WEBVTT - This file was automatically generated by VIMEO 0 00:00:07.935 --> 00:00:08.795 Hi, I am Randy Vance. 1 00:00:08.855 --> 00:00:11.875 I'm in Nashville, Georgia today at the doors of one 2 00:00:11.875 --> 00:00:15.075 of the most iconic saltwater boat builders in the world. 3 00:00:15.465 --> 00:00:19.595 It's Robalo. Behind these doors are 800 craftsmen, 4 00:00:19.925 --> 00:00:22.275 three generations of marine engineers 5 00:00:22.495 --> 00:00:27.115 and 1.2 million square feet of factory, all designed 6 00:00:27.335 --> 00:00:28.795 to bring you some 7 00:00:28.795 --> 00:00:31.595 of the most exciting saltwater fishing boats in the world. 8 00:00:32.015 --> 00:00:34.755 Follow me and I'll show you exactly how they do this. 9 00:00:42.135 --> 00:00:44.275 Now, the interesting thing about boat building is 10 00:00:44.275 --> 00:00:46.435 that you paint the boat before you even build it. 11 00:00:46.765 --> 00:00:48.635 Where we are now is right here 12 00:00:48.635 --> 00:00:52.115 where the molds are being prepared to receive the gel coat. 13 00:00:52.495 --> 00:00:54.395 Now every mold is built on a plug 14 00:00:54.395 --> 00:00:56.515 that's cut on a five axis router 15 00:00:56.825 --> 00:00:58.795 that gives you a true running surface, 16 00:00:58.945 --> 00:01:02.275 perfectly symmetrical, and makes a great handling boat. 17 00:01:03.095 --> 00:01:06.475 The first step in molding the boat is preparing the mold. 18 00:01:06.475 --> 00:01:09.555 To accept the gel coat we're going to apply release wax. 19 00:01:10.185 --> 00:01:12.515 Once that's done, then we'll tape it off 20 00:01:12.515 --> 00:01:14.955 to accept the color scheme that you choose. 21 00:01:15.735 --> 00:01:17.435 One thing you can count on with 22 00:01:17.945 --> 00:01:20.755 Robalo's gel coat is it's extremely expensive. 23 00:01:20.825 --> 00:01:21.875 It's non-porous, 24 00:01:22.535 --> 00:01:25.115 and it will give your boat a long lasting shine. 25 00:01:27.535 --> 00:01:29.515 Now once the mold is in the paint booth, 26 00:01:29.515 --> 00:01:31.635 they're gonna go over the hull one more time. 27 00:01:31.665 --> 00:01:33.075 They use an LED light 28 00:01:33.075 --> 00:01:35.555 to make sure there's no debris in the hull, 29 00:01:35.615 --> 00:01:38.835 or there's no places where they miss the release wax. 30 00:01:39.065 --> 00:01:40.835 This is gonna make sure that 31 00:01:40.835 --> 00:01:45.435 that very expensive non-porous high gloss gel coat lurks 32 00:01:45.435 --> 00:01:47.075 perfect when it comes out of the mold. 33 00:01:50.295 --> 00:01:51.435 Now both the hull 34 00:01:51.435 --> 00:01:53.915 and the deck are gonna be covered with 18 35 00:01:54.055 --> 00:01:56.275 to 22 mils of gel coat. 36 00:01:56.775 --> 00:01:58.795 It gives you an extremely thick finish. 37 00:01:59.305 --> 00:02:01.955 It's very resistant to osmotic blistering. 38 00:02:04.455 --> 00:02:06.635 Now both The hull and the deck are treated 39 00:02:06.905 --> 00:02:07.995 with the same care. 40 00:02:08.715 --> 00:02:11.915 18 to 22 mils of gel coat goes on here. 41 00:02:12.665 --> 00:02:14.835 Once it's done, they're going to go over it 42 00:02:14.835 --> 00:02:18.275 with a fine tooth comb with an LED light actually 43 00:02:18.575 --> 00:02:20.315 to make sure there are no thin spots, 44 00:02:20.935 --> 00:02:23.315 and they'll actually measure the depth of 45 00:02:23.315 --> 00:02:24.675 that gel coat with a gauge. 