• Engine
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      • --CAT
      • --Nanni
      • --Westerbeke
      • --Crusader
      • --Detriot
      • --Indmar
      • --Yanmar
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      • --MAN
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      • --Nissan
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                        • --Max Thruster
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                        • -Rudder
                          • -Zinc
                            • -Thruhull
                              • -Fiberglass
                                • -Keel
                                  • -Propeller
                                    • -Bottom Paint
                                    • Hardware
                                      • -Mooring
                                        • -Fabrication
                                          • -Welding
                                            • -Windlass
                                              • --Powerwinch
                                              • --Maxwell
                                              • --Imtra
                                            • -Inflatable
                                            • Above Waterline
                                              • -Gel Coat
                                                • -Paint
                                                  • -Varnish
                                                    • -Carpentry
                                                      • -Detailing
                                                        • -Lettering
                                                          • -Canvas
                                                            • -Upholstery
                                                              • -Woodwork
                                                                • -Cabinetry
                                                                  • -Teak
                                                                  • Sailboat
                                                                    • -Sails
                                                                      • -Rigging
                                                                        • --Dutchman
                                                                        • --Harken
                                                                        • --Selden
                                                                        • --Z Spar
                                                                        • --Sparecraft
                                                                        • --Forespar
                                                                        • --Furlex
                                                                        • --Facnor
                                                                    • Power Generation
                                                                      • -Generators
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                                                                        • --Fischer
                                                                        • --GenTec
                                                                        • --Northern Lights
                                                                        • --Onan
                                                                        • --Westerbeke
                                                                        • --CAT
                                                                        • --Cummins
                                                                      • -Solar
                                                                        • --Solbian
                                                                        • --System Design
                                                                      • -Wind
                                                                        • -Alternators
                                                                          • --High Output Alternators
                                                                      • Winter
                                                                        • -Winterization
                                                                          • -Shrinkwrap
                                                                            • -Storage
                                                                              • -Indoor Storage
                                                                              • Interior
                                                                                • -Air Conditioning
                                                                                  • --Webasto
                                                                                  • --Flagship Marine
                                                                                  • --MarinAire
                                                                                  • --Dometic
                                                                                • -Stove
                                                                                  • --Dometic
                                                                                  • --Eno
                                                                                  • --Dickinson
                                                                                  • --Force 10
                                                                                  • --Seaward
                                                                                  • --Avanti
                                                                                • -Refrigeration
                                                                                  • --Isotherm
                                                                                  • --Dometic
                                                                                  • --Sea Frost
                                                                                • -Heater
                                                                                  • --Eberspacher
                                                                                  • --Wallas
                                                                                  • --Sigmar
                                                                                  • --Refleks
                                                                              • Haul Out
                                                                                • -5 Tons
                                                                                  • -10 Tons
                                                                                    • -20 Tons
                                                                                      • -30 Tons
                                                                                        • -40 Tons
                                                                                          • -50 Tons
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                                                                                                The Importance of Learning a Trade - Ken Clinton President of Intrepid Powerboats
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                                                                                                It’s time to rev up those engines, because this week on the SHIPSHAPE podcast it’s all about POWER. Joining us is none other than Ken Clinton, President of Intrepid Powerboats. Intrepid is one of the strongest brands in boating, building one-of-a-kind completely bespoke watercrafts.

                                                                                                Originally from Connecticut, and having spent very little time on boats, Ken started out following his father into the murky depths and building submarine engines. When he surfaced, he started at the very beginning, on the shop floor, and is now the sitting President. Many see him as an inspiration and an example that it is still possible to be loyal to what you love and work your way to the very top.

                                                                                                He shares tales of his voyage through the years, from inventing the dive-door back in the 90’s to painting boats the wrong color and even making a baitwell seat ‘sexy’! He also tells us why he attributes his innovation to his clients as much as to his own team, and how people with a craft will end up inheriting the world. Join us in becoming honorary members of the ‘Intrepid Nation’!

                                                                                                Intrepid Powerboats is a well-known manufacturer of high-performance powerboats. The company is known for its innovative designs and high-quality construction, and its boats have gained a reputation for their speed, handling, and seaworthiness. They have won many awards over the years.

                                                                                                One of the key impacts of Intrepid Powerboats on the boating industry has been the introduction of a number of highly successful boat models. The company’s boats are known for their sleek and sporty design, and they have been popular with boaters who are looking for a fast and agile craft. Intrepid’s boats have also been praised for their durability and reliability, and the company has a strong track record of producing high-quality boats that are built to last. Additionally Intrepid is known for their customer service as they remain independent from a dealer network that forces price hikes.

