Quite a thread, sorry I have not had the opportunity to respond sooner.
I thank all of those who offer support and truly understand the importance of the effort and the highly visible difference in what Tres began and we continue to grow.
First and foremost the HP recreational and racing segment of the boating industry suffers from a lack of professional structure and conduct. In contrast to what I do in the commercial market the gap appears insurmountable. It is our passion and core values which push us forward.
Imagine the response I would get from a cruise line if I told them they should take on all of their oversight within. Fire the Flag Administration, the classification societies, the third party trainers, etc.
For those who do not seem to understand the functional difference between the Tres Martin Performance Boat School and any other type of instruction it is very simple. Performance structure and skill based. Tres began with an outline of topics, this outline was transformed into structured lesson plans, embedded within the lesson plans are critical skill sets which include human behavior response mechanisms also know as somatic models. In order to truly mitigate situation reaching extremis the brain must be trained to respond instinctually. Unfortunately the human response is usually the absolutely wrong response when a boat gets out of shape and the proper response is counter intuitive.
We do not merely take someone for a boat ride and show them what do to. The classroom session is the primer and initial assessment tool, followed by a short on water instructor demo of critical skill sets followed by prolonged coaching while the students drive. You must pass minimum skill level proficiency in order to become certified under the program. The details of this program will never be posted on public forum or published. The depth of instruction is too valuable and proprietary to reveal in open forum.
If you haven’t figured it out by now this is a measureable program. Who likes measurements better than engineers and lawyers? It remains an absolute mystery to me why the HP boat manufactures have not adopted third party review and oversight similar to what occurs in the commercial market. The idea a boat builder or dealer offers training in house leaves them wide open to additional law suits and litigation. While they may be the absolute best in the operation of their boats because they know them inside and out it certainly does not make their training programs legitimate or properly engineered.
A viable business? A monopoly? Bring it! Yes, there are operators who are very good boat drivers and know exactly what do to get the most out of a boat. But to make it a business? The business plan makes no sense at all. To commit to the proper insurance, advertising, lesson plan development, practice and exercise of theroy, etc. Now just for a moment consider the RISK at which Tres and I not only place our selves but our families. We can never miss! How many Poker Runs do I run boats on? How many days do I just jump in and run a boat at what many consider to be stupid speeds. What would the economic fallout be from just one incident to which we would be involved in? No one else comes close to offering an instructional program with true assessment and measurable results. Tres is committed to safety and no one does a better job in regard to safe operation. While short and direct his core values remain constant. To assume different is completely inappropriate. Internet forums and third party reviews do not reveal character and commitment. Being short and direct is not arrogance.
While I remain completely committed to everything we have done and will continue to bring real safety initiatives to this segment of the boat market I remain absolutely baffled by the lack of demonstrated leadership and professional conduct from the front runners in the market.
We have enabled the insurance industry to glean insight and visibility upon their insured in a way they have never had before, we facilitate boat sales for numerous builders and dealers, we have brought TRUE and ENFORCEABLE safety measurements to organized boating events. Boat sales have been initiated from what we are able to teach students. Yet we still have to fight to get them all to recognize the real difference from what we do and what others offer.
Tank, You of anyone should have a better understanding of this. A $15.00 online state boating program is the equivalent to a driver’s license and our program is equivalent to an advanced driving school or course.
Thanks again for all with support and our acknowledgement to our graduates who are committed to safety, safe operation, and to getting the best performance from their boats.
In regard to which is safer-- V or Cat. I will remain silent and continue to let you all enjoy the discussion. However remember this. Accidents don’t just happen. A chain or sequence of events lead to the incident and to the effects or response to the incident. SPEED alone is rarely if ever a root causal factor to an incident. Speed does however dictate severity of consequence and death usually occurs when these boats become upset at high speed. It will take a few years but our new not for profit will eventually be able to show real numbers and measurements in regard to these incidents which we believe will level the playing field between cats and V's. Presently the data does not support this idea.
I look forward to seeing all I can here in Fort Lauderdale and in Key West. I will be running down on Friday.
Stay Safe!
