88 PROFESSIONAL BOATBUILDERPARTING
SHOTL
ast winter I drove north to attend an
American Boat & Yacht Council
(ABYC) systems class to update my
marine-surveying continuing educa-
tion (CE) credits. I was hoping to learn
about modern CANbus systems and
components like MOSFETs (metal-
oxide-semiconductor eld-e ect transis-
tors), marine sanitary systems like Tecma
or Sealand, new induction stoves, and
maybe the pod drives that had replaced
conventional powerboat transmissions,
propellers, sha s, and rudders seemingly
overnight.
Doubts arose about the curriculum
when the “study guide” arrived. It
included as much about CANbus as it
did about a Greyhound bus, and there
was nothing about dripless sha seals,
but pages about bronze ones with wax
seals, which were the latest and greatest
in 1930. Information on pod drives?
Nothing. Curiously, it included much
on how a hand-pumped marine toilet
allows the nastiness to ow one way
thorough the “joker valve,” but not the
other way. More 1930s stu .
At the end of the week came the test,
one of those 1960s ll-in-the-ovals-with-
a-#2-pencil formats, directing us, “Pick
the answer that is the MOST CORRECT.”
I did my best to gure out which subjec-
tive answer to every subjective question
was objectively and factually most cor-
rect. In the end, I was able to pencil in
enough ovals to pass and remain CE
current with my professional association
(NAMS) for another two years.
I spent the trip home contemplating
the whole event while trying to block
out the monetary cost and time away
from work. It was clear that marine test-
ing had fallen way behind the times and
the technologies that now de ne our
industry. I thought about positive changes
that could make the required continuing
education relevant and maybe even fun,
and suggest these improvements:- Create new study materials. Elim-
inate paper altogether, as it increasingly
is in other businesses. Scrap the existing
binder-bound study guide. During my
last class, due to a clerical error, the
40-plus students had at least two versions
of the printed study guide containing
con icting information. is should not
be. With a digitally based system, every-
one’s guide would update with a mouse
click. Also, an instructor standing in
front of a class for a week reading from a
book that was sent to everyone a month
before is a waste of time. As the test is
open-book anyway, an online tutorial
could be studied at home and the test
taken online.- Update the curriculum. In an era
when tiny AC shore-power ground faults
are causing fuel sensors on state-of-the-
art diesel engines to fault out, studying
mechanical fuel pumps from the 1960s
makes little sense. Explain why ground
faults cause mechanical system failure in
modern boats. Find the newest systems
aboard new boats, and make them part
of that year’s curriculum. If training is in
a classroom, keep it interesting. Use
videos. Bring demonstrative exhibits.
e courses should update every year
with evolving technology. e claim that
new technology is out of the purview of
standards training rings hollow and lazy. - Continue to teach the basics. As
Dave Riin, my electrical consultant and
retired nuclear submarine captain friend,
says, “e coursework has to be a blend
of fundamentals—where are the elec-
trons going? stu like that—and modern
application. You have got to spend time
on the basics to fully understand the new
stu . So it has to be a blend.” - Have an ongoing webinar-based
training program. Currently such a pro-
gram exists for ABYC members but not
for nonmembers as a means to obtain CE
credits. Create a library of online tutor-
ials on wide-ranging subjects that are
available for rental, purchase, or sub-
scription—things like specially produced
or manufacturer-provided videos. Any
information about a new system is better
than none. Most of all, the information
must be timely and relevant. is would
be convenient for those who cannot leave
for a week and drive ve states away for a
thousand-dollar class.- Work with manufacturers to pro-
vide guest speakers or trainers. While
people such as marine surveyors, marina
technicians, and USCG personnel can-
not expect to receive factory service
training about some proprietary new sys-
tem, manufacturers may actually want
industry people to at least have a basic,
working knowledge of the advantages
and caveats of any new system. Let’s give
them the chance. - Get the politics out of training.
Unfortunately, in the marine-training
business, there is an unspoken rule to not
say or do anything to upset a manufac-
turer: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds
you.” What good is learning about a stan-
dard just to be told in the event of a man-
ufacturer dispute that the standards don’t
actually mean anything, because, a er
all, they are only voluntary? Standards
training should not only drive home
their content but also the importance of
adherence to the standards. - Review test results. A er my class,
I had no idea which questions I got
wrong. I would have learned much more
had the instructor reviewed answers with
the class. A review would be especially
relevant to students who didn’t pass the
test on their rst attempt. If you don’t
know what you got wrong, how do you
avoid making the same mistake? Simply
e-mailing a numerical percentage score
may get you recerti ed, but it does little
to advance training or knowledge.
About the Author: Gregory G. Group is a
NAMS Certified Marine Surveyor in
Cleveland, Ohio. He has surveyed yachts
and small cra on the Great Lakes and
around the world full time since 1980, and
apprenticed with his father in the family
business, Great Lakes Marine Surveyors
Co. Inc., since 1968. A boating enthusiast,
he welcomes comments at greg@great
lakesmarine.com.Uncertain About Certi cation
by Gregory G. Group
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