                                                                                                Intrepid Powerboats focuses on innovation and the use of advanced materials and technologies in its boats. Intrepid has been at the forefront of the use of composite materials in the construction of powerboats, and its boats are known for their lightweight and strong construction. The company has also been an early adopter of new technologies, such as outboard motors and hybrid propulsion systems, which have helped to improve the efficiency and performance of its boats.

                                                                                                Intrepid Powerboats has had a significant impact on the boating industry through its innovative and high-quality boat designs, its use of advanced materials and technologies, and its involvement in the sport of powerboating.

                                                                                                Intrepid Powerboats
                                                                                                Ken Clinton

                                                                                                Brought to you by SHIPSHAPE

                                                                                                Transcript—-

                                                                                                Farah [00:00:07] Hello and welcome to the Shipshape Podcast, a series of podcasts where we meet amazing people and talk about their experiences, personal, technical and all related to the maritime world. Come and dive in. Dive in, Dive in.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:00:41] This week on the Shipshape podcast, we speak to Ken Clinton, president of Intrepid Powerboats. Here we discover how we got from the nitty gritty of working as a craftsperson at the company to running a multimillion dollar business, as well as discovering his top tips for building brand loyalty in 2022 and beyond. My name is George Tyndall. I’m a freelance editor in writing Within the Boating Sphere, and I’m speaking to you from Lancaster in the U.K. and I’m joined by Merrill.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:01:10] Merrill Charette. I’m a liveaboard on a Ta-Shing Tashiba, 36 in Boston, Massachusetts. So, Ken, where you coming from?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:01:17] Well, I’m Ken Clinton, president of Powerboats, and I’m down here in Lago, Florida, at my factory.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:01:22] It’s pretty nice out there these days, right? It’s getting cold up in New England.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:01:26] Yeah, actually, I’m originally from Connecticut, so I know exactly what you’re going through right now. And yeah, it’s beautiful at 75 degrees during the summer.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:01:34] So one of the big things about Intrepid, it’s such a brand at this point, everyone knows about it. The key pillar is loyalty. So what does loyalty mean to you?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:01:45] I think loyalty starts with the company being loyal to its customers first, and that loyalty starts with not only a dedication to the good craftsmanship to quality, but really following up with the service after the sale. You know, that’s the thing that I see with a lot of manufacturers where they’ve actually hired people and put them in positions to fight warranty costs to add to their, you know, bottom line. And, you know, we’re not about that. Once you get a vessel from us, it’s about that relationship that continues and that starts with making sure that you’re out there using your boat, enjoying your boat. You know, it’s really easy to lose sight of why people buy it. It’s about to have fun. And when there’s issues with boats and there’s always issues with boats, it’s how you take care.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:02:31] So when you first started this boating adventure that you’ve been on, did you grow up boating?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:02:38] No, actually, I didn’t. I grew up in the sticks out in the middle of Connecticut. We used to go to Jamestown in Newport News for fishing from the beach. But, you know, we were not a very wealthy family. Once in a while, I’d get out on a John boat, maybe, But it really started back in working at General Dynamics and building submarines like my father did. And then I moved to Florida and I was an outside machinist at the time, and I got an offer from a company named Triumph Yachts to do MVP work. There was in boards for 54 years with jobs, jack shafts and some really cool stuff like that. And they asked me if I could do the job and I told them I’d do everything opposite of building a sub so we would float instead of sinking the guy.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:03:18] Like what was the transition like from going from submarines to recreational boating?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:03:24] It was quite a bit different. You know, I hate to prejudice myself in a way to where I think that it’s a different work ethic from where I was from being from New England. And when I came down here in this particular place that I went to work at, they were kind of Key West Spot. So, you know, I was raised to go right into jam, you know, And so I really stood out and I think, you know, making opportunities on the floor by, you know, being loyal, being dedicated, you know, working your ass off every day and making sure that you had good results from it was cool. I think, you know, with the government, everything is, you know, I’s are dotted, teaser crossed. And when you get into the marine industry, there’s lots of gray area, you know, So being able to clean up that gray area was something that I always strive for because, you know, I was excited to be able to climb the ladder and get to a position where I could make a difference. And, you know, being at where I am now, where I can run a company and have some more structure to ensure that quality is what it’s supposed to be is really nice.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:04:21] So can for you. Do you think that kind of grounded experience is vital within the boating industry?