ROCK SALT 2009 - Page 4

blacklabmarine · 04-20-2009, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by surfishunt funds

Does the line on the side of the hull effect the hulls overall integrity or is it for aesthetics only? Why is the rub rail cut short of the bow?

Aesthics only although on commercial/military boats it is used as a very heavy-duy rubrail rather than deploying fenders - great when you don't care about that which you are tying to....

Rub rail at the bow...

My partner made that decision as it was going on...won't happen again! Cut a 40' piece down...

blacklabmarine · 04-20-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doughnut

LOL- there are bigger fish to fry. I had a Striker 44 with about a zillion miles of weld and about a zillion miles under her (beloved) keel. ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, 0 weld failures ever, and I was on the same boat recently NONE. As far as the not pretty welds, I suppose the could run around polishing them all down, make the boat about $500K in labor!

Jay, she is a BATTLESHIP, nice concept, nice execution.

Thanks Doughnut.

My partner recently spent a couple of years taking a 1968 44' Striker down to bare metal - rewired, repowered, re-painted - thing looks like a brand new boat after 40 years. That boat is as solid and intact as a boat built today - no rot, no delamination, no water absorption, no UV damage - nada!

blacklabmarine · 04-20-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

She is a beauty. Tell us about the drift/cruise charactersistics. I love the way my Albemarle sort of hugs the water, it drifts and runs like a much bigger boat. Sort of plows through vs. skipping over the waves. How does the lighter aluminum feel/run? I sure like the indestructable characteristics of the Rock Salt!

Great question.

I actually made a decsion to make this boat as heavy as a glass boat. As you know mass vs wave is a pretty settled discussion and although we could have made it lighter I didn't want anyone saying that because its aluminum it doesn't ride well. Ride is a function of weight and shape and the skill of the driver. One of the nice things about alloy is that to get the same weight we added more structure low and centered so that if anything it has made the boat more stable on a drift than our FRP competitors. We have a lower center of gravity (COG).

So we gave up weight savings but still give the toughness, durability and low maintenance of alloy.

The boat is extremely dry as the bottom and chines are well-designed and executed - not too much and not too little (this is a fussy detail that buyers never ask about!). People always look at the concave carolina flare and think dry ride but a dry ride is located lower on the hull!

Ride? The boat is a monster - mean, angry tough.

blacklabmarine · 04-20-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kzcqch

Maybe this is a great boat with great innovations, but sorry, from a marketing perspective, Rock Salt is just a poor choice for a name of a boat manufacturer. Seriously..."Rock Salt"?? May be an amazing boat, but the name is horrible. Maybe others have said it, but I could not imagine buying a boat from a manufacturer called "Rock Salt".

I truly wish this manufacture the best of success, but they should change the name.

Does anyone else agree or am I crazy?

Brand names are what you make of them. They come to mean something completely separate from their original meaning over time - for instance:

Regulator:

Then - faceless, nameless beaureaucrat writing persnickity and difficult rules...

Now - Expensive, desirable, offshore fiberglass center console boats.

Apple:

Then: a nice little fruit - keeps the doctor away...

Now: Personal computing and electronics powerhouse.

Caterpillar:

Then: Squishy, slow butterfly in the larval stage

Now: Big, yellow heavy-duty construction equipment.

Would you pick a larve for a new heavy-duty equipment company?

Also - not to be a smart@@ but should you be throwing rocks with a user name of "kzcqch"!

Someday you hopefully won't think of NaCL when you see the words "Rock Salt" but rather you will think - Extremely tough, over-the-horizon, military-grade, deep-vee alloy boats!

mcc113 · 04-21-2009, 08:38 AM

^^ right on jay!!

