Jeff's Marine, Inc. | Thomaston, Maine

 

WINTER NEWSLETTER 12’

            Well I made it to 60 this year!  Kind of glad I made it after surviving cancer and all the escapades I have been on.  Had a nice sail down to the Bahamas early this winter onboard a 53’ Cutter, going offshore, surfing down 15 ft seas with a good breeze behind us.  Been onshore too long and it was nice to be part of crew on a passage.  Nothing like the coast of Maine for beauty and good boating though and that is why I live here.

            What a great fall for weather and a late winter we have had.  Need more snow for winter sports and this economy, as this is a full four seasons place. We shipped my daughter off to Chile for the winter and she is off my payroll.  It was a treat to have her here and I hoped you enjoyed her presence for the last year or so. She is doing a non-profit, educational photo project for underprivileged city kids in Valparaiso this winter.  Then back here for summer and then off to a masters program at Sotheby’s in NYC this fall.  She is a driven girl and hopefully I will look back in later years and smile at the time we had together here. Nothing more of a joy and important than your family.

            So we have a new, local, bright girl in the office, (Jen) and she fits right in, and can put up with me, Mark & Darrin, plus help us through cyber space. We do have some pictures of Jeff’s marine on Facebook, but I do not tweet, face or have any friends, so try e-mailing or using the phone please when ordering parts or asking for service.  We do business the old fashion way, but we do accept credit cards and other favors for services.

            Business here is okay, real Estate is down but that was inflated, the service industry here in the Midcoast is steady so stop listening to the news and just go to work.  I was smart enough to invest wisely in good equipment and systems when the economy was stronger so we are solvent and do no have to do a lot of capital expenditures to make.

We have a new Tech Jay who was here this summer is working with Brian in the main shop. Two men are off to Yamaha School.  I also kept two yardmen on as we had work for them taking care of people who have decided to keep their boats and take care of them.  I strongly feel that many of you own now ‘classic’ fiberglass boats that are worth keeping since they were built well and are standing the test of time. We have restored a lot of your boats and many of you have had the same boat for over 20 years and they still are holding up. I have some Bertram’s which I have restored and soon we will have website on fiberglass boat restorations.  Our main theme has always been to run a first class outboard shop, and if done well, sales will follow.

            I know I have hammered the fuel issue a lot and most of you have gotten smart and had your fuel tanks polished and or kept your fuel fresh. This is the key so if your are running an inboard tank, try to take it close to empty at the end of the year so we can drain the rest and go with fresh in the spring.  Many of you only use your boat 3 months a year and the fuel no matter what you put in it will not last 9 months period!

            I have decided to give up all bilge pumps either made in China or Mexico and going with a Chicago made ‘Johnson’ Bilge Pump.  I have researched this as I try to do with most products and want to give the best bang for your buck. I have expanded our trailer parts and trying to keep showroom stocked with basic rigging components and not compete with the bigger stores.  Find out what you do and do it well!

Chris Cornell was older than me and retired on us this early fall and we will soon have a replacement. He was such a class act and I thank him for his time and we wish him well. So I have been forced to actually work, do motor and boat sales while we get a replacement.  I have not had a chance to play in shop or on any boats and been stuck in office. Our website is good with quality used boats for sale as Chris left us in good shape.

              As we get older, and I guess 60 is not THAT old, but you start to lose some good people and we need to list them and salute the old boaters that had a good run and some boaters that went before they should of.  Jim Hummer of Spruce Head had a good run, bought lots of boats and was a gracious man and left his fortune to the Animal Shelter. Unfortunately some close men in my life passed away before their time to Cancer.  Each one was special and I could do a whole page on each one but Richard Bird (The Bird) was all man, a great poker player, a master computer man that had his iPad before he died. He touched the hearts of all that knew him on the St George Peninsula.  He was a true friend and I miss him every day. Please raise your glasses to Richard Bird.

            Ronnie Ames (RK) was a true pirate if there ever was one, the mayor of Matinicus, went through two open-heart surgeries in his life only to pass out from a brain tumor on his boat.  He loved his boats, planes, women, rum, & told some outrageous stories that scary enough were true! I forgot last year to mention Tom Bournival who became one of the finest Shipwrights in this area, built my house and did so much for so many in the time he was here.  He was a talented great man and his wife Linda does our canvas work for you our customers.  So tip your hat to these fine gentlemen that were my friends and fellow boaters. It has been a hard year on me losing people so close.

            Many of you heard that we lost a fine woman (Jan) overboard on her way to Bermuda and she was from Hupper Island.  It is a tragedy and her husband Bob needs our support in his loss of his wife and mate.  You never know when your time is up and it is hard when it hits you square in the face.  My son is graduating from High school this year so hopefully this fall I will have an empty nest and my wife Nancy and I just might take a trip on this Continent and see a bit of this country.  She has stood by me while I have worked too many hours, when the weather is the best, nursed me through medical problems, and put up with the likes of me and stayed out of my business.  She deserves a big hand. She married me just after I took over this place in 1983 and she is my mate.

            So here I am again try to tell you my customer base how good it is, and how good we got it. I got to say looking over the river at the ice cakes and the eagles overhead that it has been a good run and I dare say I have enjoyed most of this.  I am not ready to retire yet, as I need you to help me get my son through college but soon I will fade away.  In the meantime I am going to support this community of boaters with old fashion service, keeping my crew educated, paid well and here so there is little turn over. I am giving back by sitting on the Board of the Apprentice Shop and the Community sailing program.  We do all the work on their small boats and outboards for them pro-bono. Check them out at www.apprenticeshop.org

 I take the school kids on a trip up river; give them a history lesson, and a little common sense. We try to support the Commercial fisherman and keep the $ in circulation by keeping it local when we can. This is a great area and whether you live here year round or just here for the warm months, it is special and so are you, which is why you get this letter. Thanks for making this place a joy to work at, as I try to tell my employees that “I do not pay your salary “ the customer does, so when he drives in the yard it should be an enjoyable place to do business. 

See you in the Spring

Jeff