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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.

Western Australia finally broke the Boat Show weather hoodoo with three magnificent days for the Hillarys Boat Show. Not including the setup day where Guy and I got absolutely soaked setting up Scott’s great Sea Ray Weekender that he had graciously lent us for the weekend. The crowds loved the perfect weather and flocked in. Lisa put on an absolutely wonderful show with lots of entertainment for everyone and lots of stuff to buy ranging from fishing tackle to multi million dollar Princess boats. And of course, the response at our FAB Dock stand is always amazing; ranging from bewilderment to absolute amazement at how simple and cost effective our dry docking system is compared to anything else in the market. With more and more people becoming aware of the environmental impact that thousands of boats dropping antifoul into our waterways for years and years will ultimately produce. So here’s hoping that in a short period of time we will see most recreational boats living in FAB Docks rather than using poisonous antifoul.

Shane and Sonya are the latest boat owners to join our rapidly expanding FAB Dock family. It is surprising that it has taken this long for Townsville to get its first FAB Dock but Shane is convinced that now that fellow boaties can see how easy and effective his FAB Dock is, they will all want one.

Shane had long been looking for a solution to the age old problem of growth on his hull and running gear (like the rest of us) but could never justify the cost of previous dry docking systems. But when his big Volvo diesel was struggling to push his boat to 12 knots, down from 20 knots when clean, he had another look for a solution. So when he found FAB Dock, and also saw how it will help him berth his boat, he was sold. Having a single engined flybridge on a ‘blow off’ berth, he couldn’t find a more difficult boat to park. With his ‘crew’ either asleep or not quite up to the task, it was always a three or four attempt effort to get the Riviera berthed without the obligatory “berth’ marks. So now he is looking forward to being able to go fishing on his own, knowing he can park it first time, every time.

And have a look at just how good a fit we got around the boat. Shane took all the credit for this as he was the one hanging off the bow with tape measure in one hand and bow rail in the other, while I was sitting on his boat with my feet up writing down the measurements he was yelling out. So thanks for that, Shane.

The boat show weather curse continued in Miami with the heavens opening up on the Friday and one of Miami’s coldest days on record on the Sunday. All the locals were scrambling to find any old jacket to try and keep warm and all the northerners who had come down for the warm Florida weather had thought they had got off at the wrong place.

The rain had actually started Thursday night after I had decided to take the USA FAB Dock team out to dinner to thank them for all their efforts in getting the FAB Dock showcased at such a prestigious event. And so it is a testament to their dedication that it didn’t strike any of us until the end of the night as we were waiting in the rain for the valet to return our car, that everyone else around us were couples enjoying their romantic Valentine’s Day dinner surrounded by roses, balloons and chocolates. So I would sincerely like to thank all those wives and girlfriends that allowed their men to leave them on the most romantic night of the year to pursue the FAB Dock cause.

Once the rain had subsided, the boat show itself was a roaring success. Once again, we received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from everyone that passed by. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Miami Ski Nautique for sharing their stand with us and having two of their boats live in FAB Docks for the duration of the show. And a special thank you to Sammy for being our test driver for our new FAB Dock video and to Luke who put the berthing benefit of the FAB Dock to the test with the quickest entry I have ever seen. We didn’t have the radar gun out but I heard estimates of up to 20 mph.

We look forward to seeing everyone again next year.

BIrd’s eye view

View from the air

Congratulations to Barry for now becoming our biggest customer. Not himself, being a fit and healthy bloke that he is, but his boat. “Lucky Grey” is a purpose built boat by Strategic Marine that stretches over 50 feet long. And its ‘purpose’ is to get Barry’s wife out to the islands before she gets sea sick. What a caring, thoughtful and romantic husband.

To achieve this goal required 1400 horsepower of diesel energy and surfacing piercing drives. Any wife would have shed tears of joy over such a beautiful Valentine’s present. It gives me an idea for Valentine’s Day next week, mmmm.

At 39 degrees (102 Fahrenheit) the day we installed it, we greatly appreciated the ice cold water and being able to step into the air conditioned cab. Thanks for all your help Barry and I look forward to a trip out the next time I am in town.

We have dozens of brands of boats now living in FAB Docks so it is always great to welcome another brand into our friendly FAB Dock family. Colin doesn’t believe in starting at the bottom and so decided his first boat should be a 264 Chaparral Sunesta. Even allowing for our own bias towards our own brand of boat, there is little argument that that is one very special boat. Congratulations.

No need for cranes, barges or teams of people. In fact, no need for any tools or noise at all, or even petrol. Just “Super Guy”. You just can’t get any more environmentally friendly than this.

Thanks…

I won’t even try and convince you how hard I worked all weekend to make this show a success for our FAB Dock brand, because no-one believes me, but trust me, I did. Just because I also happened to spend hours on huge mega yachts eating caviar and crab cakes and drinking the finest wines and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, doesn’t mean it was all roses. Evander Hollyfield kept me amused for ages with some hilarious stories of his upbringing and a special thank you to the Village People for letting me share their bus from the airport after I missed mine. Yes that is really them without the costumes and me in the middle (for those still wondering).