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:04:28] I think so. And once again, I’m biased. But you know, I sat on the board of directors for the end of May and I sat with lots of other presidents, good presidents, you know, a lot of people that are very intelligent. But I think there was a bit of a disconnect for some of them when they’ve never worked the floor before, when they’ve never had gel coating their hair and resin underneath their nails and 5200 all over their clothes. You know, I think I think those are all things that gives you another perspective to not only make sure that you care for your employees because you were one of them and you and you know exactly what it’s like to work the floor. But from a design standpoint, to be able to, you know, even that new product design to the next level by knowing how about is built from the inside out is really nice.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:05:13] What is one of the best projects that you’ve worked on?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:05:15] Well, you know, we’re known for innovation and I think, you know, it all started back in 1994 when we invented the door. You know, the whole side door was for something that was new to this industry. And if you go to a boat show now, every single boat that you look. That has a dagger in it. But there was something about going over to a boat, cutting a big hole in the side of it. That was something that was daunting and it was something that you had to make sure that it was done right and set a trend. You know, and that’s kind of something that we’ve done all along. You know, we were the first ones to do a gyro in an outdoor boat. We were one of the first ones to do about thrust or not outboard, but we were the first ones to invent 35 inch sharp outboards because I needed something to get below the keel. And my larger boat’s going to quite application. You know, when we didn’t have outboards big enough, we teamed up with Seven Marine to do the largest upwards in the world back in 2011. We’re the first ones to put heads inside of center consoles, first ones to do electric actuating backrests on forward seating. You know, now the latest thing that we’ve done is the electric helm sole where, you know, I was getting a handful of people that were asking me to build step boxes. You know, some people are shorter that want a better line of sight. So all of a sudden, I did the second or third one and I said, you know what? There’s got to be a better way. You know, you build this box and then you have to fashion it to the soul and you have to be able to remove it easily in case somebody taller comes along. And then you have to store it. And I said, you know what? There’s definitely got to be a better way. So I got with my team and we recessed. We put an insert in the mold to create a recess under the solid above because the fiberglass small part that fit inside this, this rectangle just behind the console, we engineered an amazing lift mechanism like a scissor electric, scissor lift. And at the push of a button, you know, it raises up four inches and gives the person a better line of sight. And it’s all really based on customer feedback. We don’t have a dealership network, and I had the luxury of being able to sit with customers not only at both shows but at design sessions and build boats to that effect, to what’s important to them. So it’s not like we build inventory. There’s no inventory in the truck. And I’ve got, you know, a year and a half worth of backlog. So we sit with the customer and John and his wife sits with us and says, No, I want this and that, and I want the peak color to be this. I want the color seems to be that. I want the thread color to be a certain color. I mean, it’s to that point and one of the things that I’ve noticed over the years is when I’m sitting with a couple and we’re going through a design session and they might say, you know, I love the seating over on the port side, but I wish it was four inches higher so I could see better over the console. And, you know, I’ll tell them, okay, look, we’ll cut the cabinets, fiberglass, I’ll raise it up, glass it. Well, and you know, we’ll make make the change and there’ll be several other changes. And halfway through this design session, they’ll stop and look at each other and go, Wow, this is a pretty different experience. And I’ll say, Well, what do you mean? And they’ll say that they had been to other boat brands, and when they start talking about customized, it’s to them customizing is pick your color, you know and with us it’s tell us how you’re going to use the boat. We’ll modify the boat even if it means cutting cabinetry in half or re reconfiguring a helm station. We are truly somebody’s customer.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:08:34] The best word that’s going to say that that’s the level of service, isn’t it, that you would normally associate with very much the luxury yachts, isn’t it? Yeah.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:08:42] And what that does is if you take all of that information that you get from design, from people that use your boat more than you and anybody on your team, because, look, we’re here. Building them is it’s gold. It’s data that you can create new designs. So, you know, I had people come up to me all the time at boaters and say, can you and your team are the best designers in the industry? It’s not it’s not us. It’s our customers. Our customers are the ones that designer boats, what we call the Intrepid Nation. And we just take their cue and, you know, by being able to mine that data of what’s important to them and put it into the next design, even though we’re the ones who have to figure out how to do it is gold, you know.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:09:22] So does that mean you don’t have like a dedicated kind of R&D development like segment of the business? Or do you?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:09:30] We have an engineering team and we do everything in-house, so we do. But, you know, basically what we do is we like to have a round robin and we’ll get into a room and, you know, I’ll start talking about what I want to do next, and then I get feedback from the next person and the next person. And that’s when the magic happens. You know, it’s you’re only as good as the people that you surround yourself with. And I’m blessed to be surrounded by some of the most amazing people and crafts persons in the entire industry. And one of the things that I noticed over the years and as I came up through the ranks, was seeing other people ahead of me that would surround themselves with people and then not less, which blows me away. I mean, why would you surround yourself with an amazing team and then not listen to what their input was? And, you know, one of the blessings that I have from coming up through the ranks is being able to wash the mistakes of others. And trust me, I’ve made a ton myself and I continue to make those and learn from them. But it’s that education is priceless.