Shopping and Comparing Marine Grade LED’s

Funny thing, I set out to build a spreadsheet to compare DuraBrite to other LED lights and I found a surprising lack of information from the other manufacturers. If you go to the DuraBrite website and scroll down to the bottom you will find a button in the Navigation column that says, “Product specs” (https://durabritelights.com/pages/spec-download-page). Click on that and you have a menu of all the lights that Durabrite makes. Nice downloadable pages of information. I like to print them myself and put notes on them when working with a customer. The two most important specs to me are the lumen output and the currant draw.

The reason they are important is they are what really set DuraBrite apart from the competition, well other than build quality. Many lights are cheaper than DuraBrite, but when you do a little math you are actually paying more per lumen of light or paying for the same lumens but at a much higher draw, sometimes even both. So, when shopping for lights be sure to try to find out the lumens and the current draw.

The other thing that sets DuraBrite apart from the competition is our build quality. I have a pair of Nano’s on my 2003 Jeep TJ. I have had those lights for 5 years now and have never had any issues. Now please consider the environment those lights live in. I live in Maine and my Jeep is my daily driver. So for the past 5 years they have been exposed to hot sun, and radiant heat bouncing from the windshield and other sheet metal, salt air being parked at boatyards and other coastal areas. They have been incased in ice on several occasions, and exposed to rain, snow and wintery mix at highway speeds (sometimes a littler faster than highway speeds). No issues whatsoever.

 In conclusion what I want you to take away from this is if you are shopping for lights don’t just shop prices. Look carefully at the specs to see just what your dollar is buying. If still concerned, please keep in mind that DuraBrite offers a 10-year warranty on all lights. Don’t be afraid to contact me or even DuraBrite themselves for any questions. Thank you for your time.

New from Durabrite! The Explorer X7

Nano Sport is the most powerful, beautiful, and lowest draw light in its class today. Durabrite engineers take it to the next level by pairing it with a snap-on 100Wh Li-ion battery to combine exceptional brightness and ultimate mobility.

As a result, the Explorer X7 is born.

This Red Dot Design Winner weighs in at just over 4 pounds and can run in excess of 2 hrs in full blast mode. The rugged on-body dimmer gives user the ability to adjust optical output with ease and also to prolong run time as needed. The Explorer also comes with a cleverly engineered all-terrain stabilizing base that twist-locks onto the light bracket. With the stabilizer attached to the bottom, it elevates the light and allows you to place it on a pile of dirt, sand, rocks, mud, and on grass, a boulder, and even on a slope where the light will stay perfectly balanced without toppling. The resin it's made of is resistant to UV, chemicals, extreme temperatures, making it practically unbreakable. 

The Explorer X7 feels so good in your hand it's the perfect tool for exploratory and searching activities due to its long range, wide coverage, rugged construction, and practical runtime. Bring with you a few backup battery packs, and there is nowhere you cannot conquer. When attached to available mounts, it can also be set up on any surface of your truck or boat as a wireless lighting source that can point to exactly where you want lit.

Get your Explorer X7 today and Explore with Durabrite!

Explorer X7 Kit includes*:

Qty1 - Black Nano Sport w/ on-body dimmer

Qty1 - Integrated black anodized aluminum bracket

Qty1 - 100Wh battery with integrated fixed handle

Qty1 - All-terrain twist-lock stabilizer

Qty1 - Power plug

Qty1 - Battery charger

Marine Diesel Engine Pricing

Something that commonly comes up in the marine diesel engine world is engine pricing. Manufacturers and distributors seem to hold their pricing spreadsheets as close as the Colonel holds his chicken recipe. This day and age consumers are much more price concise. They shop, they hunt, they google, they look for the best deal and take that price to someone else to see if they will match it. I believe the person buying a marine diesel engine is no different. I am not sure if the manufactures are thinking that the boat owner is so brand loyal that they wouldn’t shop elsewhere.  If that is the case, they couldn’t be more wrong. I have seen guys that bled Cat yellow put a Scania in. Owners that preached one brand repower with another. I have changed my loyalties over the years. Whatever the case maybe I think it has come time for marine diesel engine pricing to evolve. 

