Manufacturing Materials (Yesterday and Today)

March 6th, 2010

Yesterday and Today The simple fact is that the materials and methods used to build boats in 1965 remain good enough to continue to be used today. 1965 technology (if you can call it that) is perfectly suited to build good quality boats to this day. In fact, most boats are still made with the same basic materials, although the advertising has fooled you into believing otherwise. The primary difference is that they are USING  LESS OF IT, and substituting cheaper materials for more expensive solid laminates. Speaking of solid laminates, that’s what I mean by 1965 technology.

When it comes to the use of core materials, they are employed not, as was originally intended, to stiffen up flat structures such as decks, but to replace more costly material with less costly material. In essence, where there used to be solid laminate, the space is now filled with air, because air is what most cores are all about. It would be one thing if these cores were serving to make structures stronger. Instead, they are being used as an excuse to eliminate frames, to make unsupported spans of flat surfaces even larger. It costs money to add frames: use a core and eliminate the frames. In most cases what we end up with is not a structure that is stronger, but weaker.

Typical examples of this are hull sides and decks. The average entry level cruiser has a cored foredeck with virtually no frames. Jump on it and it’s like a trampoline. No problem, except when you do jump on it, and that deck flexes, what is happening is that the core is separating from the outer laminates. A cored structure is designed not to bend, like a bridge. When you do bend it, bad things happen, like the bridge or deck starts to fall down. Much the same thing is going on with hull sides. Most small boats don’t use foam cores, but products like CoreMat, a material that sort of looks like that absorbent material you find at the bottom of meat packaging. It’s a fibrous material with millions of little holes or perforations through it. It would be great stuff except for a couple of things.

First, it absorbs water like a sponge. Small boats never had much of a blistering problem until products like this came along. Now they blister just like Taiwan boats that are loaded with chopped strand mat and blister like a banshee. Secondly, very thin cores like these do not create a structural truss like a real core does. Cores increase strength by separating the distance of the load between the inner and outer skins. Think of the skins as beams, and the core as columns. The effect is exactly the same as a roof truss. But not when you use a thin sheet of this stuff. All it does is replace strong material with weaker material.

Take a typical cruiser, use a core like this in the house sides and then paint it black. Set it out in the Florida or Texas or Alabama sun for a few years and watch what happens. Ooooh! Weird! It buckles and cracks. Want to know why? Or do you want to know why the builder didn’t know what was going to happen? Or did he care? Oh, no, he simply didn’t know because he doesn’t employ any composite engineers. The material salesmen designed the thing for him, so he’s happy as a clam thinking he saved some money and can now tout “high tech.” What happened, of course, is called heat distortion. Every place a laminate is held rigid, like around a window frame with screws through it, the material expands but is restrained by frame and fasteners. And so it does the only thing it can do, it buckles and cracks.

I don’t hesitate for a moment in saying no. Not with any kind of material. The risk is too high that something will go wrong, mistakes either by the builder, the owners of the boat, or someone working on it. We all know that it’s hard enough to keep the superstructure of the boat from leaking, but to keep water out of a core below the water line may nigh well be impossible. Fiberglass is known to be water absorbent enough as it is without adding more risk to the mix. To do it right requires a very high degree of care which can ultimately be compromised by something as seemingly innocent as running a screw through the laminate somewhere in the bilge. it’s just too easy to make a mistake.Should Hulls Be Cored Below Waterline?

The other problem with coring a bottom has to do with the inability to calculate and estimate stress on complex shapes. It’s easy enough to calculate stress on a flat panel, but change the contours of that panel, introduce the factors imposed by human error, and any benefit that might have been obtained by coring the bottom is long lost. The risk of error multiplies exponentially, far beyond anything that is suitable for high production building. The smaller the boat, the more true this is due to the scale and economic factors. It’s one thing to core a 110 footer that costs 8 million, something else again for a boat that sells for $100k or so. The fact that the economic viability is not there for small boats translates as the builder cutting corners to turn a profit with a process he shouldn’t be using.

All of which means that you run a big risk in buying a cored hull when you could easily avoid that risk by buying one that’s not. Could the reasoning be more simple than this?

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Fiberglass pools as well as Boats are not all created Equal

March 5th, 2010

Are They Fiberglass Boats
Anymore?

by David Pascoe

Not long ago I was the recipient of a rather distressing revelation.

It happened when I was asked by a client to attend an auction of storm damaged boats here in Fort Lauderdale. There were two minor hurricanes and one tropical storm in Florida last year, but other than to trees, I wasn’t aware of much damage having occurred. In fact, during one of the hurricanes, I was out there with a video camera filming what was going on at several marinas. Not much, except for a few people that did nothing to prepare. Mostly it was these people’s boats that ended up in the auction.

Arriving at the auction site, a large open field filled with damaged boats, numerous damaged small boats immediately caught my interest. In part, this was due to so many of them appearing as though they’d been caught in a monster storm like Andrew, instead of a bottom of category one storms with winds barely over hurricane strength, 74 mph. A salient point here is that we have no large, open expanses of water. Just canals and rivers. So, with a storm surge of only 18 inches at high tide, I was scratching my head about why so much damage.

Here’s a sampling of the various materials that were found within the broken up hull sides.


Here’s fine illustration of what is meant by the laminate being comprised of an extremely small amount of fiberglass reinforcement. The only glass you see here is a single layer of Roving on the inside of the hull, with the exception of a very, very thin layer of mat against the gel coat. Otherwise, the major part of this Sea Ray hull is comprised of some kind of very porous material. Notice how huge chunks have broken away. This would never happen with fiberglass laminate.

Secondly, so many of these boats had degrees of damage that I hadn’t seen before, even from major storms, yet alone minor storms. Much of the damage that I observed seemed to have occurred under different parameters. By that I mean that, in order for a fiberglass hull to become completely broken up, usually a great deal of prolonged bashing and battering against other hard objects is required. Usually a busted up hull will display extremely heavy battering as revealed by heavy gouging and many impact points on the hull. What was startling about these boats were that so many of them were busted up without revealing heavy battering.

