Bob
Dickey began his working career as a professional drummer, living in
Los Angeles and backing up some very recognizable names. Bob now owns
First Mate Marine in Port Townsend. He is becoming well known in his
own right while drumming up marine sanitation and heating business.
From a modest office at the Port Townsend Boat Haven, Bob has developed
a widespread customer base throughout the entire Puget Sound region.
A plaque on the office wall signifies that First Mate Marine was the
largest volume dealer for VacuFlush marine toilets in 2000 and 2001.
"My number one business philosophy
has been to offer service where the need is greatest. At First Mate,
we have identified heating, sanitation, small outboard service, and
gas engine repair as our specialties. We do a lot of our business on
a mobile basis, there really isn't anywhere we won't go to work on heating
or marine sanitation."
One of First Mate's priorities is working with boat owners to design
and install proper systems. "There are a lot of boats around with
good systems that should work better than they do," said Bob. "Two
major problems we run into all the time are improper sizing and improper
installation. Some boaters try to go the cheap route and buy stuff that
is too small and has to work too hard. Here, take a look at this, for
example."
Bob displayed a scrapped-out cabin heater,
with a large hole burned through a plate in the inner chamber. "This
furnace didn't stand a chance. It was designed to heat a lot smaller
boat than the one it failed on. It was on the boat when my customer
bought it, but it looks like the previous owner just tried to get by
on the cheap. The installation was faulty, and the heater ran too hot
for too long."
First
Mate Marine is earning a good reputation for solving problems that can
result in foul odors onboard a boat.
"Good equipment has to be adequate to do the job and put in right.
Because we are both a selling and servicing dealer, we want to help
the boat owner do it right the first time. This actually costs us a
little bit of service work, because things done right work more reliably,
but it saves the customer a lot of headaches and brings in repeat and
referral business."
Bob explained that some of First Mate's installation philosophies differ
slightly from "standard practice." Using a holding tank and
a mock-up of a sanitation system for props, we learned a few of First
Mate's trade secrets.
"Ever notice that when a macerator pump fails, the holding tank
is almost always full?" asked Bob. "Most installers put the
macerator at the bottom of the tank, and removing the pump for repair
or replacement can create a really stinky mess. We put our macerators
on top of the tank, and pick up the waste through a dip tube. If it
should ever become necessary to swap out the pump, the sewage will remain
in the tank and stay out of the bilge. By the way, we use the highest
quality polyethylene holding tanks; they are eight millimeters thick,
baked, and have no seams. Our fittings are all spin-welded to the tank,
and the entire assembly is sturdy and won't leak odors." First
Mate Marine is earning a good reputation for solving problems that can
result in foul odors onboard a boat.
"We try to avoid Y-valves when we
can," said Bob. "Why manifold waste? Closing off a Y-valve
traps sewage and saltwater in a line, a combination that is always going
to begin smelling bad. We use sweeps, and take advantage of elevation
and gravity to move waste where we can. The idea is to minimize the
use of Ts and Ys that will trap waste."
We asked about the using a Y-valve to
pump waste overboard.
"There is no place anywhere in Puget
Sound where it's legal to pump raw sewage overboard," observed
Bob. "Unless a boater is going to be doing a lot of cruising offshore
or in areas where it is legal to dump into the water, more people should
consider installing a sanitation system with no overboard discharge
option. Keeping the waste in a proper holding tank will create fewer
odors than trapping sewage in the extra valves and hoses."
"This
actually costs us a little bit of service work, because things done
right work more reliably, but it saves the customer a lot of headaches
and brings in repeat and referral business."
Bob displayed a corroded vent fitting. "One of the major reasons
that boats develop smelly holding tanks is bad ventilation. Look at
this fitting. It looks okay on the outside, but as you can see it's
corroded almost shut on the inside. The diameter would have been just
barely adequate before the fitting started to fail. Many people have
no idea that it is so important to ventilate a holding tank. We often
get service calls from people who tell us that sewage has backed up
into the 'overflow' line of the holding tank!"