When we start thinking about buying a new vehicle what is the first thing we do? That is right, the ole build and price tool. You can completely build your new ride and pick different options, colors, trim levels, everything. Emagine you are looking for a new engine for your boat or a customer's boat. You go right to the manufacture's website and pick the model engine that applies. Your boat has a water heater, a 12- and 24-volt system and you 2 operating stations. The manufacturer offers options to cover your needs, so you pick what you need and watch your price change accordingly. Maybe it would be better to do this at the distributor level because they are the ones that really “outfit” the engine before shipping to dealer. 

In my opinion this would work best if the online “build and price tool” was on the high side. Maybe like 5% of what the dealer will sell it for. That way you can weed out those that are interested in buying and the daydreamers. At the same time this helps your dealers because they are not answering the phone entertaining tire kickers. It really is a win, win, win situation. Your potential customer is happy because he can get pricing info without calling around, your dealer is happy because they are spending less time on the phone and more time marketing the product, the manufacturers are happy because now they have yet another tool to see what engines are more popular and their dealers and distributors have more time to market and sell the product. 

I would love to hear the inputs from prospective buyers, dealers, distributors and the manufacturers so please comment, email, call or carrier pigeon me.

Where am I going?

Well, that is a good question? This is not a blog about compass reading or a tutorial on GPS. This is to map out my goals and the destination I want DieselJerry.com to arrive at. My vision for DieselJerry.com is a two-part website. One part being the non-member portion consisting of the store and some of the blogs. The members portion will have the store but at a discount, all the blogs and video’s, prop and shaft size calculators, manuals, Name Drop and my marine version of Tell-a-doc, Got your 6! More about that in a bit. The goal... Help boat owners. Boating is expensive and I want to help make it a little more manageable and fun. I really am not looking to be a millionaire. I am looking to use this for retirement and to possibly pass a legacy to my children. I also want to give back. That is why for every $10,000 DieselJerry.com makes $1,000 will go to the downeastboatforum.com for the senior members there to distribute to students looking to get into a marine trade. Downeastlobsterboat.com is where I got started and has helped me and my family in more ways than can be counted. 

Got your 6 is a military expression that comes from a soldier having your back. I want to have your back. I want you to be able to email or call DieselJerry.com with your boating needs and get an answer. Anything from engine issues to composite questions, electrical to plumbing. Available members only, the member would simply hit the “Got your 6” button on the site. Type in your issue with contact info. Then a member of the DieselJerry.com knowledge board would field the question either by emailing or if needed a phone call. 

Now what is it going to take to get DieselJerry.com to where I want it. I need to post more blogs and get more traffic coming to my site. This would make it look lucrative for prospective investors. I need to carry more products. Not just any products. I will be picky on what I carry. I really would like to get RE Thomas and Blue Sea’s onboard, do you suggest any others? SWAG! I need to get hoodies, hats, t-shirts and mugs available. I want to see DieselJerry.com flags on boats at the Lobsterboat Races. I want to see DieselJerry.com stickers on trucks and cars! I need to sell more products and eventual hire more staff for editing and marketing. How is this going to happen? You! My readers, my friends, and my family. Share my links, comment on my blogs, buy some oil, buy some Durabrite lights. 

That is, it. That is what I want to accomplish. My destination and goals printed and published for all the world to see. It’s on! I welcome any comments, encouragement and constructive criticism. Thanks to all for your support.

Designing an electrical system for the long haul.

Working on a boat recently that had a voltage drop issue. After some fault tracing I found the issue to be that the house feed and house ground to be too small gauge of wire to handle everything that had been added to the boat in its 10 years of life. Also figure in that the manufacturer used the smallest gauge wire specified by the ABYC. Combine those two issues and electronics start acting funny or not even working. I have seen helms go dark at the use of a bow thruster.