Or, to put it another way, these boats got broken up by only a few heavy impacts, and not hours worth of sustained battering. In several of my articles on the subject of construction, I have a photo of a 42 Bertram that broke loose during Opal (1995, Florida panhandle) and was badly battered against pilings and other objects for many hours. The hull laminates did not fail, but obviously had sustained a horrendous beating. I used those photos as a good example of just how strong an ordinary fiberglass laminate can be.

What was so eye-catching about these boats is that many of the broken up pieces did not show any significant degree of heavy battering. The analogy here looked more like hitting a glass bottle with a hammer — it only takes one swing to break it.

Thirdly, what next caught my attention, and what I found truly distressing,  was that these damaged boats revealed what they were made of. Simply put, whatever these materials are, I didn’t recognize many of them. And, I suspect that in looking over these photos, you won’t either.

Of course some would say, “Hey, you’re a surveyor. You’re supposed to know these things.” Right. But we don’t stand there watching thousands of boats being built, and neither do we (unless we’re willing to be mislead) take the builder’s word for it. The observation of busted up hulls, as we have here, is how we find out. Unfortunately, we don’t often get the opportunity to do that.

We talk a lot about core materials on this site because coring things like hulls and decks has, over the years, proved troublesome. There have been too many problems with materials like foam, especially delaminations and incomplete bonding of the outer skins.

But now we have something new entering the scene, something they call “advanced composites.” A composite refers basically to two or more materials that are bonded together. If you glued a piece of wood and plastic together, technically that would be a composite. A balsa cored deck is also a composite, though most of us would just as soon call it cored construction because we know what that means. When the marketing people say “advanced composites,” well, we don’t know what that means since it could be anything, which, judging by what I saw and the photos displayed here, it does mean just about anything.

Here we see a big chunk of hull side that is quite simply gone missing. Notice that the puncture hole is at the bottom of the photo. This shot gives an excellent indication of the strength properties of this “advanced composite.”

This photo further illustrates the strength of the bond between this outer skin, and the putty core. Notice that I easily hold it away with my fingers. After taking the photo, I took hold of that edge and just tore the entire outer skin of this boat off, comprising four feet of undamaged area. Notice how easily this material cracks.

The first question to cross my mind was, “Can these fairly be called fiberglass boats any more?” What we see here are hulls made with increasingly less and less fiberglass, and more and more of something else. Some of these boats were stunning in the limited amout of structural fibers used.

One good example is a Sea Ray where the hull side had ONE layer of woven roving, two thin layers of chopped strand mat, and all the rest of the laminate was some kind of brittle putty.

This My friends is why San Juan Pools leads the Industry in Manufacturing

In another boat, only two layers of mat were separated by an expanse of putty. No STRUCTURAL fiber at all, just very weak mat. I had no doubt that if one swung a carpenter’s hammer at the side of this hull, the hammer would go right through.

What do I mean by putty? Well, the material looks just like fairing material (some call it bondo, if only because it resembles that automotive repair material). I’ve never seen this before, though the Sea Ray in question goes back to the early 1990’s. Plenty of this material was exposed. Taking pieces in my hands, I could easy crumble the stuff between my fingers. It’s not foam, it’s not  Coremat, and it was found in colors of gray, pink and tan, each in different boats.

What we see here really begs the question, for glass fibers make up only a small percentage of the total laminate thickness, which, as you can see, is pitifully thin to begin with. How about a hull side on a 27 footer that is 3/16″ thick, with 2/16″ of it being this putty material?  That means there was only 1/8″ of glass that included the gel coat. Could this leave any doubt about why so many of these small boats got busted to pieces in a minor storm, in a place where there was almost no storm surge? Not in my mind, anyway.

Yet another notable factor was the massive disbonding of the pitiful amounts of glass from the putty — or call it a core if you’re so inclined. Check out the photo below where I  grabbed a piece of the outer skin and tore the whole thing off with minimal effort. In this case, the outer skin consisted of two layers of mat (I think). The bonding to the putty was nearly zero on both inner and outer plies. Notice how it breaks away on both sides of the “bond.” Notice how easily the stuff cracks and breaks out.

I’m not sure what the point of all this is. Frankly, I’m still so shocked by what I saw that I’ve yet to fully digest the significance of it. These examples were not confined to just a few boats, but covered a fairly wide range of builders. And most significantly, of the boats which were built with solid fiberglass construction, I did not find one that was busted up anywhere near like these “advanced composites.” Not one. There were some old Bayliners and Mainships (1970’s) that were badly battered, but none were broken up. A few cracks maybe, but mostly heavy gouging and battering.

If this is the state-of-the-art production boat building, it’s a rather pitiful state much of the industry has come to.  I find it very hard not derisively call this stuff “the hamburger helper of boat building.” What I saw is beginning to explain some of the more common symptoms we see in boats that are starting to come apart. Things like deck joints coming apart, heavy cracking along toe rails and chines, bulkheads, stringers and frames breaking loose, window frames that won’t stay sealed, and heavy stress cracking occurring in places that it shouldn’t.

Never mind what these materials may be doing for the blistering problem. Why talk about high quality resins when most of the hull material consists of some unknown material?

What concerns me most as a surveyor though is that we have been calling these things fiberglass boats when, in fact, fiberglass may be only a minor ingredient. How can you call it a fiberglass boat when only 10-20% of the total is glass? Previously, we’d look at a hull and question whether it was just cored or not. Now it seems we have to question the entire matrix. What is it made of?

Need to see more? How about this one? Here’s the 3/16 or maybe 5/32″ laminate referred to. Where’s the beef? Imagine that this is all that’s separating you from the deep blue sea.

Notice the nature of this puncture wound. The impact simply breaks a chunk of the laminate out, then separates the silly putty from its single backing of roving. And then the cracks that radiate outward. It’s the lack of long fibers that accounts for this result.

