2. Associated Marine Technologies, Inc.

Closed Hull Blasting Uses and Reuses Plastic Media

Environmental change

This boat repair yard switched from silica wet/dry sandblasting of hulls to a closed system that uses and reuses a plastic medium for blasting.

The boatyard

Associated Marine Technologies is a modern, full-service boat repair yard that specializes in large yachts 50 feet and up, which are common in Fort Lauderdale's waterways. It has 11 slips and 25 out-of-water hardstand spaces for boats awaiting and receiving servicing. There are no seasonal slips, transient visitors, or liveaboards. With 60 full-time employees year-round, this is a no-nonsense yard.

Professional services include haulout and launching, painting, fiberglass repairs, carpentry, welding, metal fabrication, and full mechanical and electrical work. Boats are moved with a 90-ton travel lift.

The boatyard, built in 1984, was bought by the Misers in 1993. "We are a relative new kid on the block (in South Florida)," said Scott Miser. Their next-door neighbor is one of the largest and best known ship/boatyards in Florida, and next to that is a working commercial shipyard. Yet, "We don't advertise at all," said Ted James. "Word of mouth attracts our customers."

Quality workmanship is easy to see around the yard. The yard's paint work with Awlgrip paint is so superior that the US Paint Corporation introduces new coatings at Associated Marine Technologies before releasing them on the market. The yard was first to use low-volatile-organic-compound (VOC) Awlgrip 2 in 1995.

"We have high-end employees who are very loyal and give quality work," said Miser. "If you don't educate employees, they can put you out of business. We do a lot of training, with 50% to 60% of James' time working on environmental, health, and technical issues including training. Every one of our 60 employees attends one or more training programs annually."

Management measures

Associated Marine Technologies complies with the marina management measures for storm water runoff control and solid waste, as well as liquid materials and public education

Hull maintenance at Assoicatied Marine Tehcnologies is done with an innovative closed vacuum system which separates and recyles the plastic medium. (photo by Associated Marine Technologies).

Costs/benefits

Associated Marine Technologies decided in 1994 to make the sandblasting process cleaner and bought a complete blast, recovery, and reclaim system vacuum; and compressor at a total cost of $24,229. Training two workers to operate the system cost $1,620. Annual operation and maintenance costs for the system run $8,617, plus a 5-year amortized value of the investment, $25,849 at a 5% interest rate. Gross income from this newly created profit center in 1995 was $58,173. The net annual income is estimated to be $43,585, assuming a 5-year amortization, and revenues are expected to continue upward. Clearly, the new process is adding business and savings to this large South Florida boatyard.

Environmental improvements

Associated Marine Technologies runs a very neat, orderly, and well-landscaped facility that is uncommonly clean for a boatyard. Traditional sandblasting of large boat hulls is a messy job resulting in many hundreds of pounds of spent silica mixed with bottom paint, which all must be swept up and shoveled into barrels for disposal at a landfill. While the sand is relatively cheap, the labor is costly and the marine environment can get dirty.

Instead of silica, Associated Marine Technologies shoots a plastic medium blast (PMB) that can be reused several times until it wears out. The plastic medium is harder than paint and pushes it off, but is not hard enough to strip into the fiberglass gelcoat itself unless desired. Thus the medium is well-suited for removal of antifoulant paint.

Once the antifoulant is removed, the PMB and paint are vacuumed into a hopper, which feeds the mix for medium recovery, cleaning, and reclaiming. The old paint dust is separated and collected, but instead of many barrels for the landfill, less than a gallon of dust remains for disposal from an average 50-foot boat. The ex-bottom paint is dry, feels like clay powder, and is virtually odorless.

"The plastic medium blasting operation benefits our business several ways," said Miser. "It reduces our cost of cleanup and disposal, gives a higher-quality surface, and is much less aggressive on the new gelcoat of today."

One of the first major responses to Broward County's best management practices (BMPs) at Associated Marine Technologies "was to add a closed-loop pressure-washing system for boat bottoms we haul out. The new concrete collection pad (facing the travel lift well) and the recycling system cost us $40,000," explained James, "but we feel good that we are not dumping it all back into the canal, and we comply with the county's BMPs."

Other environmental improvements include the use of high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) paint spraying, which limits overspray and gets most of the paint onto the hull surface, rather than into the drifting air. "This saves money by not wasting so much paint," said Miser.

Before work is done on any vessel, the boat owner receives a two-page environmental agreement that must be signed. It explains the yard's best management practices for boat sewage, oily bilge water, petroleum and related products, boat washing, recycling, hurricane preparedness, paint chips, and sanding debris. It closes with: "We thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us keep A.M.T. South Florida's cleanest, safest boat repair yard."

Other benefits

James stated that "We are a green boatyard on the cutting edge. We take the environment seriously. One of the benefits is that we get a lot of compliments from customers." Both Miser and James firmly believe that "by being an extremely clean yard, we attract quality customers looking for quality hull work. And we give them the quality they expect."

High capacity PMB dry stripper and media reclaimer used by Associated Marine Technologies (photo by Associated Marine Technologies)

"A clean shop is also a safer shop," James stated. "We have a more professional operation here, and it is also drug-free. Our employees are good, and they tend to stay with us. We spend a lot of time training and treating them as professionals."

Miser-one of a growing number of marina owners-willingly does more than is required to be environmentally compliant. But he knows it isn't a free ride. "We assess an environmental surcharge of 1% on all repair invoices over $500. This money is used for further environmental enhancements, training, and equipment. Customers understand the reason for the surcharge and accept it as a fair cost for having quality work done in an environmental, safe boatyard."

Equipment sources

• Surface finishing system: High-capacity PMB dry stripping and media reclaimer, Pram model #23, Pauli and Griffin, 907 Cotting Lane, Vacaville, CA 95688.

• Wash water recycling system: Model #LD, RGF Environmental Systems, 3875 Fiscal Court, West Palm Beach, FL 33404.