To prevent this problem don't go with the minimum size wire. Seems pretty obvious right? Try to think ahead a bit. Lets say you are putting a new T-top on your center console boat. You install an MFD and Durabrite lights, but hold off on the radar for now. You know you will want to install a radar in a couple more years along with some more Durabrights. Size your wire accordingly and give yourself some margin for corrosion and other things that would add resistance. Remember the more efficiently your electrical system is the longer battery life and longevity you will have. Bow thrusters (and stern thrusters) are big load on an electrical system that I see cause problems. On one boat I worked on in the past the bow thruster was fed from the house bank some 12 feet away with 2/0 AWG cable which at the time of launch may have been ok. Some years down the road it started dropping the electronics every time you used the bow thruster. In my opinion large loads like thrusters or electric pot haulers should have there own designated battery located close as possible to the load and a battery switch installed between the load and battery. To charge the battery I like to use an ACR or an Echo charger coming off of the house bank. This prevent any voltage drop from interrupting the electronics.

I know what many of you are thinking. Larger sized wire, ACR's, battery switches and batteries cost a lot of money. Yes but so doesn't a tech like myself running new wires through your boat, or taking a forward bunk apart to install a battery and etc. Do yourself a favor and plan ahead when wiring or rewiring a boat.

List of components mentioned: I like to use West Marine (https://www.westmarine.com/)for majority of my electrical and other marine supply need. They are very supportive of small business, prompt in responding to questions, and have stores throughout the country.

Battery Switch https://www.westmarine.com/blue-sea-systems-m-series-mini-single-circuit-on-off-battery-switch-with-removable-knob-14122170.html

Remote Battery Switch https://www.westmarine.com/blue-sea-systems-ml-rbs-remote-battery-switch-with-manual-control-auto-release-12v-16934093.html

ACR (automatic charging relay) https://www.westmarine.com/search?q=ACR&prefn1=manufacturerName&prefv1=BLUE%20SEA%20SYSTEMS Pick the one that best suits your purpose.

Feel free to contact me for any questions.

Diesel Jerry

Seavey Performance Engineering Glare Guards

Nothing like Maine ingenuity to fix a problem and that is Mark Seavey's approach with the new Glare Guards for DuraBrite Pro, Standard, and Mini series.

DuraBrite lights are the brightest lights per amp on the market. That can cause an issue if you have white or light colored topsides. Seavey Performance Engineering developed and produces a simple easy solution to this problem in his shop in Steuben, Maine.

DieselJerry.com looks forward to doing more business with Mark and the rest of his crew at Seavey Performance Engineering. Check out their website. https://www.seaveyengineering.biz/

Stacking them up!

Light bar... Who needs a lightbar when you can just stack two or three Nano's together. I have the spot flood combination on my Jeep and absolutely love having the best of both worlds. The spot version helps me see down the road a long ways lighting up any potential hazards. While the flood with its 80 degree beam angle has helped me see deer on the side of the road getting ready to cross. I can say the lights have certainly done their part keeping me and wildlife from having encounters in Maine's dark mornings. We can build these stacks to any specifications you dream up. I am looking forward to having amber spots on the Jeep to help combat the thick Maine fog coming this spring.

The "Whale Issue"

Granddad Ramblings

When my son-in-law, Jerry Farnham, a/k/a Diesel Jerry, invited me to write something about the “whale issue” affecting the Maine lobster industry, I didn’t have to think too long about what I would say. The challenge would be to contain my comments to just the whale issue and avoid going down three or four other related rabbit holes.

First, for anyone not familiar with the whale issue, lobster fishermen are under attack from right whale protectionists who claim that endangered right whales are dying from entanglements in vertical trap lines. Lobstermen claim that numerous changes they’ve made in lobster gear have resolved this problem, and that no right whale entanglements or deaths have been attributable to Maine lobster gear in nearly 20 years. Yet, the accusations continue, and the fishermen are under pressure to eliminate all vertical lines by adopting so-called “ropeless” technology.