Well, in the case of the photo below, appearances are misleading. If you look at the inside of the hull, what you will see is a surface made up of woven roving. The misleading part is that that is the ONLY layer of roving, with the remainder of it being some other stuff. If the surveyor called it a fiberglass boat in his report, he’d be wrong, and could be sued for his error. Unfortunately, short of cutting holes in the hull, he has no way of determining otherwise. Seeing that one layer of roving on the inside, I would likely make the same mistake too.

This view gives a better overall understanding of how large areas of a hull simply break out under impact. This is the platform extension of a 30 footer. Note the break out in the chine at lower left. With a strength factor like this, a person could reduce this boat to a pile of pieces with a carpenter’s hammer. Also notice that there are NO STRUCTURAL GLASS REINFORCEMENTS showing in many areas of this broken up hull.

What’s even worse is that you have to wonder if the builder did it that with the intent on misleading the observer. Roving is much stronger than mat by several magnitudes. For strength purposes on a composite, you’d put the roving on the outside, not the inside. Hence, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that the roving on the inside is, indeed, intended to mislead.

* * * * * *

One conclusion we can certainly come to is that the strength and impact resistance of boats built with these materials is something worse than merely inadequate. In the past, it was generally true that no matter how low cost the boat, a decently laid up solid laminate hull was capable of surviving a heavy beating without the hull breaking into pieces as we see here. As near as I can tell, the boats shown here received a minor beating, and broke to pieces. How can there be any doubt of that when the major part of the laminate is nothing but putty?

It has always been the case that when a surveyor calls a boat “fiberglass,” he’s making an assumption — an article of faith based on the fact that there were no other materials being used other than standard balsa or foam cores. Now we have a new paradigm.  Enter a whole host of new materials, of which no one knows anything about, but for which we are getting some pretty good indications that many of them leave a lot to be desired.

Yet all of this still begs the question of how we should refer to the hull material of these boats. I know one thing for sure: I’m going to stop calling them fiberglass reinforced plastic. For that they surely are not. I can also state with confidence that this is going to have profound implications on all aspects of boating, including owners, surveyors, insurers and, of course, the builders themselves.

Without knowing it, we have apparently entered the era of the Putty Boat.

Addendum: Fiberglass reinforced plastic. This is the full name of what, for over forty years, has been known as the fiberglass boat. It consists of a basic standard of 65% continuous glass fibers, in the form of fabrics, and 35% plastic resin. As you can see from the above photos, none of these boats meet that description. During this period of time, the fiberglass has consisted of fabrics of woven, continuous fibers. The length of some of these fibers can be as long as the boat. These fibers, much like the huge cables that hold up suspension bridges, rely upon the continuous lengths and orientation of the fibers for their strength. Today, there is a large variety of weaves available, but they are all essentially weaves of continuous fibers.

In the early years of small FRP boat building, a few companies tried making boats from chopped strands of fibers, mixed with polyester resin and blown through a gun into a mold. The length of these fibers was about 3-4 inches and were usually curled like cut hair when viewed in the mold. Very quickly we learned just how weak laminates made with short fibers are.  Those “blow-molded” boats tended to break up all to soon. The chopper-gun boats soon disappeared from the scene. Today, things like shower stalls, truck fenders and the Corvette automobile body are made with chopper guns because they don’t require great strength like a boat hull. For this reason, chopped strand is not considered as a structural fiber.

That does not mean that chopped strand mat and chopper guns have disappeared from boat shops. Chopped strand mat (CSM) is still used on all boats to prevent the weave pattern of fabrics like roving from showing on the gel coat surface. A very thin layer of mat is also used between heavy fabrics to prevent concentrations of resin between the heavy fabrics. And for other uses where very high strength is not required. One of our complaints about Taiwan boats has always been that they make use of the chopper gun too much.

Yet another problem with CSM is that it wets out with resin poorly and is well known to be very porous. The use of excessive amounts of CMS and chopper gun has been directly linked with blistering that originates within the CSM, as opposed to just being under the gel coat.

What you see in the above photos is even worse, for there is far less fiber in these than in a blow molded boat. This is what accounts for the severe breakouts of large sections of the hull. Quite simply, there is no fiber reinforcement, and the single layers of roving that you see on the inside serve no better purpose than trying to put a thin sheet of steel onto a spun fiber blanket in order to make the blanket strong. The steel would impart no strength to the blanket.

Aside from that issue, to use a hard, brittle material such as we see on these boats suggests that at every point a hull side sustains an even minor impact, that putty-like stuff is going to crack. Such cracks may not show on the outside, but may remain hidden beneath the surface. In time, with repeated stress cycles, one has to wonder about the whole matrix breaking down. Not to mention such issues as water absorption and retention along with subsequent chemical changes that may occur.

Even worse, when we now look at a given boat, we can no longer take for granted what the hull material is. We simply have no way of knowing. That leaves us all in the dark. Call me a Neoluddite if you wish (the 19th century English society that opposed the industrial revolution), but my worst fears about “high tech” materials in production boat building have become a reality.



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San Juan Pools ” We make pools out of Glass, Not Putty”

March 5th, 2010

San Juan Pools manufactures the highest quality / strongest fiberglass pool shell in the industry.

To explain the engineering of our product and what makes our shells different than the rest of the industry we first need to explain a little about materials and workmanship.

The type of resin makes a difference.

From the marine industry we have learned that only Epoxy type resins are impervious to water.  Vinyl Ester resins are made with many of the same products that go into epoxy.  This is why all good boat builders and all good swimming pool builders use a Vinyl Ester resin for the layer of fiberglass next to the surface.  Vinyl Ester resins also have better mechanical properties than polyester resins.  This is why the very best boat builders continue the use of Vinyl Ester resins throughout the laminate.  At San Juan Pools we realize that the back of the pool shell needs to be impervious to water just as the front, and that the better mechanical properties of Vinyl Ester resins make for a stronger shell.  When looking at the total cost of a pool project, it does not make sense to use cheap general purpose resins in the manufacturing of your pool shell. San Juan Pools is the only fiberglass pool builder that uses Vinyl Ester resin throughout the laminate.