46 00:02:32.255 --> 00:02:34.835 Now in boat building, when they say a hull is hand 47 00:02:34.835 --> 00:02:36.235 laid, they're not lying. 48 00:02:36.835 --> 00:02:41.035 A great deal of the work in boat building is done by hand. 49 00:02:41.415 --> 00:02:44.475 In this case, gel coat is hand applied to all 50 00:02:44.475 --> 00:02:45.995 of the narrow spots on the boat 51 00:02:45.995 --> 00:02:49.115 because you just can't properly spray it 52 00:02:49.255 --> 00:02:51.155 and get the coverage that's required. 53 00:02:51.705 --> 00:02:54.635 Just like the hull, you want 18 to 22 mills. 54 00:02:54.905 --> 00:02:57.675 It's gotta be consistent so that it looks good 55 00:02:57.775 --> 00:02:59.205 for the lifetime of your boat. 56 00:03:02.635 --> 00:03:05.645 They're preparing the deck here to receive its skin coat. 57 00:03:05.935 --> 00:03:08.685 First, they reinforce all the high stress areas 58 00:03:09.105 --> 00:03:10.845 to prevent cracking down the road. 59 00:03:11.595 --> 00:03:13.765 Then they're gonna come back and hit it with a skin coat 60 00:03:13.995 --> 00:03:17.765 that protects the gel coat from print proof from the woven 61 00:03:17.765 --> 00:03:20.845 roving and the Kevlar that they mold into the hull 62 00:03:20.845 --> 00:03:22.685 and the deck for strength. 63 00:03:23.865 --> 00:03:24.965 Now here's the deck mold. 64 00:03:24.965 --> 00:03:28.165 With the skin coat all rolled out, all the bubbles are gone. 65 00:03:28.635 --> 00:03:30.245 It's ready for the next step. 66 00:03:34.825 --> 00:03:37.165 Now the skin coat is extremely important. 67 00:03:37.165 --> 00:03:40.565 They're using a hydropel, vinyl ester resin 68 00:03:40.995 --> 00:03:42.725 that gives it a great amount 69 00:03:42.725 --> 00:03:45.765 of protection from osmotic blistering down the road. 70 00:03:46.345 --> 00:03:49.405 It also protects the gel coat from the heat 71 00:03:49.405 --> 00:03:50.525 of the lamination process. 72 00:03:50.835 --> 00:03:52.805 When they lay in the woven roving, 73 00:03:53.665 --> 00:03:57.125 all the air bubbles are taken out so that there's no place 74 00:03:57.225 --> 00:03:59.045 for water to find its way in 75 00:03:59.305 --> 00:04:00.965 and cause blisters down the road. 76 00:04:02.255 --> 00:04:07.045 Every deck gets the same skin coat, plus on the corners 77 00:04:07.045 --> 00:04:09.005 and the sharp edges areas where there's a great deal 78 00:04:09.005 --> 00:04:12.445 of stress, they're reinforced with fiberglass woven roving. 79 00:04:15.625 --> 00:04:18.165 Now the final stage in preparing this hull 80 00:04:18.165 --> 00:04:21.645 for the actual build is this spray core layer 81 00:04:21.665 --> 00:04:23.245 that's put over the skin coat. 82 00:04:23.915 --> 00:04:27.245 What it does is it protects the gel coat from heat 83 00:04:27.545 --> 00:04:30.325 and print through from the woven roving that's about 84 00:04:30.325 --> 00:04:33.365 to be laid into this hull to give it the strength 85 00:04:33.365 --> 00:04:34.805 that Robalo is known for. 86 00:04:39.305 --> 00:04:42.085 Now here, they're rolling in their second layer 87 00:04:42.425 --> 00:04:43.605 of woven roving. 88 00:04:43.835 --> 00:04:45.925 There's actually gonna be four layers in here. 89 00:04:45.925 --> 00:04:47.405 They call it Quadra angle. 