But the whale issue is not the only challenge facing the fishermen. It doesn’t take rocket science to discover the connection between the whale issue and the green energy advocates who support development of offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Maine.

Ultimately, the fisherman feel they are under attack from multiple factions that threaten to destroy their way of life and reek economic havoc on Maine coastal communities highly dependent on the lobster fishing industry. It’s a complicated situation involving the fishermen and their interaction (or lack thereof) with various federal, state, and local agencies and organizations, each trying to achieve their respective missions and objectives.

I’m neither a lobster fisherman, nor a tree-hugging/whale-protecting environmentalist. So, you would think that I might not have a huge stake in the outcomes of this issue, one way or the other. Well, I thought that too, but during the last two years I have gained considerable insight on the matter, and now recognize that I have a huge stake in the outcome of the so-called “whale issue”. And, although I am not an energy expert by a long shot, if I am somewhat correct in my realizations, all citizens have a huge stake in the outcomes.

As a senior citizen, I am greatly concerned for my children and grandchildren. They are the ones who will have to live in a future that is being shaped by current local, national and global energy policy. We are already seeing the economic impacts that expose the fallacy of these policies. The situation will get worse before the need for corrections are broadly recognized, and then it may take years to recover.

I know this sounds like a doom and gloom scenario. Well, yes, it is. But it competes with the doom and gloom predictions of the Save The Planet narrative of the current green energy policy agenda.

And, it’s not just energy policies that threaten our future. Those are topics (rabbit holes) for another day, and beyond the intended core message of this blog.

So, what is the intended message of this blog? Simply stated, the “whale issue” is not really about the whales. And, I believe almost all the parties involved in the controversy know that it’s not about the whales. Rather, the whale issue is a “red herring”, intended to distract public attention away from renewable energy development, at least in the Gulf of Maine.

Why do I believe this? Well, recently, I attended a so-called “stakeholder information” meeting in Portland, organized by the (Federal) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The stated purpose of the meeting was to explain the plans and processes of the BOEM as relates to the determination of viable areas in the Gulf of Maine that could be developed for renewable energy, more specifically, ocean wind farm arrays. They also explained that the meeting was to invite feedback from various stakeholders, including from both supporters and non-supporters of wind energy.

Without getting too much into the weeds of what I saw and heard at this meeting, the following observations convinced me that the BOEM isn’t really interested in hearing feedback from stakeholders who might not support their mission and objectives. In my opinion, their appeal for negative feedback was insincere. What it said to me was, we know we have to sound like we really want feedback from all

sides, but we would prefer to hear mainly from those who agree with and support our good work.

1. Not surprisingly, the presentation by BOEM was mostly about how their processes would

identify and rank potential impacts and would include a comprehensive evaluation of

stakeholder impacts, including among others, the fishing industry. The information shared was interesting and I looked forward to what I might hear during the feedback session. The feedback

session was disappointing, and left me feeling that the attitude of the BOEM was typical of a

patronizing government agency that sees itself as the expert whose actions should not be

questioned or criticized. We are here mainly to tell, but we will (pretend to) listen politely to

your ill-informed comments and opinions.

2. Ironically, only two among the 40-50 attendees rose to offer supporting comments, and it

seemed that one of them might have been a prearranged plant.

3. Most surprising was the low number of fishermen in attendance. The few who rose to speak complained that they had not heard about the meeting until a day or so before. All further complained that members of the fishing industry feel they are either excluded from stakeholder

processes, or that their input is disregarded, or otherwise not taken seriously, by any of the

government agencies involved in the process.

4. One person, whose role I understood to be that of a neutral party trying to help facilitate

dialogue among various stakeholders, commented that the government agencies and the

fishermen seem to be “talking past one another”. This was our most significant take-away from the meeting. It was happening right there before our eyes. My wife, who attended with me, commented about the reaction of the BOEM Chief of the Renewable Energy Programs office, during the comments by the fisherman. The Director had daggers coming from her eyes, aimed directly at the few fishermen who rose to speak.