We use a proprietary Vinyl Ester resin bought exclusively through

The type of fiberglass reinforcement makes a difference.

The aerospace and marine industries would never think of using chopped fiberglass for structural components, yet most of the fiberglass swimming pool industry uses chopped fiberglass for the majority of their shell.  Anything that is sprayed on a mold with a gun is not structural! Filled resins, ceramic cores and chopped fiberglass make a part thicker (stiffer) but do not add significantly to the strength of the laminate.  Which do you believe is stronger, a continuous piece of rope or a rope that has been cut into little pieces and glued together?  Woven roving is a fabric made by weaving continuous strands of fiberglass together.  San Juan Pools uses at least 48oz per square yard of woven roving everywhere, with many areas of the shell having more than 72 oz per square yard of woven roving.

We use American made fiberglass reinforcement bought exclusively through

Having the best laminators in the business makes a difference.

After picking the best materials for our product, we must make sure the workmanship that goes into our product is also first class.  At San Juan Pools many of our laminators have been with the company for more than 20 years.  This leads to consistency of product.  We value our employees as their sense of quality is second to none.

Having the best management team in the business makes a difference.

None of this would work without top quality management.  We are certified by the ICC-ES as one of the few manufacturers with a quality control program that is internationally recognized.  This also means our pool shapes have been inspected as being compliant with NSPI/ANSI-5.  This leads to easier permitting since your inspector knows that the product is certified by the same company that writes the building code.  We are also a licensed fabricator for the City of Los Angeles.  This means our factories have been inspected and are in compliance with our quality control program.  No other manufacturer has as long of a history, or has been in continuous compliance with these internationally recognized organizations as San Juan Pools.

The first step in manufacturing your San Juan Pool Shell is a clean waxed mold.

Next we cut materials (All fiberglass is hand laid, none of our reinforcement is shot out of a gun)

All of our shells have a minimum of 48 oz per square yard of woven roving everywhere.

First we apply the surface.  Then we skin this with 1.5 oz per square foot of chopped strand mat.  Then we lay up the pool in panels with each panel consisting of a 1.5 oz mat, a 24 oz woven roving, a 1.5 oz mat, and another 24 oz woven roving.  Deep pools get an additional layer of mat and woven roving.

The pools are hand laid in panels.

Ribs are strategically placed to stiffen the walls.

We have two types of surface finishes.

Our White and Sulli Blue pools use an NPG/ISO (Neopentyl Glycol Isophathalic) based Gelcoat.  This is specially formulated for the pool industry, it is UV stabilized and corrosion resistant.  The strength of this finish is well proven with many pools having this finish that are well over 25 years old.  As crystal clear water will always have a sparkling blue look many pool owners see this as the most beautiful of all finishes.

We also have our new Iridium colored finishes.  This is a solid surface material consisting of oven cured colored chips in a clear UV and chemical resistant clear resin.  This surface finish is backed up by a color matched gelcoat that acts as a barrier coat as well as a primer for the fiberglass.

We thoroughly clean and inspect every part when it is pulled off the mold.

All imperfections are repaired.  This takes time, but only perfection is good enough for a San Juan Pool.

Pools are tiled and outfitted as needed.

Finally, a beautiful San Juan Pool Shell is ready to become part of your backyard dream.

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Do we really need Main Drains?

March 4th, 2010
INDUSTRY NEWS
VGB Residential Requirements Finalized
By Rebecca Robledo| 3.12.2010

The question of how the Virginia Graeme Baker act will affect residential pools has finally been answered.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has finalized three aspects of VGB that were still up in the air: model language for potential state laws; the definition of an unblockable drain; and the definition of a commercial pool.

This puts in black and white the continually confusing issue of what VGB means for residential pools.

The law is not a mandate for all pools. Instead, it provides grants to states that enact pool and spa safety legislation that meets certain requirements set out by CPSC. The model language released March 3 spells out those baseline conditions.

Putting to rest one of the most contentious issues, the law does not require a safety vacuum release system or other such device on pools with multiple drains, unblockable drains or drainless systems.

Specifically, the language states that all vessels, new or existing, must have some kind of entrapment protection, whether it be multiple or unblockable drains, a drainless system or a device such as an SVRS. However, a year after enactment of a state law, all new pools and spas must have multiple drains, unblockable drains or no drains at all. In addition, all drains will need to have VGB-approved covers.

This doesn’t preclude a state from requiring secondary devices. Any state can pass more stringent language, as long as it is consistent with two CPSC publications regarding pool and spa safety: Safety Barrier Guidelines for Home Pools and Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer.

The model legislation also presents barrier requirements that are similar to many existing laws. It applies to any outdoor residential vessel intended for swimming or recreational usage, including any above ground and inflatable pool deeper than 24 inches.

Fencing at least 48 inches above grade shall “effectively provide protection against potential drowning or near-drowning of young children by preventing them from gaining unsupervised and unfettered access.”

In addition to the height, CPSC outlined other detailed specifications for compliance. Removable mesh fencing is allowed if it meets ASTM F2286-05. For an aboveground or onground pool, the vessel itself can serve as the barrier if it stands at least 48 inches above grade. If not, fencing can be added to the top of the pool, provided it meets certain criteria.

If the house serves as part of the barrier, it must be backed up with an audible alarm or power safety cover, both of which must meet certain specifications.

Portable hot tubs may have ASTM-compliant lockable manual safety covers in lieu of fences.

Additionally, CPSC finalized its definition of an unblockable drain. This holds particular importance for some because an unblockable drain can stand alone and doesn’t need a backup device.

To fit this category, a drain must be large enough so that its open area is not blocked by the 18-by-23-inch element used in testing. Furthermore, flow around the blocking element must fall within a given value. All covers must meet the ASME/ANSI A112.19.8 standard.

Some controversy arose over a related decision — to define a drain as unblockable if it has an adequately sized cover, even if the sump is smaller. CPSC Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum dissented. “The use of an unblockable drain cover by itself does not address the entrapment risks posed by a missing or broken drain cover. …” she said in a statement.

