Went to the Rinker factory last week! A VERY long post.. :-)

Mike_G

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to update that I went and looked at my boat and had a nice tour of the factory.  My boat looks GREAT and everything is fixed as I wanted it, even the little chips I pointed out.  They really took the time to go over my entire boat and my list to be sure I was satisfied.  They did miss a couple things, that honestly were hard to find unless you had spent time on the boat, but they have since been corrected (they sent me pictures) and the boat will be on it's way "home" soon.  I'm pretty GEEKED if you can't tell.

They also took the time to take me through each step of building the boats!  I swear I could almost build one myself now, well maybe not.. lol.  Saw each step, actually being done.  From spraying the Gelcoat into the mold, the initial loose fiberglass/resin spray in, laying the fiber sheets, rolling between each stage, popping the parts out of the molds, cutting/trimming, assembling the stringers, placing and glassing those in, the floors, the decks, putting them together, cutting holes for everything, mounting hardware, wiring them all, fuel tanks, sinks, fridges, OMG EVERYTHING!!  Even saw the making of the cabinets, the seats, cushions, carpets, canvases, I mean seriously every single step of every single bit of production of everything!  All of the people working there were happy and really seemed to be focused yet enjoy what they are doing.  I got to meet people working in several different areas, mainly just because they had a question or needed something from the person walking me around (Mark, whom I believe was the head of operations there if I remember correctly).

There is definitely a feel of quality when you are there.  They do quality checks between stages of the build.  For example.. they take time to spray a darker color onto something that is going to be covered in fiberglass so that when they are rolling it they can more easily see any "light" (white) spots where the resin needed to be pressed/rolled in better.

So many things I could talk about.  How they use screws, not nails to hold stringers together.. and how they cut what looks like puzzle pieces into the parts of the stringers so they fit together perfectly.. not just butting two pieces of wood together on a flat edge and screwing them together.  How they put fiberglass around all of the stringers and continue onto the floor so that there is basically no way for water to get into the wood.  They do what looked to be at least 6 inches of overlap at joints in the fiberglass.  For example... because of the overlapping, the "keel" I guess (the bottom point of the hull), there are actually 8 layers of fiberglass from the very front to the very rear of the boat.  Super strong, and no "seam" to crack or separate over time.  The way that they combine the decks and hulls together, 3 different ways!  Even with just the adhesive (no screws, rub rail or anything), they can lift the boat from the deck alone and it stays together (not that they do that normally, but they have during testing).

I could go on for so long, talking about the cabinets and the metal (not plastic) fasteners and brackets used to hold them together.  The composite backing and foam used to make cushions and seats.  The CNC machines used to cut any wood (from stringers to cabinets) as well as the canvas, carpet and vinyl to exact measurements (btw.. those few CNC machines are the only "Automated" portion of building the boat, which I think is very cool).  The multiple testing pools where they run and test every system on every boat before it leaves the factory.  The team of people that buff the boats before they hit the test pools.

Seriously.. I could go on forever, there is so much I'm not mentioning.  I REALLY enjoyed seeing how the boats are made.  Rinker (and the other brands made there by Nautic Global Group) really do seem to be made very well, with care and attention to detail.  I'm a bit Anal-Retentive/OCD, and it made me feel good to see how they pay attention to the smallest details.  As far as my boat goes... I'm thinking that it might have just been the victim of being the showroom model for a few months. There are a few fiberglass "mold marks" on the bow anti-skid, but after looking at other boats and asking around.. that seems pretty normal.  Even my uncle's Formula has "mold marks".  I had a hard time even finding them when I was there, and ended up just leaving them as they are vs running the risk of having something that is "repaired".  Sort of like repairing body work on a car... nothing is as good as the original.

Thanks to the Rinker crew.  I can't wait for it to warm up here now!!!  -=Mike G.

Handymans342

Get any secrets on new models coming out? I never imagined they would have quality control LOL

Cableguy Greg

Sounds like it was a great trip. Glad to hear that your boat is finished and ready to come "home". I have always wanted to do a factory tour, and hopefully someday I will be able to take one. The warm weather can't get here soon enough. My marina opens April 15th.

LaRea

Any plans to restart production of hulls bigger than the 360?  

raybo3

Sounds like an awesome trip. I would love to take that tour someday..... Glad your boat is ready for home......

luckydog

Glad to hear you're boat is coming home and it sounds like you had a great time at the factory

Dream_Inn

Great to hear the tour went so well and your boat will be ready to go in no time now!  Good luck and can't wait to see some pics!  I think I would be in heaven on a tour like that!  I'm really picky as well and would love to see all those details!

TikiHut2

Good report coming from a new owner who had initial concerns. Sounds like Rinker didn't side step anything and actually went all-in to make you a satisfied buyer. That's just become too rare these days.

Thanks for giving us a follow up to say how impressed you are now that you've seen the whole process. We certainly love our 270 and she's still going strong.

Have a GREAT season in your new sea sled. Mike