We left the meeting not feeling optimistic that the “talking past one another” issue would get resolved any time soon. However, we also left the meeting optimistic that the leaders of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA), Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA), and other stakeholder organizations

representing the fishing industry, may be helpful in breaking down these barriers to communication.

We also left feeling that a very logical recommendation made by the MCFA Executive Director would likely not be given much consideration, given that BOEM’s current mission appears to be in support of the current Administration’s timetable for operational renewable green energy. The MCFA recommendation was to not proceed with further development of ocean wind farms in the Gulf of Maine until the Maine Research Array* is operational and can inform future development in terms of how floating wind farms will integrate with the marine environment and existing ocean uses.

Finally, I should clarify that I am not against all forms of renewable energy. But, I cannot support any form of renewables that threaten to destroy critical habitat or significant industries such as fishing. Moreover, I cannot support ill-conceived government policies that create bigger problems than they solve, especially when they are influenced by equally ill-conceived notions of cause and effect. A clear example of this is our current administration’s policy to replace fossil fuels with renewables by shutting down the fossil fuel industry, without understanding that renewables alone cannot support demand for electricity, especially if electric vehicles are to replace gas and diesel. Of course, it is well understood by

the green energy zealots that America will need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, through the process of replacing gas and diesel.

Bottom line is this: Shutting down fossil fuel before alternatives are developed and proven is a recipe for economic and humanitarian disaster, regardless of whether a global warming crisis exists, or not.

Donald Wescott – Concerned Citizen and Granddad – February 2023

(*) The Maine Research Array is a planned array of 12 floating wind turbines in a 16 square-mile area about 40 miles off Casco Bay.

About DieselJerry

Hello! … It's past time that I introduce you to... well, me!

My name is Jerry Farnham. I was born the son of a lobsterman and, at the time, a shrimp picker. I started going sternman with my father at age 6.  Man, I couldn't wait for summer vacation to get back on the boat. For the next 13 years I went sternman every summer. I even fished my own traps from a 12- foot skiff. It was a wonderful time in my life, and I learned a lot, to say the least.

One thing my mother insisted on was getting swim lessons. To help pay for the lessons, she volunteered to help teach at the YMCA swimming pool. She eventually became the Aquatic Director for the pool.

Upon graduation from Boothbay Region High School, I joined the United States Navy and had the privilege of serving this great country for eight and a half years. I did two Med Cruises and was awarded several medals and awards. I worked in the engineering spaces for half my career and base security/police for the second half. I came back to Boothbay Harbor in 2007 and worked various jobs until I attended Marine Mechanical Institute in Orlando Florida. Since then, I have worked at two great boatyards, servicing yachts and work boats, fault tracing issues, and working with customers. During that time I joined the DownEastBoatForum.com and started building an online presence. While doing product research I came across DuraBrite lights and became a big advocate of their product. So much in fact that they reached out and made me a dealer. Not too long after that I started DieselJerry.com.

So, there you have it. Very humble beginnings, to a very humble company. If you have any questions about me, DieselJerry.com, or the products I sell, feel free to reach out.

2 Weeks at Freeport Diesel and Marine

I recently had the opportunity to work at Freeport Diesel and Marine for a couple weeks. I met with the owners Dominic Canonico and Tucker Johnston at the shop and they agreed to take me on temporarily while between jobs. During those two weeks I did some field work on a wooden 36 Lowell with an old Isuzu and disassembled, cleaned, primed, and painted a Cummins 6CTA. Unfortunately I left before the reassembly. 

Day –1 was tool movement. Dom and Tucker made room for me, my bench/toolbox and my dog Jarvis. The shop was neat and organized. Despite the volume of work going on. Jarvis found himself a place by the wood stove and assumed the role as shop dog greeting people when they came.