However, others saw it as adequate. “If a cover renders a pool or spa’s main drain unblockable, I can see no safety reason for interpreting the words ‘main drain’ narrowly,” Commissioner Robert Adler said.

Finally, CPSC clarified a vague term used to define a public pool. In part, VGB defines a public pool or spa as one at “a hotel or other public accommodations facility.” Because of confusion, the agency sought to define the latter term. Only pools at single-family residences that are rented to others will be excluded from VGB’s public pool and spa requirements.

What does this mean for you?

Here’s the upshot of this latest VGB development:

Does this law apply to all residential pools?
Probably not. The language is designed for a grant program, which awards funds to states that enact approved pool and spa safety laws.

Only states passing such legislation will be affected.

What does this mean for existing pools and spas?
In participating states, all drains must be capped with VGB-approved covers.

All pools and spas must have some kind
of entrapment protection. This can include multiple drains, unblockable drains, a drainless system, or a backup device such as an SVRS. So single-drain pools will need retrofitting.

What does this mean for new installs?
In addition to the approved drain covers, all new pools and spas must be built with multiple drains, unblockable drains or no drains at all. Backup devices are optional, unless the state passes a more stringent law.

Will these laws require isolation fencing?
No. A barrier is required, but the home can act as one of the four sides, as long as
specified devices are in place. The fencing requirements do not apply to portable hot tubs, as long as they have lockable manual safety covers.

Can my state pass a stricter law?
Yes, as long as it doesn’t conflict with VGB and two specified CPSC publications.

Is my state trying to receive a grant?
CPSC says only Florida is ready to apply. Other states have reportedly expressed interest, but the CPSC won’t specify which. Many have speculated California may participate. — R.R.

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Stephen Natow Injured in Iraq (Giving back for a second time)

March 2nd, 2010

The Seabees at it again

San Juan Pools Completes Second Therapy Swimming Pool for U.S. Disabled Veteran

LAKELAND, Fla., March 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — In a tangible show of support of our U.S. troops in Iraq, one company stepped up to the plate again with a therapy swimming pool. Steven Natow of Kissimmee, Florida is the second lucky veteran. During San Juan Fiberglass Pools National Dealer Academy Convention and Seminars in February, San Juan and its international dealers pooled their resources to build Steve Natow a $45,000 swimming pool complex in just two days. Now Steven can perform his daily necessary recovery regime from injuries sustained from his service in both the Vietnam and the Iraq wars. Steven Natow who originally served in the Vietnam War was recalled to active duty for the Iraq war to help protect the borders. He returned home with a broken hip and knee injuries.

The humanitarian and patriotic value of the project is an invaluable and symbolic gesture that goes far beyond its monetary value. Spokesman for the 50-year old San Juan Fiberglass Pool Company Keith Van Tilburg said, “It is a good project for a good cause, helping out disabled vets. We want to recognize their sacrifices and to give back just a little in the best way we can. Building pools is what we do best. We have a strong history of a top-quality product and excellent customer service. A project such as this not only shows our commitment to our customers but also San Juan Fiberglass Pools is making a positive contribution to society.”

This is San Juan Pools’ second major project to help a disabled American veteran. San Juan built a fiberglass therapy pool/spa Combo in 2005 for Peter Reid a Navel Seabee engineering core. San Juan Pools subsequently named its team of Dealership volunteer workers for this first project, “THE SAN JUAN SEE BEES” and will continue to use this name in the future.

Both completely donated pool complexes have the in-ground pool and hot tub built by San Juan Pools and the “THE SAN JUAN SEE BEES”. Aquamatic Pool Covers provided a free automatic pool cover for safety, and Endless Pools put in the Fast Lane, a swim current style aquatic exercise swim System. Sun Star Solar and AquaCal Heat Pumps provided water temperature control, and Pentair Products contributed the latest in filtration and automation technology to the project, but that’s not all. Fiberstars Lighting aluminates the swimming pool with their 4 color fiber optic lighting as well enabling Steven Natow the ability to do his aquatic therapy day or night. So there’s a lot of well-wishing support for our veterans from these water-related companies.

More than 60 San Juan Dealers coast to coast and from north to south joined in to work and show support for this special Veteran Project. Some dealers came from as far north as Canada and as far south as Martinique BWI. Because of all the generosity and support, the humanitarian project was completed in just 2 days, February 23 and 24, 2007.

Once again Michael and I are honored to be part of such a wonderful project.  This is the second service project michael and I participated in over the past few years.  We are always looking for Vet’s that have been affected fighting for our country that could use our help.  If you or someone you know has been affected fighting for our country please let us know.  Your yard could be the next stop for the San Juan Seabees.  I can honestly say by looking at the picture above that I have contributed and left a Stamp (no pun intended) on one mans life forever. I anticipate the next experience with open arms and look forward to changing the life of people who serve our country.

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Navy Seabee Peter Reid injured in Iraq.

March 1st, 2010

Tommie getting the troops together

The San Juan Family had the privilege of building a therapeutic pool and spa combination for Navy Seabee Peter Reid who was severely injured in the Iraq war. In all our years as a company we have never witnessed a group come together and work so unselfishly to make someone else’s life better.

After San Juan Pools’ recent annual dealer conference in Orlando, Fla., 50 participants volunteered their time to help build a fiberglass therapy pool and spa at the home a Navy veteran who had been critically injured in Iraq. Peter Reid, a Navy Seabee of 17 years, was injured in an attack 11 months ago when a mortar hit a compound where some Seabees and Marines were gathered.

The explosion paralyzed Reid’s left side and left him blind in one eye. Upon hearing about his case, San Juan agreed to build its conference demo pool at Reid’s home. The dealers stayed behind after the event to work on the installation, valued at $50,000. The San Juan dealers also collected $5,000 in cash for pool maintenance, which the company matched.

Over twenty San Juan dealerships volunteered their time and expertise to complete the project in addition to raising $10,000.00 that was presented to the Reid family to assist with upkeep and maintenance of their new pool.