AlloyToy · 04-21-2009, 09:40 AM

PENIS

Then: Male genitalia used for urination or sex

Now: Someone coming on to a public boating forum a rattling off chit like this:

Quote:

Maybe this is a great boat with great innovations, but sorry, from a marketing perspective, Rock Salt is just a poor choice for a name of a boat manufacturer. Seriously..."Rock Salt"?? May be an amazing boat, but the name is horrible. Maybe others have said it, but I could not imagine buying a boat from a manufacturer called "Rock Salt"

RingLeader · 04-21-2009, 11:41 AM

These alloy boats won't fail. The oil/gas industry has been running then in the Gulf of Mexico for over 30 years... if not alot longer. There are a few companies in South Louisiana that build crew boats and work boats that have branched out to building alloy recreational/fishing boats. There are a bunch of them down here. The wait lists to get one built is very long, and its hard to find one for sale. Not the sexiest beast on the water, but it'll be here long after all the glass boats are worn out. I'm not saying they are problem free, but don't sell them short. Alloy boats are good boats.

csaltbay · 04-28-2009, 05:27 PM

Just my 2cents, RockSalt is Rocksolid as is Camcraft, Halter marine, and Trinity
Just to name a few, Second to no one, Only in America

oldschool1 · 05-03-2009, 05:12 PM

hello Jay or others, i got a couple of questions, some are simple

cockpit self bailing ? how does rain water exits boat ?

are the hatches on the deck aluminum ?

is the hatch in the transome similar to the anchor locker in the bow ? (water tight)

that boat is painted, do you expect some customers wanting it just bare metal ?

do you have options for a hardtop ?

thanks nice looking boat

welder · 05-03-2009, 11:16 PM

I think I can help a little.........
Self bailing .....Yes
Rain water .........out the scuppers [ Self bailing ]
Hatches on deck .......Water Proof Alloy
Hatch on transom........ Yes , Water proof Alloy
Paint.........That's up to the Customer that's specking the boat
Hard top .........Bring the Check book , What do you want ?
Looks........AWESOME looking boat

oldschool1 · 05-04-2009, 09:02 AM

thanks welder.

one more, what about foam floatation ?

Jassman · 05-09-2009, 08:25 AM

Jay, the boats that are non painted..like the good lookin B.L.26 on pg 3 what is required for maintenance to keep it looking new like that all the time...other than washing when coming back in every time. BTW it was a nice meeting you at Miami, a wealth of information. Thanks Jeff

blacklabmarine · 05-11-2009, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jassman

Jay, the boats that are non painted..like the good lookin B.L.26 on pg 3 what is required for maintenance to keep it looking new like that all the time...other than washing when coming back in every time. BTW it was a nice meeting you at Miami, a wealth of information. Thanks Jeff

Hi Jeff!

Nice meeting you as well. Funny thing is I learn as much from people like you as they learn from me. I love meeting smart, knowledgeable boaters at shows...

If a boat is left unpainted then the only way to keep it shiny like the 26' on page 3 is to put a clearcoat on it. Alloy wants to oxidize - the oxidization is actually what makes it such a cool metal. Unfortunately for many recreational boaters it (oxidation) is less than attractive.

Even with a clearcoat you are looking at a metal that is soft and will scratch and mar. If you want the boat to look pretty over the long term you will probably want paint.

I personally like simple and no maintenance - I would have bare metal and stick-on non-skid tape. Beat the living stuffing out of the boat and care less about docking, swing lead weights, dive tanks and dive belts, gaffs. Rinse the boat off every now and then!

Having said that I completely understand that the commercial/military finish isn't for everyone. Wives (especially) can find the look a bit off-puttting. You can have any level of finish from commercial to yacht quality and any point in-between. A matte finish would give the regularity and cleanness that many desire and would also have the ability to be easily "fixed" when a mar occurs that is unwanted.

If one chooses a painted finish the nice hing is sthat at some point in the future it can be completely re-done. My partner recently took a 1968 44' Striker down to bare metal...

Repowered, rewired, new joinery and 22 coats of paint later you would be hard-pressed to know that he boat is 40 years old. No rotten stringers, no gel-coat cracks, no water absorption. That boat is as sound as it was 40 years ago when it was built in Norway!

vtdownhiller · 05-11-2009, 06:38 AM

I would add a big green stick...

blacklabmarine · 05-11-2009, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldschool1

thanks welder.

one more, what about foam floatation ?

Oldschool...

Foam? The boat can be built using watertight bulkheads, full foam or neither depending upon the owners wants/needs.

Also - I'd love to do a self-righting big center console. Its not that hard and the boat wouldn't look very different...

saltwaters · 05-11-2009, 07:15 PM

Nice boat. Are those pipe fittings stainless or galvanized?