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:10:26] I’m afraid you can’t say that without me asking you. Give us a couple. Go at.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:10:31] Mistakes. Oh, I’ve got some. I remember writing down the wrong key code and painting about the wrong color, you know, because I was like a real micromanager. So I would tell everybody what daily paint, what color it is, even though it’s already on the shop order. I would reiterate what that color was to make sure there was no mistakes, things like that. Or I remember when the Yamaha 2/51 came out and I didn’t pull up all the engine drawings and I just knew that it had to have the same footprint as the engine prior and found out that it was much wider in the centers that I needed to put the engines on were wider than the motor well itself, and the engines wouldn’t even fit on the back of the boat as it was halfway up the line as I got the new engines in. Yeah, there’s been some mistakes for sure.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:11:14] Awesome. Well, we don’t have to just focus on the negatives, of course. What have been some of the most fulfilling and most exciting moments you’ve had since being president of the company?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:11:23] I think the biggest thing for me is watching customers with our boats, with our vessels. You know, social media is really cool and being able to see that, you know, we bring these vessels to the water for families to make memories for the rest of their lives and to watch the pictures of them fishing and diving and enjoying themselves. Is it really is cool, you know, And, you know, we create not just vessels or boats and, you know, memories for families. We look at it as art. You know, we build fiberglass parts unlike anybody else that I know which lot of split tooling. And we do that all at split, going to be able to give it a shape that is very costly from a manufacturing standpoint because of all the finished work that we have to do because of the split tooling. But everything can be sexy. There’s even a beat. Well, see, you know, I’ll tell you a story about the sales team asked for a beat well seat helm seat with a bait wall in the back of it with a window. And this was many, many moons ago before anybody had boots. So it was a good idea. So I went into the tooling department and we had it mocked up in the guy’s head this oval window in the back of the well. So I said, No, that’s that’s just not enough. I want to kick the window. And it would bring it all the way around the sides. And I want to taper it down and make it look like I want it to look like an aquarium, you know, like SeaWorld or something. I want it to be like that. And of course, my team always thinks I’m crazy. And so we start working on that, changing the prototype and the sales team calls and they go, Hey, we’re just trying to find out where you’re at with the new bait. Well, see, that’s it. It just it wasn’t sexy enough. And they said, Cat, it’s a bait. Well, I said, I know, but I don’t care if even a bait one needs to be sexy. So we get the prototype done. We get this beautiful acrylic that wraps around the side and everything, and a few of the sales team came up to see it and they walked in and they looked at it and they said, Wow, you actually made a bet it was each sex.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:13:18] So one of the fascinating things is you’ve been in the industry for long enough and done all these different roles. How have you seen the industry change over time changed so much?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:13:28] You know, I think one of the biggest things back in the day, we were the only ones doing big outdoor boats. We were doing it when outboards were cool. And so when you’re talking about a 37 foot boat with big engines for 200 horsepower, what it really made us do is it made us drill down on hull design. You had to have the most efficient hull that you possibly do, and everything that we do is single step hulls be able to prevent that hold, be able to create lift, to be able to reduce drag, to be able to have these little engines push these big boats to an acceptable speed. So now, as you look over time, clearly our power is caught up with, you know, now we’re looking at Mercury V-12 with 600 horsepower. But one of the things that I’ve noticed that other manufacturers have done, because the power is there, there’s less in my opinion, there’s less emphasis on hull design, because now to me, it looks like that there’s a band aid for hull design. By overcoming it with power. It doesn’t matter how wide you go or entry or, you know, because you’ve got all the horsepower that you could possibly want on the on the back of this thing. And I disagree. You know, I am all about making sure that we continue to tweak and get every little thing out of every hull that we do. So when you look at the changes throughout, engine power has been huge and laminated schedules have come a long way. The infusion process that we really pioneered 20 years ago is becoming more and more common. So I think those are the biggest thing. Technology is really shifted and changed the game.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:14:59] And what are the kind of other any technological developments within boating, the kind of on the horizon that are getting you kind of a bit excited at the moment?