Our vendor partners came through with flying colors donating virtually everything to complete the project. The end result was a completed project that we can all be proud of.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated:

Mike Neri Performing cantilever deck

Finished Product what a feeling

Mark Peditto and Peter Reid


Jose Aragones
Jean Beaulieu
Roger Benscoter
Marc Campbell
Ron Casso
Jim Erskine
James Evans
Kevin Fox
David Frye
Luke Gulczynski
Dan Howe
Randy Hughes
Ron Jackson
Clancy Kaye
Paul Kennedy
Gary Key
Denise Manka
Tom McCarthy
Mike Neri
Mark Peditto
Geoff Potts
Paul Rodriguez
Kirk Sullivan
Todd Sullivan
Gary Thomas
Ronika Thomas
Harold Tilson
Carl Untch
Steve Wharton

I have to say one thing about this project (awesome).  Kudos for all the women and men who helped make this event one to remember.  After personally meeting Peter I can honestly say I have a greater respect for life itself and for the men and women who serve our country every day.  It was such an honor for Artistic Pools to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity.  Our main part of the project was the installation of the Stamped Concrete Deck around the Therapy Pool.  The Pool had numerous Jets. a wheel chair lift, and multiple therapy stations for Peter to rehabilitate himself.  The project took a total of three days to complete from start to finish.  Again thanks to Peter Reid and San Juan Pools for allowing us the opportunity to serve such a wonderful person.

peter reid service project 038

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About The Authors

February 28th, 2010

We at San Juan would like to commend Artistic Pools of New Jersey for their commitment to outstanding service. Artistic Pools has become one of San Juan’s leading dealers throughout the country. Mark Peditto and Mike Neri began their quest in 1996 as Stamped Concrete installers. For many years they installed Stamped Cantilever pool decks for numerous pool companies. In time they wondered why they were not in the pool business. Back in the late ‘90s Mark and Mike were great friends but competitors at the same time. As both succeeded in their prospective fields they decided to join forces and become a one-stop shop for their customers. In the first three years in the fiberglass pool business they doubled their sales each year. Now they install more than 50 San Juan pools per year.

Five years ago, Artistic Pools approached president Kirk Sullivan and requested to become San Juan’s pool depot for the Northeast region. Artistic currently handles the delivery of pools from Southern Maryland to the state of Maine. The depot currently has approximately 200 pools in stock ready to be shipped to a dealer base that has grown to over 640 dealers. The Depot has become a home for many San Juan dealers looking to showcase pools to prospective customers; to learn new installation techniques and for training in the area of tile installation. Most importantly; the depot offers complete sales training for all of its dealers.

Artistic Pools uses no subcontractors and prides themselves in a two-day installation, deck ready. Over the years we have received numerous letters from customers praising the quality of workmanship they have experienced while working with Artistic Pools. Their customer satisfaction rating over the past five years is one of the highest San Juan Pools has seen considering the amount of completed projects each year and awarded Regional Dealer of the Year starting in 2004 and each year since. When asked the question; “How and why Artistic Pools is so successful?” The answer they gave us was: “Mike and I have a great partnership. Trust is probably the most important role in business today. Without it, odds are the business will fail. We both have the same goals and aspirations. We both come from a masonry background and a driven work ethic. For the most part Artistic is family driven. We believe a successful business starts from the initial contact with the customer. My wife, Jenea is my right-hand man when dealing with permits, appointments, and reminding me to return calls when things are hectic. Mike and I believe in INSTANT RESPONSE. The phone is what makes us successful. We do a combined 11,000 minutes each month on cell phones conducting business. Communication is everything, so stay connected with your customers. Last, but not least, Artistic Pools Corporation is successful due to the support and products that San Juan offers. Artistic Pools also believes in loyalty.

We offer one product, and one product only, San Juan. Tom McCarthy is a great friend of ours and also a great representative of San Juan. He has been the backbone of our company through our growing pains and I am sure for many others. Tom’s dedication and support is a main reason we are totally dedicated and push the best made fiberglass pool on the market. With over 70 models to choose from and 7 colors, including the launch of our Iridium Colors, there is no reason to sell anything but the best. Stay loyal to yourself and your product and watch your sales climb in years to come. We thank San Juan for their support over the years and look forward to a prosperous future ahead.”

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Website or Websites (Holding the Gold)

February 27th, 2010

Holding the Gold

The purpose of this Blog post is to educate and enlighten many business owners out there that are thinking about building a website for the first time.  A website is a very important part of any business especially in this day and age.  Our website started back in 2001.  It only contained about 4 pages of info with very little pictures of our work.  Over the years we added more pictures, pool models, Stamped Concrete photos and additional options that made us simply stand out above the rest.  The look of the Website changed dramatically over the years.  As I said in recent posts, I am a very visual person,  therefore requiring many changes to the website over the years and most likely many more in the near future.  Think of your website as a library of events in your companies long or short history.  The more information your website has the more likely a consumer will remain there.  It also has to be pleasing to the eye as well.  I have put a ton of hours into building and maintaining our website over the years.  Websites are my thing and i would like to share with many of you my own personal secrets that will help you generate leads for your own business.  Before I get into protecting your brand I would like to list my top ten pointers in creating a useful website that gets the results you need.  Keep in mind a website is like growing flowers or plants.  They start off small and gradually get bigger and bigger over the years.  Have a plan in mind,  Stick to it and have fun producing your library of events for everyone to see.

Top Ten hint’s to making your website Stand-out

1.  Choose colors that are pleasing to the eye.

2.  Make sure content is easy to read.

3.  Make sure you take high resolution photo’s and (they load quickly)

4.  Information rich.  Lots of drop down menu’s.  Content, Content and more content.

5.  Video’s ( set up a you tube account and connect to your website)

6.  Use of Live actors on the site to promote your products.

7.  Use of 3D design programs.  Show your creative side.

8.  Networking (Get Connected)

9.  Create an about us Page.  (First impressions count, believe me)

10.  Contact us Page (Capture every opportunity and save it.)

Do I buy one website or many websites?