"The final key to odor control is
the use of good-quality hoses," remarked Bob. "Not every application
is going to require the very finest nine-dollar-a-foot hose to control
odor, but in cases where that is what the boat owner should be using
we'll include that in our design and proposal. It almost always costs
more to go back and replace a cheap hose that starts leaking or gets
smelly in a couple of years than to use a good hose to begin with."
First Mate Marine has noticed a trend in heater failures. Bob explained
the most commonly observed causes. "We see heaters fail for four
pretty specific reasons. Low voltage, too much exhaust, inadequate fuel
delivery systems, and undersizing the heater at the time of purchase.
It's a good idea to run most heaters at least once a month, all year
around, to keep the seals in good condition and prevent fuel in the
system from going bad."
A 30-foot Sundowner Tug was blocked-up
behind First Mate Marine, and Bob mentioned that he was involved in
a large project on the boat.
"There are a lot of talented individuals
in the marine trades here in Port Townsend," said Bob, "but
sometimes it isn't easy to get several businesses networking together
to accomplish a single project. This tug shows what can happen when
a complex job is divided up among specialists."
"We
have learned to use e-mail a lot
these days, and we find that if we can e-mail photos to boat owners
we are better able to keep people informed about the specific
progress on a boat."
A gentleman walked toward the Sundowner from a nearby parking lot. He
proved to be Lonnie Butler, the owner of the tug, making a weekly trip
from his Seattle-area home to inspect the progress. We asked Lonnie
about his repair experience.
"I bought the boat in Sequim,"
said Lonnie. "It had been well maintained in many aspects, but
I knew there were some issues I wanted to have taken care of. A friend
suggested that I might want to see about getting the boat repaired here
in Port Townsend, rather than taking it back to Seattle. I knew I wanted
to replace the old Pathfinder diesel engine, and I noticed the sign
here for Shoreline Marine Diesel. Mark Joachim of Shoreline has been
the 'general contractor' on this project, lining up the rest of the
people to do the work, but I've had good access to and good communication
with everybody working on the boat. I feel like I'm getting a lot of
bang for the buck, and dealing with a community of craftspeople. I'm
very pleased with the experience so far, and would recommend Mark, Bob
and the other guys involved with this project."
We stepped aboard the Sundowner and discovered a major refit in progress.
Chris Brignoli, owner of Aubergine Marine, and his associate Chris Sanok
were engaged in relocating the batteries and extensively rewiring the
vessel. Rick Petrykowski, owner to Taku Marine, was taking measurements
for rebuilding the sole in the pilothouse. Shoreline Marine Diesel had
pulled the aging VW Pathfinder engine and installed a new 160-hp Yanmar.
In a subsequent conversation with Mark
Joachim of Shoreline Marine Diesel, we learned that Skallerud Marine
had provided custom metal work, and that Port Townsend's First Place
Propeller was involved with the shaft and prop work. "We've got
a group of people who work really well together here," said Mark,
"and this project has been made a bit easier because Lonnie, the
owner, is pretty knowledgeable about boats and the systems we are dealing
with. We have learned to use e-mail a lot these days, and we find that
if we can e-mail photos to boat owners we are better able to keep people
informed about the specific progress on a boat. The Internet has made
it easier for people living outside of our immediate area to take advantage
of the marine trades in Port Townsend."
First Mate Marine installed a compact
but neatly constructed sanitation system under the bunk in the forward
cabin. "We also did some work on the hull," said Bob. "We
relocated some of the through-hulls that were needlessly below the waterline,
and we've done some miscellaneous glass and paint work too. Although
we specialize in heating and sanitation, we are happy to bid almost
any type of repair work and we have a long history of boat detailing.
One of the challenges we face is trying to get people to think of us
as a regional shop with mobile service, not just a Port Townsend business." 