90 00:04:47.875 --> 00:04:50.525 It's a process that ensures the hull is extra 91 00:04:50.525 --> 00:04:52.165 thick, extra durable. 92 00:04:52.545 --> 00:04:54.205 Now here we're looking at a completed hull. 93 00:04:54.205 --> 00:04:57.245 It's ready to receive all of the structural components. 94 00:04:57.705 --> 00:05:00.645 One thing you want to note is the entire boat is built 95 00:05:00.645 --> 00:05:02.845 with a hydropel, vinyl ester resin 96 00:05:02.995 --> 00:05:05.445 that reduces osmotic penetration 97 00:05:05.705 --> 00:05:07.685 and stops blistering so 98 00:05:07.685 --> 00:05:10.725 that your boats finished stays beautiful for the life of it. 99 00:05:11.265 --> 00:05:14.045 Now, Robalo reinforces all the hulls with Kevlar, 100 00:05:14.265 --> 00:05:15.285 the high stress areas 101 00:05:15.285 --> 00:05:16.765 where you need the protection the most. 102 00:05:20.545 --> 00:05:22.285 One last step before getting ready 103 00:05:22.285 --> 00:05:25.525 to set the deck in the hull is insulating the live wells 104 00:05:25.525 --> 00:05:26.885 and the coolers on board. 105 00:05:29.425 --> 00:05:31.725 Now I'm standing in front of the stringer grid 106 00:05:32.105 --> 00:05:33.405 for the R 230. 107 00:05:33.755 --> 00:05:37.205 This is an all composite reinforced fiberglass part 108 00:05:37.305 --> 00:05:39.445 that's ready to be bonded into the hull. 109 00:05:40.345 --> 00:05:41.565 Now here's the R 230 110 00:05:41.835 --> 00:05:44.725 with the stringer system already bonded in. 111 00:05:45.235 --> 00:05:48.885 Once the stringer grid is cured in place, they drill it. 112 00:05:49.075 --> 00:05:52.205 They fill it with high density foam that expands 113 00:05:52.205 --> 00:05:53.285 to fill every void. 114 00:05:56.185 --> 00:05:59.125 Now the hull has been in the mold for at least two days. 115 00:05:59.555 --> 00:06:00.565 It's ready to come out. 116 00:06:00.595 --> 00:06:03.125 It's fully cured so that when it's out, 117 00:06:03.355 --> 00:06:04.685 it's gonna be straight and true. 118 00:06:05.075 --> 00:06:06.685 They've done their job correctly. 119 00:06:06.865 --> 00:06:09.165 You can have a beautiful gel coat finish as well, 120 00:06:16.225 --> 00:06:18.485 but from my vantage point, it is flawless. 121 00:06:23.065 --> 00:06:25.485 Now, once you get the hull and the deck in the cutting room, 122 00:06:26.355 --> 00:06:29.605 Robalo has these precise templates built so 123 00:06:29.605 --> 00:06:33.525 that every hole is drilled in exactly the same place on 124 00:06:33.525 --> 00:06:35.965 every boat from the beginning to the end. 125 00:06:38.555 --> 00:06:42.525 Once the stringer system is set in place, it's fiberglassed in 126 00:06:42.745 --> 00:06:44.125 to bond it with the hull. 127 00:06:44.505 --> 00:06:47.165 You can see that the stringer grid is all gel coated. 128 00:06:47.315 --> 00:06:49.165 What that means is that all the compartments 129 00:06:49.175 --> 00:06:52.565 below deck have a fine, easy to clean finish. 130 00:06:54.385 --> 00:06:55.685 Now we're standing next to a boat 131 00:06:55.685 --> 00:06:58.245 that's already got the stringer system in 132 00:06:58.385 --> 00:07:00.085 and fully finished, but I want 133 00:07:00.085 --> 00:07:01.805 to call attention to the transom. 134 00:07:02.185 --> 00:07:05.285 Now, this is a ceramic composite filled transom. 135 00:07:05.325 --> 00:07:08.085 There'll be no air voids in there like you might have on a 136 00:07:08.135 --> 00:07:12.725 panel, and it's got greater tensile strength than steel. 