BOATGUIDE TAKES A PRIVATE TOUR OF THE SMOKERCRAFT BOAT FACTORY TO SEE HOW ALUMINUM FISHING BOATS ARE MADE. By Craig Ritchie Aluminum fishing boats have changed dramatically over the past 20 years. What started out as fairly basic craft with a short list of relatively simple features have evolved into highly complex vehicles. Hulls have evolved to 26 Boatguide | Winter 2012 utilize compound bends and computer-designed curves that eat the waves, soften the ride and improve fuel economy. Interiors have grown downright luxurious, with a full complement of high-tech features includ- ing satellite navigation and audiophile stereos. Even livewells have been tweaked to ensure the day’s catch stays fresh and lively regardless of the weather. Modern aluminum boats truly are a breed apart from their ancestors, ancestors and that’s nowhere more apparent than when you look under the skin. What better way to do exactly that than to follow a boat down the production line as it goes from a sheet of aluminum plate to a modern fishing machine? Boatguide enjoyed the opportunity to do exactly that with a visit to the SmokerCraft Family of Products boat plant in New Paris, Paris Indiana. Indiana The comcom pany got its start in 1900 as the Star Tank Company, building steel water tanks for the railroad. Two years later, an employee named Arthur Schrock joined the firm and spearheaded the development of boats as a sideline. Named Starcraft, the boats proved so popular the company soon dropped its steel tank business altogether to focus on building boats. The Schrock fam- ily subsequently acquired the business, business then further acquired the competing Sylvan and SmokerCraft boat brands to form the company as it exists today. The plant in New Paris consists of more than 32 different buildings that manufacture everything from cartoppers to luxury pontoons and fibreglass runabouts under the Starcraft, SmokerCraft, Sylvan and Sunchaser brands. Winter 2012 | Boatguide 27 HOW BOATS ARE MADE 1 The process of building an aluminum fishing boat begins with unrolling massive, heavy coils of raw aluminum plate [1]. These coils, some of which weigh more than three tons, provide the aluminum plates that are used to create the hull and other major components. There are several different varieties of aluminum used in each boat, and in several different thicknesses, depending on the application. So the first step is the decoiling process [2] , where these coils are loaded into a straightening machine which carefully unrolls the aluminum into straight, flat sections which are cut to length. The flat plates, called blanks, are sorted according to type and thickness of aluminum, then bundled onto sturdy carts [3] . Their next stop is a cutting room, where they will be fed into a highly specialized 7 28 Boatguide | Winter 2012 2 machine and cut to shape. In the old days this would have all been done by hand. Today, all the cutting and drilling is done in a single step by an enormous computer-controlled laser router [4]. Frightfully expensive, the laser router pays for itself by making extraordinarily precise cuts that minimize sharp edges and substantially reduce the amount of finishing work later down the assembly process. It also allows multiple components to be cut simultaneously from the same aluminum blank, substantially reducing waste. From an aluminum sheet the size of a car, the amount of leftover scrap barely fills a bucket. Those pieces are collected and recycled. After being cut to shape, the heavy bottom plates are loaded onto individual wheeled carts [5]. Each will carry the boat through 8 3 the plant as it moves sequentially from one work station to the next. The first step in the assembly process it to attach the side gunnels [6], which are spotriveted into place. The transom is then fitted into position [7], and the boat is inverted on its cart and fully riveted, entirely by hand [8]. “This is where craftsmanship really comes into play,” says Peter Barrett, my tour guide and SmokerCraft Group’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “There are two technicians who rivet the boat together, one working outside the hull, and the other working from the inside. Riveting the entire boat by hand is obviously labour-intensive, but you get a level of quality control that literally amounts to going over the whole boat one rivet at a time. If a piece of aluminum is even slightly misaligned, its addressed right then and there, so the boat is built correctly the first time.” 9 4 With the hull and transom fully riveted, the boat is rolled right-side up, and work begins on the inner hull. The first step it to install the interior ribs and bracing [9]. Then, the hull goes into a water tank [10] for testing. Two technicians climb inside and check the boat for any sign of leaks, misaligned rivets, or other potential defects. “Every boat we make goes into the tank at this stage,” says Barrett. “It’s another step in a constant process of quality control that exists at every step of production.” On the day of our visit, the company was building both Starcraft and SmokerCraft 17-foot side-console models. Each is assembled a bit differently. “Today we still build each brand of boat following the same basic approach to the way it has historically been built,” says Barrett. “The interior bracing on 10 5 a SmokerCraft boat is generally assembled inside the hull, for example, while the Starcraft boats use a bracing system that’s assembled separately then fit inside the hull as one piece. Although all our boats take advantage of a lot of high-tech engineering, we try to remain faithful to the history of each brand and maintain the ride qualities and core characteristics that attracted customers to them in the first place. We want someone who has had a Starcraft in their family for generations to feel right at home in their brand-new boat, even though it might have a lot of features and design elements that their previous one didn’t have.” With the interior bracing installed and having passed the tank test, the boat moves through the plant to the next assembly area where additional interior structural elements, 11 6 like built-in fuel tanks, livewells and electrical conduit, are fitted and installed. That step is followed by the installation of the wooden floor [11], and now the boat really begins to take shape. The floor decking has a series of holes drilled through it in strategic locations, where expanding foam flotation is later injected. The expanding foam completely seals the entire inside of the bottom, helping to stiffen the hull for a crisper ride, while simultaneously providing level flotation that exceeds Coast Guard requirements. As it cures, the foam expands up through the injection holes, forming mounds that will be sanded off flush with the deck and sealed over once it has fully cured. That step is followed by the installation of the vinyl or carpet floor covering, along with the interior side panels [12]. 12 Winter 2012 | Boatguide 29 HOW BOATS ARE MADE 13 The boat comes together quickly now, as major components like the helm console and the splash well are installed [13]. The next major step is to prepare it for painting. Working in a dust-free environment, the painters clean the boat until it is practically sterile, using a variety of different cleansers to remove dust, dirt and even fingerprints. They then begin the process of masking off the boat as required [14]. It gets a uniform primer coat, followed by a series of tough, urethane colour coats. Final curing takes place in one of three different ovens, where the paint is fully dried to a smooth, hard finish [15]. Once the boat emerges from the paint shop 14 and the masking paper is carefully peeled away, it looks almost ready for the dealer’s showroom. It moves to the finishing area [16], where final components like steering wheels and engine controls are installed. Some boats will then be shrink-wrapped and shipped to the dealer as bare boats, while others will have their outboard, electric motor and fish finder installed right at the factory – it all depends how the boat was ordered. These days, the vast majority are pre-rigged at the plant. It saves the boat dealer time, and the owner can have their boat come with a trailer painted to perfectly match the boat. Building boats is a unique mix of art and science, where laser-guided machinery and high-tech, computer design blend with care- 16 30 Boatguide | Winter 2012 15 ful craftsmanship and hands-on experience passed down through generations. “We have a number of people in the plant who have been building boats for 20, 30, or even 35 years,” says Barrett. “Their depth of knowledge is immense. When you combine that tremendous experience and know-how with the opportunities provided by new technology, you are able to achieve things that simply weren’t possible a decade or two ago.” Modern aluminum boats truly are a breed apart from their ancestors, and that’s clearly apparent when you step aboard and take one for a drive. With their unique blend of modern technology and relaxed, familiar feel, no wonder aluminum fishing boats remain top sellers all across Canada.