employment opportunities ??

[afrhydro]

30 years fiberglass and wood boat repairs and modifications plus some design

master tool-er
my heart is in the go fast boats
I'm a product of Miamis offshore racing hay days
and the keys flats and offshore fishing vessels
i have experience with all types and sizes of boats up to 80 '

i may be willing to re locate
currently self employed since 1986
i have a 6100 square foot building
but do to Florida's market troubles business is down more than 50 %
it is getting to tuff to hang on much longer

thanks
Scott
PS i designed and built the red hydro from scratch

[Bill Dunn]

Hi Scott,
You are not feeling this pain alone, I have a feeling there are many of us old timers that work in fiberglass for the love of it and not expecting to ever get rich from it, that are really feeliing the pinch right now. Its not very comforting to find that there are so many jobs that pay all of $8-12 to start, and very few companies willing to pay us experienced old farts what we deserve.
Hang in there, it has to get better than this! OK maybe not!
Bill

[afrhydro]

yea i here it see it all over
the boating industry is in big trouble down here
hope it makes a turn soon
i been doing more mechanical work the glass work the last month

my finger and hands look like crap
I'm all cut up all over
darn tie wraps are Sharpe man

i got a 390 sea ray in that wiped off the entire running gear on the starboard side
blew the v drive into bits and pulled half the thing threw the bottom
and blew out the entire rudder assembly
so i glassed all the hole put in the shaft log and geled it all
so now i been putting it all back in

not a great paying job but its ok

thanks for the encouragement

[Frosty]

Diversify,--make something else. Its not like fibreglass has become unpopular.

A friend of mine used to fibreglass the inside of vans to transport fish. He is now well in with Williams formula one carbon fibre parts. They fly him around in a helecopter. yes hes old too.

[afrhydro]

i been racking my brain to come up with something
just like you say fiberglass is still popular
but nothing has come to me yet
i even mad a 2 piece mold for conquistador hats

i got a line on ford cobra replica bodies
i will have to see if that pans out

there is a bloke here, building smaller than yours
he makes side panels , insulated for semi trailor trucks and mo homes, makes the foam in huge slabs, bandsaws with machine to thickness
He imports the glass cloth from China 2m wide at very low cost and lays the whole thing up with polyester, he is getting rich, with a couple of labourers
Now I dont no much abt sticky stuff, But I will trip over there tuesday and get a handle on it all

[Frosty]

It will be very difficult to come up with something. Theres so much stuff you could make, like errrr,---

It will be the siliest of things, like --- fibreglass supermarket trollies!!!! Novelty trollies like cars and buses that you stick the kids in and put the goods on top . We have them here, its so the kids keep quiet while your shoping.

I hate those wire things.

You could also sell the property, put the money in the bank, retire to Thailand and have a manecure--6% on the dollar??

[afrhydro]

wow 6 %
looks like i better hurry then before the dollar tanks and the amero comes into play
but seriously
isn't thailand full of fiberglass boat builders

lol
just kidding
thanks for the encouragement again guys
keep um coming maybe between you all and myself we can find a new road for this old codger