137 00:07:16.025 --> 00:07:18.525 Now we're looking at another R 230 deck. 138 00:07:18.525 --> 00:07:21.845 Here you can see that we've got the rod holders finished in. 139 00:07:22.035 --> 00:07:23.605 They're putting in all the cleats, 140 00:07:23.605 --> 00:07:25.885 they're putting in the running lights, the cup holders 141 00:07:26.585 --> 00:07:27.605 and the rod holders. 142 00:07:27.825 --> 00:07:29.165 Now one thing you're gonna notice is 143 00:07:29.795 --> 00:07:32.725 that this rod holder is plumbed to the deck. 144 00:07:32.955 --> 00:07:35.005 That means no water goes below, 145 00:07:35.345 --> 00:07:37.325 and that's the way a boat should be 146 00:07:37.485 --> 00:07:38.565 finished for the salt water. 147 00:07:41.105 --> 00:07:43.205 Now this is one of the most critical quality 148 00:07:43.205 --> 00:07:44.245 control areas of the boat. 149 00:07:44.455 --> 00:07:46.045 We're testing the fuel tank here. 150 00:07:46.235 --> 00:07:47.885 They're putting it under pressure 151 00:07:48.145 --> 00:07:51.485 and they let it sit to make sure that pressure doesn't drop. 152 00:07:52.625 --> 00:07:55.205 Now this is the last stage of rigging the hull 153 00:07:55.205 --> 00:07:56.805 before they're gonna drop the deck on it. 154 00:07:57.185 --> 00:07:59.205 You can see that we're working on the wiring now. 155 00:07:59.505 --> 00:08:01.085 So a couple of things you need to look at. 156 00:08:01.295 --> 00:08:03.445 First, you got a large wiring chase here. 157 00:08:04.065 --> 00:08:08.205 Second, you've also got armor around all the wires, 158 00:08:08.265 --> 00:08:11.405 and you'll notice that there are triple O ring Deutsche 159 00:08:11.405 --> 00:08:13.685 connectors, every place there's a connection. 160 00:08:15.595 --> 00:08:18.485 Once the deck is all rigged, it's ready to drop in. 161 00:08:18.715 --> 00:08:21.685 They've got the stringer system all coated with adhesive, 162 00:08:21.705 --> 00:08:23.445 the transom and coated with adhesive. 163 00:08:23.665 --> 00:08:26.045 You can see all the plumbing and wiring is in place. 164 00:08:30.905 --> 00:08:33.685 Now the deck's been dropped. We've got the rub rail on. 165 00:08:34.095 --> 00:08:35.125 We've hung the motor, 166 00:08:35.305 --> 00:08:37.525 and we're doing all of the finishing rigging. 167 00:08:37.825 --> 00:08:40.525 The boat is just about ready to go to the test tank. 168 00:08:43.575 --> 00:08:45.605 While every step of the process 169 00:08:45.785 --> 00:08:48.445 of building this boat has quality control components, 170 00:08:48.995 --> 00:08:51.925 this is the final stage the boat's assembled, 171 00:08:51.925 --> 00:08:54.925 and now they're testing to make sure that it's watertight. 172 00:08:55.195 --> 00:08:57.365 They're looking carefully at the through hulls, 173 00:08:57.625 --> 00:09:00.085 the live well fittings, any place 174 00:09:00.335 --> 00:09:02.445 where water comes against a fitting. 175 00:09:05.745 --> 00:09:07.645 Now, the last thing that we need to talk about 176 00:09:07.865 --> 00:09:11.965 before we shrink wrap this boat is the silicone upholstery. 