This all depends on what kind of business you own.  If you run a hot dog stand in the middle of New York city I don’t think a website would do you any justice.   I am in the pool business and a website is essential to being  successful in this business i can assure you.  Here is my take on why owning multiple domains is the key to your companies future success.  I can now let the cat out of the bag being I own a major portion of the fiberglass pools websites throughout the country.  It all started a few years back while sitting on my rear deck with a good friend of mine William Bryan.  He is responsible for building all of my websites throughout the years and providing me impeccable tech support in doing so.  I wanted more action in the business without having to pay large Google Ad fee’s in the process.  I started off buying local NJ websites such as newjerseyfiberglasspools.com along with the abbreviations as well.  Then i bought fiberglasspoolsnj.com  I instantly saw results.  That was it for me.  I found a way to advertise across the country, protect my brand forever and receive Lot’s of leads nationwide for the rest of my life.  I even took it 2 steps further in my quest to protect the domain game throughout the industry as a whole.  My quest now was to position myself not only in the fiberglass market but the in ground pool market and swimming pool market as well.  Most of you are probably saying a pool is a pool right.  Wrong, not on the Internet.  Artistic Pools is strictly Fiberglass so I concentrated on this industry as a whole.  Internet searches are very specific in nature.  Let me give you an example that you can relate to.  Let’s say you live in New Jersey and you are looking for a plumber.  What might you write to get a plumber local to you.  If you just type the word plumber chances are you might be reaching out to someone in Las Vegas to come fix your dryer.  Most likely you might search ” NJ Plumbers”, “Plumbers NJ”, Drier repair NJ.  You get the drift.  That being said we decided to purchase every state in the country for Fiberglass pools, in ground pools, and swimming pools and with state names attached in the front and behind along with the abbreviations as well.  To my amazement most of what I was setting out to achieve was available for purchase.  I could not believe other installers and manufacturers did not claim their share of the Internet landscape right before their eyes.  Artistic Pools along with another fiberglass pool manufacturer utilize approximately 90 percent of all fiberglass pool, in ground pool and swimming pool sites in the world today.  I am a 5 year college graduate of Bloomsburg university and have had  a great deal of success academically and as a scholar athlete.  I can honestly say that I am most proud of claiming my stake on the Internet.  Just imagine the feeling of claiming your landscape on the world wide web and promoting your products the way they should be promoted.  This method of advertising and buying domains will not help everyone in every situation, but I can guaranty one thing, your competitor will never own the websites that you bought.  That I know for sure.

Let me know if I could be of any further assistance in creating a web presence that is tailored to your business?

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Should I buy a Pool or a Boat

February 25th, 2010

I am going to make a comparison between 2 major purchases that I have personally made over the past few years.  One being a fiberglass pool project in which I invested 50,000 into and the other being a 24 ft fiberglass boat which cost’s 50,000.  Keep in mind I live in the northeast where our boating season is cut way short along with our swim season as well.  The normal boating season runs from say May 1 through Oct 1 which represents the usual pool season as well, thus will allow for a proper comparison between both investments.  Let me start off by saying that I am in no way saying don’t  buy a boat.  My wife would  kill me.  Boating is very enjoyable, it’s a time to just get away enjoy what life has to offer with people you care about. It’s a time to enjoy family, friends, relatives, water sports, and Nature itself.  Boating has added much enjoyment to my life as a whole but the true question is how does this investment stand up to the investment of a fiberglass pool project.  The answer is that it does not even come close to that of a fiberglass pool project.  The first segment of this comparison I will break down the associated maintenance costs associated with owning a boat.  The second segment I will break down and illustrate what cost’s are associated with owning a Fiberglass Pool .  Keep in mind both the Fiberglass Pool project and boat are 50,000.  Before I get started comparing apples to apples remember that a fiberglass Pool holds a 25 year warranty and a boat’s normal warranty is about 1-2 years.  So right off the bat you invest the same amount of money for the boat and the pool but walk away from the deal with 23 more years of warranty on the pool.  That’s just the beginning.  You know the saying “what are the two best things about owning a boat” , yup you guessed right the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

What Does is Cost me to maintain that 50,000 boat a year?

1. Dry Stack Fee.  Each year I pay to have the boat be kept in a Dry Stack rack.  Keeping the boat in Dry stack allows for the boat only to be in the water  when i’m using it.  All I have to do is hit the button and the attendant fork lifts my boat into the water.  The cost of Dry Stack is 2,500 per year. The cost of most regular slips is 2,000 per year. So I will take the lower number shit’s and giggles.

2. Tipping.  Let’s assume I use my boat every weekend on Saturday for 5 months.  That’s 20 visits to the boat yard.  I usually Tip the Fork Lift operator 10.00 for lifting my boat into the water. That’s a total cost of 200.00 for putting the boat into the river. It would definitely be worth it’s weight in gold if it were being dropped into Caribbean blue water’s.

3.  Fuel Cost’s.  For some reason the cost of fuel at the boat dock is much higher than on the street.  The fact of the matter is you have to pay it unless you want to carry fourteen five gallon tanks in your pick up to save 20 bucks on Fuel.  My total cost of fuel to run my  family get a way vehicle is approximately 35.00 per day which is around 700.00 per season.

4. Boat Maintenance.  Since I do not go over 100 hours on my boat every season my boat only needs Service once a year I hope.  It’s still very new so I will get back to you when the boat becomes older and more of a headache.  Oil changes and winterization is a much harder task than emptying the oil in a car.  The oil has to be pumped out with a special pump therefore putting me in the hands of the boat yards mechanic.  The cost of Service is 400 per season. I am as I said in recent posts a very visual person.  I’m a Capricorn therefore need order in my life.  Things have to be clean, organized and in place for my mind to function properly.  With that said brings me to the cleaning of the boat.  I have little or no time for this therefore requiring me to have the boat detailed once a month to preserve my so called investment.  The detailing runs 200.00 a month for five month’s.  There’s another 1,000 in maintenance cost associated in owning a boat.