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:15:07] Yeah, I’ll tell you, one of the things that we’ve done internally, one of the biggest complaints that I get is generators. If I had a dollar for every time I had a call from a customer saying that his weekend was ruined because the generator didn’t run and they didn’t have air conditioning, and my wife was upset and the kids are upset. And it got to a point where, you know, the hard part for me is I didn’t make the generator, you know, but it doesn’t matter. My logos on the. Side of the boat and they bought the boat from us. And they’re the ones letting us know that it’s an intrepid problem regardless of who manufactured the generator. So what do you do if you’re not going to create your own generator? Well, I look at electric power and I look at, in my personal opinion, again, there’s too much resistance on the bottom of a hole at this point. When you look at the battery power, battery packs reserve to be able to push a vessel the way that our customers use it at the speeds they want to in the longevity that they want if they want to make a crossing to the Bahamas. You know, we’re just not there yet. Do I believe we’ll get there someday? For sure. But we’re just not there yet. So what can we do? Even though we may not be able to propel the vessel in an efficient manner to make sense? There’s no reason why you can’t power. So this thing that I’ve been working on with my team is I call it generator delete. You know, it’s taking four large lithium ion batteries, creating a bank, being able to now charge these with engines that have much bigger alternators than before. Now, when you’re looking at mercury, not only the 600 V-12 and now the new 400 V tens, you’re putting out you 150 watts each. So you can now replenish this lithium ion bank and make it make sense. Also, what I found is they’re putting out so much that while the vessel’s running, running air conditioning, all the appliances and everything in, say, a 41 foot carbon boat, our valve there was zero draw on the back. There was no usage. So the battery really comes into play when you’re on the hook. So when you anchor off and you say that you want to, you know, spend the day or overnight, be able to run the air conditioning, you know, you can run our air conditioning system off of that battery bank for around 13 hours straight and start the engines and be able to recharge that lithium ion bank fully within 3 to 4 hours because of the output that the engines now put out. We’re at a point because upward power has that kind of output that it makes sense and it works. So we’re we’re going to be getting into problems eventually, you know, being able to have bigger drops like, say, a gyro that’s not a DC gyro. You know, when you start getting into gyros of size, you know, five and six seat keeper, you know, there’s there’s quite a bit of pull, but we’re working on that, too.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:17:49] The battery technology is quite an interesting topic and a lot of the innovations that have come to the automotive industry are slowly starting to make their way over to boating. Yet the difficulties we face in boating are just unique. Requires a lot of problem solving.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:18:06] Yeah, I think the other thing that I’ve seen from a technology standpoint is joystick control for outboards. You know, when I look at entry level boats from years past, it was always for intrepid 30 and 32 feet. You know, that was something that was pretty much standard. Now it’s 40 feet and I think it’s 40 feet because, you know, running a boat now is so much less intimidating than it used to be before. You know, you can now dock, which is the hardest thing to do when it comes to boarding. Besides being able to navigate properly and understand the rules of the ocean is the docking aspect of it. And now when you can actually push a button and drive your boat almost like a video game and be able to put it over to the side, it’s really giving the confidence to customers to be able to, you know, start off with a larger boat and not have to do that stepping stone kind of series of purchases and being able to jump right into 40 feet right off the bat.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:19:01] Have you noticed any major changes in customer demographics or what people are looking for during your years in the business?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:19:09] For us, not really. I mean, it’s funny, we have everybody that comes to us has something in mind. You know, they have an idea what they want. Not everybody. I mean, there’s a small percentage who say, I don’t know what I want, but I heard you guys build the best and, you know, help me through this, which we’re glad to do. But a lot of our customers have past experience. And I think watching, you know, having them come to us and be able to speak out about the way that they want it is something that they still do today. We were able to give them something that a lot of other manufacturers don’t want to do because depending on the level of customization, it really shuts down your production line, you know, because efficiency comes from doing the same thing over and over and over again when somebody says, okay, now I want to take this instead of you putting it here all the time, now we want you to put it over here. It changes everything and everybody has to start thinking again. And that’s something that we’ve gotten really good at because we don’t know any better because that’s all we’ve ever done. And I think watching the demographic for us, it’s the person that wants something that’s not off the shelf. They want something that’s made for them the way they want it. They want to lay their dash out, you know, whether they want to put their trim tabs on the port side or the starboard side of the helm or the bow thruster control, because their last boat was that way. You know, we can do that for very easily.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:20:24] I’m interested on your thoughts on sailboats.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:20:27] I have not at all. If you. Because I’m not educated with sailboats. I’m a powerboat guy. I’m a it seemed like everybody asked, When are you going to make catamaran? You know, I’m just I’m not a catamaran guy. I’m a V bottom guy. I’m a power guy. When you look at my car collection, I’ve got a 900 horsepower TR x truck, and I’ve got a Corvette and a g-wagon with a VA and a 392 hemi wrangler. And, you know, I’m all about power, and it’s just a thing that I like to do. So with sailboats, it’s it hasn’t attracted.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:21:00] Well, the one thing that you were missing from that list was the goatee as well.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:21:04] Oh, yeah, right. The Fu Manchu.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:21:06] Yeah, Fu Manchu.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:21:08] Yeah.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:21:09] So you’re a bit of a celebrity, right? So there’s the intrepid brand, and then there’s also you. And I’ve seen a lot of your photos. They’re very inspirational. Can you talk a little bit more on kind of some inspirational things that you wake up in the morning thinking?