177 00:09:12.555 --> 00:09:17.205 This is extremely durable, mildew resistant, sun resistant, 178 00:09:17.665 --> 00:09:21.165 and I want to show you how Robalo makes it look 179 00:09:21.345 --> 00:09:22.845 so good in this boat. 180 00:09:26.425 --> 00:09:28.085 Now, fisherman, when he looks at the Robalo, 181 00:09:28.085 --> 00:09:29.845 might be looking at the fishing features most, 182 00:09:30.185 --> 00:09:33.125 but right here is what I think amounts 183 00:09:33.125 --> 00:09:35.245 to putting the hood ornament on a Rolls Royce. 184 00:09:35.545 --> 00:09:39.005 If this part's done well, everything comes out beautifully. 185 00:09:39.065 --> 00:09:42.965 Now, the upholstery that Robalo uses is silicone material 186 00:09:43.595 --> 00:09:45.885 that is impervious to mold and mildew. 187 00:09:46.185 --> 00:09:47.525 It is UV protective. 188 00:09:47.525 --> 00:09:50.965 It doesn't require a coating to protect itself from the sun. 189 00:09:51.435 --> 00:09:54.285 It's also oil and bug spray resistant. 190 00:09:54.475 --> 00:09:56.165 It's not gonna turn sticky on you, 191 00:09:56.545 --> 00:09:58.405 and it's gonna last a long time. 192 00:09:59.105 --> 00:10:00.405 Now, all that aside, 193 00:10:00.545 --> 00:10:02.645 you've gotta look at the craftsmanship here, 194 00:10:03.105 --> 00:10:06.125 the straight seams, you've got double stitching here. 195 00:10:07.235 --> 00:10:10.805 Robalo uses a variety of textures, colors. 196 00:10:11.385 --> 00:10:13.245 To give your boat real style, 197 00:10:17.145 --> 00:10:18.645 You always gotta innovate. 198 00:10:18.865 --> 00:10:20.845 We kind of go through the, the steps there. 199 00:10:20.865 --> 00:10:23.245 We, we look, we listen, we go out there, 200 00:10:23.245 --> 00:10:24.805 benchmark and put it all together. 201 00:10:24.935 --> 00:10:27.525 We've got a key milestone step that we go 202 00:10:27.565 --> 00:10:29.845 through our design process, we're doing sketches, 203 00:10:29.895 --> 00:10:31.165 we're doing some CAD models. 204 00:10:31.615 --> 00:10:33.805 We're even 3D printing some things 205 00:10:34.065 --> 00:10:35.605 to understand what we want to build there. 206 00:10:35.625 --> 00:10:37.485 And I'm a leader. I'm not a follower. 207 00:10:37.505 --> 00:10:39.605 So when I go to the boat shows and, and I look 208 00:10:39.605 --> 00:10:41.285 and I benchmark other competitors, 209 00:10:41.755 --> 00:10:43.325 it's um, how can I beat 'em? 210 00:10:43.325 --> 00:10:44.605 How can I build a better product? 211 00:10:45.025 --> 00:10:48.805 How can I keep our current customers loyal to our brand? 212 00:10:49.025 --> 00:10:51.325 How can I bring in more customers into our brand? 213 00:10:51.385 --> 00:10:53.005 And I love the creativity side. 214 00:11:00.455 --> 00:11:03.245 After taking a walk through the Robalo factory, it's easy 215 00:11:03.245 --> 00:11:07.165 to see that they pay special attention to engineering, 216 00:11:07.725 --> 00:11:10.605 assembly, and quality control at every step of the path. 217 00:11:11.265 --> 00:11:13.085 You know, that's why they turn out one 218 00:11:13.085 --> 00:11:15.445 of the most popular salt water boats on the water. 219 00:11:16.225 --> 00:11:19.405 In fact, they've earned 12 Boat of the Year Awards, 220 00:11:19.855 --> 00:11:22.485 53 Excellence in Products Awards. 221 00:11:22.785 --> 00:11:27.285 And for 16 years in a row, Robalo has earned the customer 222 00:11:27.845 --> 00:11:30.165 satisfaction award every time 223 00:11:30.905 --> 00:11:33.445 I'm Randy Vance at the Robalo Factory, 224 00:11:34.145 --> 00:11:36.325 and some more boats are coming your way.