About Grimes Yacht Services
Grimes Yacht Services was started at the end of 2009, based on a lengthy background - 24 years as a hands-on boatbuilder and project engineer in the marine industry. That experience is a huge asset; I can't imagine surveying without first having built boats, repaired boats, owned and maintained sailboats, raced sailboats, run powerboats, and tied it all together with an intensive six-week surveying program at the Chapman School in Stuart, FL.
Since then, I've added six ABYC certifications (ABYC Standards, Marine Electrical Systems, Diesel Engines, Marine Corrosion, Marine Composites, and Marine Systems), along with the The Appraisal Foundation's 15-hr. Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, which specifies the procedure and format for an appraisal.
Perhaps the important benefit of a hands-on background is in the perspective it provides when a boat has a problem. While a surveyor needs to find issues that a boat may have, they can also do everyone a disservice if they overreact to a situation and lead a client away from a boat whose problems have clear solutions, or may only need to be monitored going forward. No boat is perfect, and just about anything can be fixed. Certainly there are times when the costs of those repairs cannot be justified, but without prior boatbuilding experience, a surveyor is hard-pressed to advise whether the issue at hand is major or minor.
A Little More Background . . .
Fall 2009 - Yacht and Small Craft Surveying Program - The Chapman School, Stuart, FL
"If you want to do it right, you have to go to Chapman" is what I heard from a veteran SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) surveyor. He was right. For six weeks, you live, eat and breathe the profession of marine surveying, and absorb the lessons learned over the years by the SAMS organization. All reports are prepared in the SAMS format that has become the industry standard. Chapman can't turn you into a surveyor if you don't have a base of relevant experience, but it is an excellent program, and is considered by SAMS to be equivalent to a year's surveying experience in the field.
Dec. 2007 - Aug. 2009 - Engineering Coordinator and Project Engineer - Hall Spars, Bristol, RI
In the ever-changing world of marine industry businesses, Hall Spars is one of the true exceptions. It is an innovative company, based on rigorous engineering, with probably the most experienced workforce of any in the marine industry. The language and engineering of spars and rigging is entirely different than what you find in boatbuilding. This was great experience, focusing on one of the most crucial parts of any sailboat.
July 2004 - Nov. 2007 - Project Engineer and Engineering Manager - Vanguard Sailboats, Portsmouth, RI
In a business where "the industry standard is failure," Vanguard defied the odds with a financially disciplined, aggressive approach. The company was sold to its present owners in 2007. While Vanguard's business was in small sailboats, the constant focus on molding and assembling fiberglass parts, and understanding/preventing defects, is hugely relevant to surveying larger boats.
1989 - 2004 - Owner/Manager - Fusion Marine Technology, Middletown, RI
For marine surveying, nothing can replace the hands-on experience of building and repairing boats. From Tech Dinghies for the URI sailing program, to Olympic class Ynglings and 49er's, to hand-laid hulls for Elco's classic electric boats, to resin-infused deep-V powerboat hulls, we had our hands in practically everything.
For a list of projects tackled at Fusion, click here: Summary_of_Projects.pdf
1987 - 1988 - Boatbuilder - Mark Lindsay Boatbuilders, Gloucester, MA
This was hands-on work building custom racing sailboats - Taylor 40 IMS boats, MORC boats, and Flying Dutchmen, for one of the true wizards in the industry.
1986 - 1987 - Draftsman, Project Engineer - Tillotson-Pearson Inc., Warren, RI
A great start in production boatbuilding right out of school. TPI was building a constant stream of sailboats (J Boats, Freedoms), powerboats (Rampage), and a custom fleet of 44 ft. sloops for the US Naval Academy. I should have stayed longer at TPI, but I wanted to get hands-on building experience.
1982 - 1986 - A.B. Engineering - Brown University, Providence, RI
A degree that let me pursue Engineering and Yacht Design, as well as other courses in the university.
And On the Water . . .
Offshore
3 Newport-Bermuda Races
2 Marion-Bermuda Races
1 Marblehead-Halifax Race
Inshore
Currently an owner/partner in a J/35 - what a project!
Hobie 33 – owner for 2 yr.s
J35 – owner/partner in a previous boat for 2 yr.s
J22's – owner/partner in a boat for 2 yr.s
A-Class Catamaran – owner for 3 yrs.
J24's - too many years doing cockpit
Dinghies
Brown University Sailing Team, 1982-1986.
Sailing Coach, Boston University, 1988-1989.
