HOT PRODUCTS
SMALL GUY ’ S HYDRAULICS
ON WHAT ’ S HOT IN THE INDUSTRY
TTwo years ago , heavy duty technician Graham Ross decided to branch out on his own after working in marine hydraulics for 18 years . Since he already had relationships with several boat building shops in the area , including West Head , he didn ’ t need to invest in a building , forklift , or other pricey start-up costs . Instead , Graham took his reputation and a spacious new van and set off to do business .
We ’ re lucky to have Graham as our primary subcontractor for the installation of hydraulics systems in all of our custom builds . We took a few minutes to sit down with Graham and get his take on new products and emerging trends in the boat building industry .
Is there a product you ’ ve noticed gaining popularity recently ?
Yes , the bow thruster . As boats keep getting bigger , it ’ s getting harder and harder to dock them without guys throwing their backs out . The bow thruster relieves that burden by automatically pushing the boat sideways from the dock .
I ’ ve had shops and private customers all over the area requesting to have these installed in their custom builds . I really think it ’ s a must for bigger boats and a huge asset for smaller boats .
What new trends have you seen emerging in the industry ?
Preferences seem to be shifting from manual hydraulic control valves to electric over hydraulic , which seems like a natural choice to me . If the fishing season wasn ’ t so short , I think it would have happened a lot sooner because it ’ s quickly proven that it ’ s effective . Now that others have seen how much easier it can be to operate their boats with electric joysticks , it ’ s really catching on fast .
With an electric over hydraulic system , instead of having manual valves , the ship is controlled by joystick-like controls similar to an excavator . This keeps all system control valves concealed from the elements and actually increases the lifespan of them .
Fortunately , I am certified in both hydraulics and electrical systems , so I can do it all .
What ’ s one change you ’ d like to see in fishing or boat building ?
I ’ d like to see the industry become more environmentally friendly . One thing that comes to mind is oil . So much petroleum ends up in the water and can potentially contaminate the food supply offboard and onboard . Something simple that every fisherman can do is switch to a food-grade oil that won ’ t pose any risk to the catch or public health .
It ’ s a bit more pricey , but a small price to pay to protect your product !
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