Day 1. Upon arrival to work Jarvis and I was assigned to remove the exsaust manifold off an old Isuzu. I was shown to the boat and told what was to be removed. The job was presented clearly and briefly and I was left to it. The many rusted fasteners put up a fight but with a little back and forth action all were removed. I ended up removing the turbo as well. A quick text to Tucker and he came back to the boat to give me a hand getting tools and parts off the boat. After returning back to the shop Jarvis settled back by the woodstove while I gave an old 2-cylinder Westerbeke a “DieselJerry” inspection to size up its state and worth. 

Day 2 through 14. The remainder of the time I was there I was tasked with the disassembly of a Cummins 6CTA 8.3. This was a rare treat for me. Being a boatyard tech, I rarely get more involved than a head gasket. Valve adjustments, injector replacements, heat exchanger service and many many raw water pumps are what I am used to. Freeport Diesel and Marine goes way further than that offering full rebuilds. Dom and Tucker have strict standards on how each engine is disassembled, cleaned, prepped, and painted. Each engine gets ran before it leaves and will be seatrailed with Dom or Tucker present. 

Along with engine rebuild Freeport Diesel and Marine also offers a couple new engine lines. They are dealers for FPT and Nanni marine diesel engines. 

On the last day Dom helped me load everything back in my trailer. He gave me a Freeport Diesel and Marine t-shirt, a paycheck, and a handshake. Thank you, Dom and Tucker, for the temporary employment and the wealth of knowledge. Freeport Diesel and Marine is the go-to place for any and all marine diesel needs. The only question I have hanging is what was Dom doing to that 5.9 Cummins and what is it going in?

The Alternator- The heart of your boats electrical system.

This is where the magic starts. The alternator is made of three major components and many other minor ones all with important jobs. The housing does just what its name says. It houses all the internal components and provides places to mount the alternator to the engine. The stator is inside of the housing and is comprised of 3 sets of windings. Spinning inside of the stator is the rotor. The rotor is an electromagnet that is spun via a belt and pulley driven by the engines cranks pulley. When the rotor is spun it is also fed an electrical current via the regulator turning it into an electromagnet. The magnetic field acts on the windings creating more electricity. That electricity is passed through a rectifier then to your boats battery.

Here are other important parts of an alternator:

Regulator- This regulates the amount of current going to the rotor. This controls the output of the alternator.

Rectifier- This changes the AC current made in the alternator to DC current for your battery.

Bearings- Support the rotor and allow it to spin freely.

Split Rings and Brushes- Help provide power to rotor.

Fan- Cools the alternator.

Things can get complicated when talking alternators. There are different voltages, amperages, there are internally regulated and externally regulated plus man others. For this blog I will stick to 12 volt. The amperage is up to the boat, its electrical loads, and its use. in most cases the alternator that came on your engine will do the job you need it to. If you find that is not the case or you want to add more loads to your boat an aftermarket alternator with a programable external regulator like what Balmar (https://balmar.net/) offers will fit the bill.

So that is a very basic run down of your alternator. If you want a more in depth description feel free to reach out via email or give me a call.

Why amber optics on DuraBrite lights?

As you look through the options on the DuraBrite lights you will see an “Amber Optics” option and ask, “why do I want amber optics?” The answer is that amber light doesn't glare off of the water droplets in the air back into your eyes as bad, because our eyes don't see glare in yellows, reds and oranges as bad as straight up white.

White Nano’s Head On

You can see the glare bouncing off of the aluminum framing of the greenhouse.

Amber Nanos Head On

Much less glare bouncing off of the aluminum with the amber optic Nanos

Weather… grammar mistake intended… you are on the water or off-roading amber optics will reduce the glare from fog and rain and also mitigate the “Star Wars effect” while driving in a blizzard.

Labor shortage in the Marine Industry

One issue causing a small buzz is the lack of trade workers. From what I have seen on different media outlets this is effecting all trades. From plumbing to carpentry, from electricians to metal worker there are lots of openings with very little people willing to do the work or have the skills to do the tasks. The marine industry is no different. Boatyards, marinas, and service shops are finding themselves short handed. For one reason or another this issue interests me so I decided to look at it a little closer. I chose the boatyard I work at to do my research. Why, because with this issue hanging over the waterfront Strouts Point Wharf Company has seemed to combat this issue pretty well. With over half of the employees holding a 10+ year tenure and 3 of those in the 20+ range the yard knows how to keep employees. Also in the past 3 years I have worked here we have recruited 4 employees and we also have a contingency of season workers that always come back.

