FAB Dock Fabulous Stories

Hot on the heals of installing our first FAB Dock in the Middle East, we have also recently installed our first FAB Dock in The Seychelles.

In the past three years I have been fortunate enough to be able to visit many beautiful parts of the world and their respective waterfronts and marinas, but the aptly named Eden Island Resort is arguably the most spectacular. With the only thing outshining the turquoise waters and golden sands being the hospitality and generosity of our customer and host, Dana Buys.

After a career running highly successful software companies, Dana has now expanded his business interests to include one of South Africa’s finest wineries. With so many business interests, three daughters and another one only months away, I just don’t know how he finds the time to get away. But when he does, he does with the style and enthusiasm that has obviously made him very successful in business. His villa on Eden Island is immaculately equipped and presented and his array of toys is world class, including a 36 foot Al Dhaem Wavebreaker with twin Suzuki 300s that is now sitting protected in a FAB Dock.

This is how fast 600 ponies will push you when you have a clean hull

The FAB Dock office in the Seychelles for a few days.

This is one destination that we won’t have a shortage of volunteers to help install the next batch of FAB Docks, which won’t be long judging by the serious interest shown by other residents and locals.

See you soon for another Seybrew.

Even though the weather wasn’t always on our side, we still managed to install another four FAB Docks in the water around WA last week as well as measure up another eight boats for FAB Docks in the coming weeks. With another three FAB Docks ready to be installed as soon as the customers get back from their holidays and work trips, there will be a veritable sea of FAB Docks throughout WA by the end of the year.

That all adds up to lots of very happy boaties, spending less time and money maintaining and cleaning their boats and more time enjoying them, not too mention the very real environmental benefit of saving tons of poisonous antifoul from entering our fragile waterways.

Big boats love FAB Docks

no missing this boat in its FAB Dock

another cold and wet installation of a FAB Dock in WA

I recently noticed that we have built a number of FAB Docks for Caribbean boats and as a result, I have spent a lot of time on them. And I must say that I am very impressed. Ranging from Rex’s compact Reef Runner all the way up to Danny’s immaculate 47 Flybridge, and most of them in between, they are one solidly built and well finished boat. So it is little surprise that such fastidious owners want to keep them as clean as possible, and as we all know by now, a FAB Dock is the best dry docking system in the world. No matter if you are in the south western corner of Australia in the beautiful canals of Mandurah like Jim or Neil with their 24 and 26 feet Caribbeans, or in the tropical north eastern corner like Henrik with his 35 flybridge, we can protect your Caribbean from the speed-reducing, fuel sucking, intake clogging growth of the oceans.

Another Caribbean in a FAB Dock dry docking system

after another very wet install, it finally cleared to show off a great fit.

stern view of another Caribbean in a FAB Dock

The classic fishing rig staying dry in its FAB Dock

Being the third time that we have exhibited at this prestigious event, we are feeling more like old marine regulars rather than the new kids on the block, dishing out advice to the first timers and swapping stories with other regulars. And by once again thinking outside the square, we managed to impress even the most discerning critic with our innovative display. Two FAB Docks stood upright with the floor becoming the roof; made for one amazing tent.

Our new tent with a two year old FAB Dock in the foreground.

This new display, combined with some nice weather, a more positive atmosphere in general around the boat show and years of hard work and dedication to perfecting the FAB Dock, led to the most amount of sales that we have ever taken at any boat show. It is great to hear that many people have seen our FAB Docks in canals and marinas during their boating excursions and specifically came to our stand to ask questions about it.

When we are up against the best dry docking systems available in the world, all showcased within a stones throw of each other, and people continually tell us that not only are we a half or one third of their price, but we also have a much better product, it reinforces what we have been trying to achieve since our inception.

So I apologise to all those people who I have not yet been able to get back in touch with regarding a FAB Dock for their boat, but will do my best to do so over the coming weeks.

Look out for us at all the other major boat shows around the country throughout the year or back here again next year.

The view of our new tent and FAB Dock from F Arm

FAB Dock Team USA (Joe, Donnie and Pat) teamed up with Everglade Boats and Stella Marine out of Palm Beach to display a 27.5ft. center console sport fish wrapped in a FAB Dock at the Palm Beach Boat Show. We had the perfect location, on a corner berth just down from the main entrance to the show, and were inundated all weekend with boat owners that were amazed at how such a simple concept was so effective at keeping the boat dry. And when we explained that it also helped them park their boat, was portable, 12 volt and built to suit any size boat, they were truly flabbergasted.

And no boat is ever complete without  at least some rain. So right on cue, we received our mandatory rain shower on the first day, but the weather gods were kind to us for the rest of the show. Unlike the Sarasota Boat Show, which we aren’t even going to talk about.

Response continues to be amazing and interest was even higher in Palm Beach than at the Miami Boat Show a few weeks weeks before. Brian Harris, the VP of Marketing for Everglades Boats, Inc. loved the crowds around the FAB Dock so much he wants to team up for future boat shows and continue to showcase his boats in a FAB Dock!

Many thanks to Bob Stella and the great staff from Bob Stella Marine who showed such class at the Palm Beach Show. They were such a great team to work with!

See you all at the next show.

What a week. A big thank you to the whole FAB Dock team for pulling out all stops and getting seven FAB Docks installed this week on both sides of Australia. And an even bigger thank you to all those customers that worked in with us and rearranged their schedules to allow it to all happen. We almost had Queensland covered with FAB Docks being installed over 1000 kilometres apart from Brisbane to Airlie Beach with Scarborough and Mackay in between. And over on the West coast, Guy installed another two in Mandurah and another one in Hillarys, right next to another FAB Dock customer; they look so cute together. It makes us all so proud.

But there is no rest for the team with another seven scheduled to be installed over the next week. The production team are workng around the clock to keep up. But you won’t hear any complaints from us. We love being busy and sincerely appreciate all our customers making us the number one selling dry docking system in the world. If you don’t have a FAB Dock under your boat yet, give us a call and find out why so many other people have chosen a FAB Dock to protect their boat.

How long did you take picking out your last pair of shoes? How many pairs did you try on before you bought the right one? The same for your last pair of jeans or dress shirt? If you were going to spend a couple of thousand dollars buying a tailor made suit, how many measurements would you expect them to take? And then how well would you expect it to fit? Well, why should your dry docking system be any different? In fact, because you are paying many thousands of dollars more for it, you would expect it to be even more tailor made. After all, we are talking about protecting your boat, and how important is that and how much did that cost?

So it takes us a bit longer to measure each individual boat and it takes us a bit longer to build each FAB Dock, which means it might cost a little more than if we made a one size fits all box shape, but the benefits far outweigh this minor inconvenience. Again, did you buy the cheapest boat you could find? Or did you spend just that little bit more to get just the right boat that will suits your needs and last a lot longer?

Simple physics says that it is a lot more difficult to squash a circular tube than it is a square box. Try it yourself. So strength is a major reason we curve each FAB Dock to mirror the curve of your boat. The second important reason is to minimise the amount water required to be pumped out, which also shortens the time it takes to have you boat dry, the main reason for buying a dry docking system. And by having your FAB Dock custom built to the lines of your boat, it minimises any catchment area for rain to enter and hence, less work again for the pumps.

The most important reason for custom building each FAB Dock to each customer’s boat, is to aid in the berthing process. Quite a number of customers have bought FAB Docks primarily for this reason. And so it is important that the entire bow section is ‘caught’ by the FAB Dock, in case the skipper has come in a little quicker or harder than normal.

So don’t let anyone convince you otherwise, get a tailor made FAB Dock for your boat, it will be the best investment you will make, since you bought the boat.