Congratulations on building a fish killer.

blacklabmarine · 05-12-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwaters

Nice boat. Are those pipe fittings stainless or galvanized?

Congratulations on building a fish killer.

Aluminum!

Thank you for the compliment as well!

Custombuilder · 06-21-2009, 02:41 AM

In Louisiana we have a few custom builders who build aluminum center consoles similar to the Rock Salt one of them being Gravios. Aluminum has its place for a tough no bull boat hull that can handle the abuse of commercial industries and be left in a hurricane such as Katrina looking the same after the storm. I had a custom 20 ft flipped in my yard for Katrina in Port Sulphur, LA and it still looks the same. You can bump an aluminum boat around and don't have to worry about it as much as a fiberglass hull. They are not as fancy, but are practical and can last forever.

Jassman · 06-21-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Custombuilder

In Louisiana we have a few custom builders who build aluminum center consoles similar to the Rock Salt one of them being Gravios. Aluminum has its place for a tough no bull boat hull that can handle the abuse of commercial industries and be left in a hurricane such as Katrina looking the same after the storm. I had a custom 20 ft flipped in my yard for Katrina in Port Sulphur, LA and it still looks the same. You can bump an aluminum boat around and don't have to worry about it as much as a fiberglass hull. They are not as fancy, but are practical and can last forever.

I agree..beauty is in the eye of the beholder....which is ok for some..extremely durable vs a fiberglass boat in certain aspects..Gravios is one of the finest built Aluminum boats..and they are in my back yard as well..unfortunetly they build for the military only at this moment..or when I inquired 2 years ago. I rank Rock Salt and Black Lab boats right up there in the same league...The welds are spot on, and the integrity is about the same..Their following speaks for itself.

Jeff

blacklabmarine · 07-02-2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Custombuilder

In Louisiana we have a few custom builders who build aluminum center consoles similar to the Rock Salt one of them being Gravios. Aluminum has its place for a tough no bull boat hull that can handle the abuse of commercial industries and be left in a hurricane such as Katrina looking the same after the storm. I had a custom 20 ft flipped in my yard for Katrina in Port Sulphur, LA and it still looks the same. You can bump an aluminum boat around and don't have to worry about it as much as a fiberglass hull. They are not as fancy, but are practical and can last forever.

Custom Builder - We had a customer with a boat in one of those "rack" storage places along the Mississippi Gulf Coast during Katrina. The boat got picked-up, flipped over and rolled around - the rest of the fiberglass boats were destroyed but that boat took about $1500 to fix and is still in service today!

I have to disagree about the last part of your statement - That aluminum is "not as fancy". I'm sure what you meant was that because of its durability and toughness that it is very popular in workboat markets where aesthetics and such are not necessary. Since one sees these boats a lot it leads to the thought that aluminum=work, plainness...

But aluminum can exceed fiberglass in fit, finish - "fanciness" if you will...

In meeting South Florida mariners at the Miami Show I found that many, if not most 20'-50' boat buyers were not familiar with aluminum boats and if they were they were familiar only with the riveted freshwater stuff.

They'd look at me and with no unfriendliness explain that you can't have aluminum in saltwater - you know.....electrolysis and lightening and, of course the heat - darn boat will be hot!

As I always do I then explained that megayachts, some navy boats, offshore oil vessels, USCG boats, etc were aluminum. They would then look at me like I was a liar. Seriously. This look of "hmmmmm....what's this guy trying to peddle - what bullsh*t" would come over their face. Sure Navy boats are steel and jonboats are aluminum but, as anyone looking around the Miami Show can plainly see boats are fiberglass!

My favorite example was Broward Yachts right up the coast in Dania, FL a large aluminum yachtbuilder right in their backyard!

Only $31,500/week for a charter for an aluminum boat!

Or for the folks along the Gulf Coast - there's Trinity Yachts (aluminum boats...)

Don't mean to be a jerk but in introducing a high-end aluminum boat to the center console market having the boats described as only really functional workboats isn't helpful.

We can make a boat anywhere from a plain-jane workboat to a glossy awl gripped yacht quality - its the customer's choice not the materials choice!