    So to get to the bottom of what is going on here a this Yard and industry wide I made a questionnaire to gather information. Here are those questions:

• How long have you been working in the Marine field?

• What motivated you to come to the Marine field?

• What position did you start out at? What tasks did you do? What age were you at this point?

• What is your position now? What tasks do you do? What age are you now?

• What keeps you here at this yard?

• What do you feel is the biggest issue causing a lack of good trade workers? And in your opinion, how do you fix it?

• Do you, or have you ever want to get out of the marine field?

I picked 5 of my fellow employees to answer these questions, my General Manager and Service Manager, the Dockmaster and Yard Foreman, and a General Labor, and of coarse myself a seasoned tech. This opens up the age range from 23 to 66, and has a tenure range from 4 months to 20+ years. In that mix you have a diverse group of trades as well from structure to mechanical, and finish to electronics.

Now to address the elephant in the room. Where are all the trade workers? One common answer to this is a generational one. I don’t want to turn this into a bashing of millennials and don’t want to finger point. Neither help the situation. That still leaves the question of why don’t people want to work in the marine trade. Lack of pay was brought up several times, even the General Manager  and Service Manager mentioned it. Which is funny because I feel the pay scale is more fare than ever. Another issue that our new hire Dock master brought up was we are on the back side of the the “College Craze Wave”. She is in her 30’s and remembers being preached to about going to college rather than getting right into a field or going into a trade school. I remember the same preaching in my youth as well and I just turned 40. Along with those reasons my Service Manager pointed out that the interest in how things work has faded and now people just want them to work. So in short this is not a quick fix, no blown fuse, no loose ground. So what are we going to do? Well we can only pay so much, but there are many perks to working in a boat yard that a General Manager can use to offset pay. Investing in your employees with school. This helps keep your yards knowledge base high and empowers your employees. In house financing, this allow for you employees to increase there tool arsenal, but also can work in the yards benefit as well. For instance off the top of my head I know 6 employees here that have boats. Let’s say one of them wants to install a new “Widget”. This Widget is cutting edge technology just coming into the market. Sadly though it is out of the employees financial reach. Well the Yard finances it for the employees with the agreement to be able to show it to customers. Now a customer walks in asking about these new Widgets he saw at the boat show. Now the GM can say “Well Johny Yardworker Just put one in his boat. Let’s go look at it?”. Before you know it Widgets are flying of the shelf at a %30 markup. The employee is happy, the GM is happy, and now your Widget owning customers are happy. If you brainstorm a bit you can discover plenty of little perks to working at a boatyard to keep your crew happy and new talent coming in.

Talent, now that is key. Good, skilled workers. They just don’t just make themselves. My Service Manager started as the Dock Master and moved up the ladder as the company invested in him. The Yard Foreman started out shuffling jackstands and driving a grinder. There are many stories like this at this yard, and across the waterfront. It shows that providing an apprenticeship type environment where you can grow and learn a trade will allow you to build a loyal and skilled workforce. Now this doesn’t come easy or cheap. Mistakes will be made, but teaching them what they did wrong and allowing them to fix it provides a lesson in itself. Another thing I find that most work places lack is a solid review program. When I was in the Navy we got a formal review every year and an informal review 6 months before that. I always knew where I stood, what I was good at, and what I needed to work on. Now that takes time out of the GM and SM’s already busy schedule, and they don’t always see everything. In my opinion a review should be a collection of information from all levels of the crew. I can go a full day with out seeing my GM, but the guy that shuffles jack stands sees me two to three times a day. Maybe he saw me through a rag in the middle of the parking lot and leave it, or maybe he saw me going out of my way to help another employee or customer. Given money pays the bills, but gratitude and constructive criticism hold a big value to a good employee.