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:21:26] Well, I don’t know if I’m a movie star or anything, but one of the things that I started doing was during the pandemic, it was pretty bleak. You know, I remember in March when the pandemic first started trying to figure out how I was going to keep my company and in fighting to keep it open. And there was such negativity in the news every day, you know, everybody was going home, stripping down in their garages and showering in their house when they walked through the door and wiping their groceries down one item at a time. And it was a scary time. And and I was so sick of hearing all the negative news that I started doing this thing where it was just it wasn’t playing. But I started making these inspirational shirts with messages on them. And I would do this Saturday morning updated the fact and I would. Couple of times it was just random. And then I had such positive feedback from people seeing the messages on my shirt that I said, You know what? This is becoming a thing, you know, and it’s positive and it’s good for everybody. So I just started coming up with different sayings and different things that are positive and posting them and putting them on my shirt. And it really touched a lot of people. I get lots of direct messages to this day on my posts about great message, great shirt, keep up the positivity and that means a lot to me, You know, to be blessed to be in a position where people actually pay attention to what I post. I think it’s important that you post responsibly and I think if you’re able to touch people’s lives and make them better, you should take advantage of that.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:22:51] Yeah. How important has social media been for you from like a business point of view? How important is it for building the brand?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:22:58] I’ll tell you, it’s become very important and I think mainly because they can see behind the scenes what I’m really doing. You know, both buildings just mystery. And I realized that when I would have conversations with customers and they would say, Have you poured my boat yet in the mail, you don’t pour about. It’s laid up resin and cloth and infused and, you know, and there were always these comments that were so far off or I would go to a forum for people in that like boating and I would watch all of this disinformation. I mean, some of the things that I would read, I’d be like, Oh my God, this couldn’t be more wrong. I decided that, you know what? Let me let me share my knowledge. Kind of like The Wizard of Oz and being able to let them look behind the curtain and see who the wizard really is. You know, it isn’t a mystery. And a lot of people say, are you afraid you share so many of your secrets that other people will copy of the fun part about what we do or financially, it’s not so fun, but what we do is so costly. The only reason that we can afford to add all these man hours and materials that we do these crazy things that we do because we don’t have a dealership network. So there’s not that normal margin room that you need to markup a book, you know, and a lot of times you have to market, but you know, a dealer will market up 20, 25%. Why take that money? And I put it right into the boat, which allows us to do some really cool stuff.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:24:20] So you’ve been through the industry long enough that you’ve seen some ups and downs. So how do you adapt to changing times?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:24:29] Well, you know, I remember the whole reason why I ended up at Intrepid Powerboats was in the late eighties. There was a luxury tax. It hit and it destroyed. Our industry was based on all new boats. So everybody said, We’ll buy used boats, we will buy new boats anymore. And it literally closed boat companies all over the country. I ended up losing my job because of it and ended up with starting with Intrepid. There was the recession in 2008, which was huge. Watching these ups and downs. One of the things that I noticed was having that backlog. You know, customers get upset when you tell them, you know, you’re going to have to wait a year to a year and a half. But it does a couple different things. One protects the resale value because when somebody goes to sell their used Intrepid, they’re going to get top dollar for it because the person can have it the next day versus buying a new one and having to wait a year and a half so you can kind of command a better price for your boat. And I’ve actually had customers call me and laugh and say that they did better on their intrepid sale than they did their mutual funds, you know, in some. That’s not a high bar today, but it’s not only resale value, but being able to protect the company and the employees of the company with having that backlog. I remember in 2008 I had $107 million backlog and within six months it was a $29 million backlog. I also remember that other people were saying that the fact that I even said the word backlog in 2008, but we actually had one was sinful because nobody was building boats. You know, all factories were shut down everywhere. And I was still blessed to have a backlog. But that’s really what protected us. And we’re not only does it protect the employees, but everybody that out there that owns an Intrepid that expects their warranty to be there, you know, the company has to be there. It has to be strong enough to be able to cover those warranties. So, you know, having that backlog is really important when you work in a very cyclical industry. You know, and I remind my team all the time, not I don’t want to scare them, but in the same token, you know, we build something that nobody needs. Nobody needs one of our boats. It’s not like a car. They have to go back and forth to work or a house to live in. It’s a luxury item. So it’s important that if you’re going to build a luxury item in a cyclical industry, that you’re the best. Because in a down economy, the only people that have money are the ones that, you know, the 1% that can afford to still buy your boat. And guess what? They’re only going to buy the best. So it’s important that we make sure that we stay number one and we are the best.