety. Also used some ratcheting tie straps to hold the boat in case a comealong gave out. Finally, when I got the boat into position, I bolted 2X10 crossmembers underneathe and set the boat on them--just to make sure.

Hated the idea of becoming a Darwin Award winner for offing myself with my boat in my own driveway!