It’s not like this issue has been ignored. There have been meetings involving the leaders of this industry, but there is another issue. If you want to know how to get more techs in and retain the techs we have…ask them. That is the first step on getting this boat back on coarse. Another step is start recruiting from schools. That teenager you hire for the summer could very well be the next service manager. Along that path they have the potential to be a great employee if you take the time to train them. Pair them with a senior tech. Move them around the yard. Find out what they are good at.

Thank you.

Why DuraBrites?

DuraBrite™ began with a vision to create advanced lighting solutions to excel across extreme weather applications and operational environments, from crab fishing in Alaska’s Bering Sea, to hazardous construction and demolition environments. To this end, we’ve leveraged our decades of experience engineering cutting edge technologies in the space, aerospace, military and marine fields.

Combining military-grade materials and highly engineered packaging techniques, DuraBrite products balance brightness, color rendition accuracy, beam uniformity, beam spread angle, temperature control, and the weight and feel of each luminaire to help you do your job safely with the best overall illumination possible. This puts the DuraBrite family of products, including the DuraBrite Pro, Standard, and Mini Series marine lights, in a class of their own, as seen on smash hit fan favorite TV shows like Nat Geo Channel’s “Wicked Tuna” and Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars”.

The municipal safety, recreation, law enforcement, national defense, and commercial fishing industries were among the first to call upon DuraBrite to support and protect their workforce. In these sectors, safety remains a top priority, and visibility relies upon lights with both high optical output and low energy consumption. To aid ease of mobility, our products must be lightweight but tough as nails and virtually indestructible to survive the elements and daily use. We meet these demands by guaranteeing our product’s performance through hundreds of hours of extensive testing for each design feature.

In a saturated market of mundane LED lighting products, one of DuraBrite’s key differentiators is our CEO – an MIT doctorate recipient and avid inventor responsible for numerous patents, and winner of several prestigious awards for his groundbreaking inventions enabling the production of ultra-light weight chassis and ultra-high temperature power electronics. His vision drives our focus on engineering and pursuit of innovation.

Our strong relationship with DuraBrite’s primary financial backer, Sensitron Semiconductor, dovetails with our CEO’s scientific accomplishments. Headquartered in New York, Sensitron is an industry-leading supplier of high reliability power electronics to major technology brands including Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, United Technologies, Honeywell, Orbital, and SSL.

Boat Electrical 101

As a precursor on blogs to come I want to start out with a basic electrical blog to begin the foundation. I will start a the heart of the electrical system, the alternator, and go on from there to the battery, battery switches, constant powered items, ending at the engine and house loads.

Many would argue that the battery is the heart of the system but I disagree. Without the alternator the battery is on borrowed time. The alternator’s job is to recharge the battery and to keep up with house loads to keep the battery topped off. The alternator uses power from the battery to create and electromagnet that spins via the engine inside windings to create electricity. That electricity passes through a rectifier and regulator to come out as DC electricity.

Next in line is a battery switch. A battery switch when turns of shuts off all paths of electricity, except to the constant powered items like bilge pumps, bilge alarms, and other various items. A battery switch helps stop any parasitic draws and also serves as a safety function to shut of power to items while being serviced.

Your engine and house loads are items that use electricity. The mechanical Diesel engine only needs electrical power to start. After that it is on its own so to speak. An electronically controlled Diesel engine will need constant power. House loads are your lights, electronics, usb outlets and many other things.

In upcoming blogs and videos I will be getting into how this basic system and be modified and added to to better suit your needs. Products that I will mention or show will only be ones I have experience with and stand behind. Hopefully I will be able to sell them soon. Stay tuned!

Blog disclaimer

Just a little warning about me and my blogs. If you are looking for refined and well edited pieces of writing you are on the wrong website. What you will see here are raw unedited blogs from a marine technician. In the future when the site creates enough revenue to hire an editor I will but for now this is what I got. I hope you like it and don’t be afraid to reach out with comments or questions.