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:26:58] Absolutely. I think what you’re saying about it being a luxury item and no one really needing it to be honest rings very true with May, given my background in Superyachts that one could potentially make that argument quite clearly. And I think yeah, as you’re saying, it’s a it can be a very feel like a very uncertain time at the moment. So any other things that you do as a company to ensure that your employees, you know, feel valued and feel like a sense of purpose working in your business?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:27:29] Yeah, I think one of the things that’s important is everybody has a say in how we run the company and their opinions. Everybody’s opinion has value. You know, one of the things I’m really proud of is I tell this that every employee that comes through the door is I have an open door policy and I tell them my office down on the bottom floor over in the corner, you don’t need an appointment to see me. I don’t have an assistant that you have to talk to to set up a meeting. You just pop your head in my office. If you don’t see me on the floor and say, Hey, Ken, you got 5 minutes, I think that goes a long way. You know, usually presidents of most companies are this mysterious figure that once in a while blesses the floor with their presence when, you know, I’m proud to say I’m the be the first one to tell you that I’m a boat builder before I’m a president. And and I see that with my chest beating craftsperson in this day and age means a lot. There’s a lot of people nowadays that don’t know how to do anything with their heads and have no interest in learning how. And I encourage people here all the time to, you know, to learn that craft. You know, I remember hearing in meetings when I was on the NRMA about, you know, other manufacturers figuring out ways to almost dumbed down boat building and making it more of an assembly process because it’s the type of labor that’s out there. And I’ll be honest, you I think that’s you know, you have to create craftspeople and I’m never, ever going to stop creating craftspeople. And, you know, one of the things that I did when I built a new headquarters office, you know, we worked out of a double wide trailer 25 years, and I finally built a nicer office. And I think the most important room in that whole building is the classroom. I literally have a classroom set up and this, you know, to be able to teach and educate and for us to meet as a group and have good communication. And I think those things are just so important in this day and age.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:29:12] That brings up a pretty good point. So you started at the floor and you’ve, through the course of your career, become president. So obviously you know how to communicate from all the way from the floor to dealing with other manufacturers and other people in the industry. Do you have any tips on communication?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:29:31] Yeah, you can’t communicate enough. Matter of fact, if you saw what I do with a basic shop order, you know, we have a build order that, you know, we literally I’ve got one here on my desk. We have a build order that every one of those blue checkmarks that and this goes to copy, this goes to every supervisor and it goes on the boat. It’s kind of like the recipe for the chef when we’re building a boat. That’s all my writing. Those are my notes. Every little note that you see on there is mine. I do that on every single vote that we build. Not only do I do that, I do a list of questions for the salesperson to make sure there’s no discrepancies on the shop order. If I see something that is a little bit different and then I do what’s called a heads up email at the very end that not only does the shop owner tell you what to do, I break it down to the boat builder language and I say, you know, 99% of the boats that I do have a balance master. Maybe this one particular person said he didn’t want one. So right off the bat, I’ll do a note. Do not cut a hole in the hull about the threads. Because I know what it’s like to be on automatic on the floor and know that every book you’ve grabbed it, splashed you, mark the hole and you go at it, you know, and expose you. When it’s 99% of the time every vote gets. So having that advantage of knowing how the law works and being able to communicate that in a way to people that, you know, they understand what I’m saying because I’m one of them and I can speak their language. And that communication is is huge. So you’re able to communicate with the sales team, with the crafts people on the floor, with the lead people is crucial in this day and age.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:31:06] One of the things that you have obviously heard and circulates throughout the marine industry is the lack of youth really coming into it. Can you speak on that topic a little bit?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:31:16] Yeah, a matter of fact, I just got back from Manatee Technical College where I spoke to all the students. They have a marine division down there that they’re teaching people how to be crafts people. And I spent the day going through the facility and speaking to their class. And they’re obviously young men and women and they’re, you know, anywhere from just out of high school. So they’re like 18, 19, all the way up. I saw people in their forties there, and I think the biggest message that I set to it, most of them were younger kids, was, you know, first of all, what a blessing to see people that wanted to learn how to use tools, you know? And I told them, and I don’t ever mean to poo poo college, so take me with a grain of salt, but also understand that, you know, not everybody in the world can be a computer programmer. You know, not everybody’s going to be able to only work from a laptop from their home. So with the majority of those people wanting that, those who learn a craft will own the planet someday. And I said, you’re going to be worth your weight. God bless you. Remember what I’m saying here today? And you write it down and you watch and you tell me if I’m not correct years from now, because nobody’s going down the path of being a craftsperson and those who know how to use their hands and build things and fix things will rule the planet for sure.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:32:33] I was talking with this boarding school president at one point and he was telling me that is the future lawyers and doctors and all of that are the blue collar workers.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:32:44] Yeah, Yeah, 100%. Yeah. You’re going to see that. It’s such a minority to know how to fix things and build things that the demand is going to be through the roof. So for those that are taking that path, yeah, they’re, they’re going to win at the end of the day.