5.  Insurance Cost’s Typical boat insurance ranges from 400 to 700 per year.  I will take 550.00 to demonstrate. Oh don’t let me forget to mention the service called Sea Tow.  If for any reason you break down in the middle of the river and need help you call them to come save you.  The cost of this service for the season is 200.00

What does it cost me to Maintain that 50,000 dollar Fiberglass Pool Project a year?

Let me First point out that a fiberglass pool requires no acid baths, no re-plastering, no yearly pool fill, no tile replacement and most importantly requires very little maintenance.  99 percent of all of our pool projects we utilize a Salt water Generator to make Chlorine.  I will get into the benefits of Salt water Generators in later blog posts.  Fiberglass pools are impervious to Algae growth therefor require little chemicals thus requires shorter filter cycles.  We now use the new SVRS pump which provides Anti entrapment features along with energy savings along the way.  I’ll save that for a later blog post as well.  The truth of the matter the normal opening and closing of a pool cost 300 for openings and 300 for closings.  The average cost for chemicals or should I say a bag of Salt a year and some occasional Shock will run our customers around 100.00 a season.  The cost of electric to run your pool with an energy saving pump will cost around 500.00 per season.  There you have it…… A fiberglass pool that cost’s about 1,200 per season.  Now let’s compare the overall investment between a boat and a Fiberglass Pool.

The Boat runs me around around 5,050.00 per season to keep it it in the water.

The Pool runs me around 1,200.00 per season in maintenance costs.

Let’s compare the pool and boat now for 20 years of pleasure.

The boat will wind up costing me over 100,000 to maintain for 20 years.

The fiberglass Pool will wind up costing me 24,000 to maintain for 20 years.

With all that said i am sure you can now understand the benefits to owning a fiberglass pool.  At the end of the 20 years i now have a pool with 5 years left on the warranty.  The boat’s warranty has been long gone say about 18 years ago.  The boat probably has been either sold 5 times over at a huge loss or is eating at your wallet so bad that it’s hibernating in dry stack still or on concrete blocks in your front yard.  There are many advantages of adding a swimming pool to your home.  A swimming pool increases your home’s value.  As the price of your home increases so does the pool project that’s associated with your home.  The beauty of owning a pool is that you get to use it whenever you want.  You want to take a dip early in the morning or after a hard day of work the pool is just steps away.  Go ahead; jump in, relax and enjoy an experience that will change your life forever. Owning a fiberglass pool has many advantages.  Hopefully I helped create a perceived value that fiberglass pools by far have and will always have the best dollar to dollar value in home improvements and leisure purchases.  I hoped you enjoyed my comparison and come back soon for some really informative blog posts.


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Stamped Concrete’s beginning in New Jersey

February 25th, 2010

It seems like not that long ago there was no one installing stamped concrete in new jersey.  But in all reality it has been well over twenty years now.  My partner and myself  both come from a backround of masonry.  We both helped introduce stamped concrete into new jersey working for a very dear friend of ours Russ sr. and family.  It was then in the late 80’s when most concrete contractors were completely scared and ignorant to this new and upcoming art of concrete.  Russ was not scared.  For the guys who weren’t scared then, it wound up becoming an extremely lucrative decision.  As long as you did good work, the state was yours for the taking.  We became so busy that it made good sense to start my own business.  I called it Stamped Concrete Specialists.  Mark also started his soon after and called it Artistic Concrete Solutions.  We then became direct competitors but still remained friends.  For many years we did much of the stamped concrete decking for new jersey swimming pool companies whether it was vinyl, gunite, or fiberglass.  Throughout those years, we have learned the dos and dont’s when pouring stamped concrete around swimming pools.  Let me share some of my knowledge with you:

Ground preparation

It is critical that the entire area being stamped ESPECIALLY where the walls have been back filled have been tamped properly; otherwise you will see a very long crack running parallel to the coping about 12 inches away after you lift your stamps from the tamping of the stamps.  This will happen always if area is left untamped.  Don’t forget.

Concrete mixture

Many may not realize, but this is probably the single most important part of the entire job.  Ready mix companies around the state of new jersey and I am sure elsewhere use different admixtures in their concrete.  We have found through trial and error what works best for us.  It is very simple.  First, we take all water reducers out of the concrete.  This will ensure to us that when it is time to hand finish the concrete, there will be some water on the surface to help give us the smoothest finish possible.  Second, the base or primary color of the job must be put into the concrete truck at the jobsite when it arrives.  This eliminates the labor intensive process of broadcasting color after it has been installed.  On a hot july day, my workers appreciate that very much.

Installation Process

It is extremely important during the installation you have a strong qualified crew with you.  There are just too many things that must be done all at the same time.  The crew should also be very efficient with their time.  Because as most of us know in the industry, CONCRETE WAITS FOR NO ONE.  You are alotted a certain amount of time to work with concrete.  That time ranges from 45 minutes up to 3 hours depending on outside temperature.  You must remember to still have enough time left over for the stamping process.

Stamping Process

Once again, a strong qualified crew is highly recommended for this stage.  One man is needed to broadcast the secondary color across the decking.  Two men laying down stamps.  One man touching up mistakes with a roller.  Two men lifting up stamps already tamped.  One man tamping.  Having this allows you to do large areas quite efficiently.

Final touch

In the summer, the next day is sufficient for saw cutting all expansion joints and pressure washing the decking clean.  At this point, we can highlight other areas with special coloring such as the border or individual stones to give uniqueness to a job.

Seal Coating

We usually wait a day after pressure washing for the area to be completely dry.  Using an airless sprayer is the way to go.  This allows the sealer to be absorbed and become ONE with the concrete.  A big don’t is using a roller.  Rolling on the sealer may look good initially, but you are asking for trouble.  The laminate becomes to thick on the surface in turn causing delamination.  In many case, taking some of the surface away with it.

In closing, artistic pools corp is very seasoned when it comes to stamped concrete.  There isn’t a job we haven’t seen or done.  If there are any questions I can help with, please post them and I will be sure to answer. 

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