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:32:59] So one of the things that’s obviously brought up, especially when it talks about bringing youth into the industry, is really trying to create a open type of workplace in which people do have the ability to move up in their career. How does Intrepid handle careers?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:33:17] Sure. One thing that’s really cool is because I’ve come up from the lowest position to the top. Position is I owe that same opportunity to every person on that floor. Because if people before me didn’t believe in me and allow me to take those steps, I wouldn’t be here today. So I owe that to them as well. So we give every person here an opportunity to grow. We educate them. We do a lot of mentoring. We actually have a mentoring program here to be able to mentor people, to make sure that we’re teaching them the craft the right way. And for the few that want to rise up and want to learn how to manage, we work with them. We take them through the different steps and there’s always so much room to grow here. You know, I’m actually looking at building another factory to do larger boats on the water. Literally ten or 15 minutes from here where this factory will continue to run. But the larger boats, ones that are harder to transport, we’re going to be on the water. And I literally need a mirror image, this entire facility with more lead people and more supervisors. And, you know, there’s so many opportunities, you know, and it starts with being able to have people that come to work every day that are dependable, that can lead by example, can learn well, because you don’t need to know everything when you come here. You know, I joke all the time and I go, you know what, before I know how to go, but I didn’t know how to build boats, you know? And everything I learned was on the job and being able to give people that same education that I got is huge. And so we work really hard to promote from within, especially because we do things so different than everybody else. You know, every once in a while we’ll be stuck and we’ll bring somebody from the outside in and they’re so lost, you know, because we do things so much differently. So we always try to make sure that we promote from within. That way they’re going to lead in a way that reflects the brand, the culture and the quality we expect.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:35:06] So with all this talk of young people, what is your hope for intrepid powerboat sort of in ten, 20 years time? What’s your vision for the company.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:35:15] World Domination.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:35:17] Unit You had at just.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:35:20] Two thirds of the weight of silver Silverton water and I want it. So I think the biggest thing is being able to continue to grow in a controlled environment, not chaotic. Being able to do so without compromising quality, which is first and foremost, and just to be able to deliver vessels that other manufacturers would rather not deliver, which is semi-custom because it is such a cumbersome way to build boats. I would love to be able to continue to expand that, to allow more and more people to build what they want instead of by what’s out there.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:35:53] Seems like you do a ton of work, obviously keeping intrepid going, going to schools, going to both shows. What do you do for fun?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:36:02] Ride My Heart. I love my Harley. I love my cars. You know, I eat, sleep, drink, dream about boats. So when I have some time off, I love to just jump on my Harley. And that’s kind of like Zen when I get to just feel the wind on my face.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:36:18] What type of boat do you have?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:36:19] I have 20 intrepid’s in a building right now that I could go see trial any time.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:36:25] And that’s one of the advantages, I guess, of being president, right?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:36:30] Yeah. There’s an old saying. The shoemaker’s children have no shoes. It’s kind of like that.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:36:35] Yeah. And where would you go in the world if you could go anywhere on a boat?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:36:39] Oh, Bora.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:36:41] Yeah, Yeah.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:36:42] You know, it’s a place that I have yet to personally go that I continue to look at and look at the beautiful water and the surroundings and to be able to be on an intrepid my dream boat in a dream like environment would be pretty cool. Never say never.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:36:58] Well, it was awesome to get the chance to speak with you and hear the story of Intrepid and yourself. So thank you for coming on to the show. Where can people find you and read more about Intrepid or see any of your videos?

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:37:12] Sure. First of all, our website is Intrepid Powerboats dot com. If you go on to Instagram, it’s Ken, the boat builder. Really easy to find. Facebook can Clinton and Lake then is my other big one. Once again, Ken Clinton, president of Intrepid. Those are all big platforms where I post on all three and you can get to see all the videos that I put up and lots of stuff about how we build boats and updates and new product and just trying to keep everybody in the loop of what’s going on here at the factory.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Merrill [00:37:41] Awesome. Well, thank you for coming.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:37:44] Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Georgia [00:37:45] Thank you.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Ken [00:37:46] Can take care.

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                Farah [00:37:58] Check back every Tuesday for our latest episode and be sure to like, share and subscribe to ship shaped up for.

                                                                                                 

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