See full version: The Time Four Guys Named Winn Decided to Start a Business
In 1987, OMC Boat Group purchased Four Winns. By then, it had already gobbled up 10 other companies. Three of the four Winns left, but John Winn stayed on for another seven years. He was put in charge of Four Winns and the 10 other boat companies OMC already had in its portfolio.
Winn recruited the chef from the local country club to help him set up the cafeteria, and he bought all of the kitchen equipment at an auction. When it came time to launch, the country club chef, Norm Potter, asked if he could run it, Winn said. [links]
And that’s how the Winns ended up with their own boat company.
That’s how Four Winns became the third largest boat company in the country. Winn said that for years in the early ’80s, there was always a construction zone working somewhere around their Cadillac headquarters, adding a building here or there. Soon, between Cadillac and Texas, Four Winns was building 65 boats a day. here
Life was much the same for the other brothers. here
The Four Winns cafeteria came about after John Winn watched an episode of 60 Minutes that featured a successful, innovative company that ran its own cafeteria. Winn called the president of that company and asked him how it worked. He said the man said that, first and foremost, the cafeteria should not be free, because if it is, employees won’t appreciate it. [links]
i am for sure # 2 except for the pool part. i just love fishing with people. dont get me wrong, i can get fustrated with the first timer. i get to the boat 2 hours early to get my spot, and i dont get it all the time. i just really hate the guy who comes 5 minutes before the boat is going to leave, and sets up right next to you with no respect to your space and belongings. but overall even that keeps me coming back. i just love the tug on the rod and reeling up to see that you have a very nice fish on your line. like i said i love fishing. [links]
With dozens of anglers standing shoulder to shoulder to shoulder and dropping baits 50, 100 or even 200 feet down, it’s remarkable that any rigs make it to the surface untangled. Even the most seasoned anglers end up “weaving a basket” from time to time, but there always seems to be one angler at the center of every rat’s nest. If you find yourself next to Sir Tangle-Lots, wish him well, and move to the other side of the boat. If that’s not an option, be thankful that party boat mates are well practiced in untangling the untangle-able.
JB you the man! Gotbtonfisk MTK next year. Last year at Gurneys has got to be the charm. [links]
2)Mr.ICast:
This is the guy who has the latest and greatest gear.This is the guy who has a custom $500 rod,matched with a Van Stall,high end lever drag or a Shimano trinidad.He utilizes all the tricks and techniques he learns around the web,utilizing the latest and greatest lures and other do-dads(usually the guy who comes aboard with a Yeti cooler or equivalent) .He sometimes catches fish but is outfished most of the time by the frequent flier or the old guy.
Whether it’s a nighttime bluefish trip departing at 7 p.m. or a morning fluke trip departing at 8 a.m., the Party Animal cracks his first beer before the boat leaves. He’s a great guy to hang with on the ride out, but he may not be the best person to sidle up to at the rail (See #1). In some extreme cases, he may also play the role of the next party boat angler.
I'm looking at potentially asking a close friend to co-own the boat with me. IF you have done this personally, has it affected the relationship at all. What percentage of the time do you take the boat out together vs separately with your own families. Is there a schedule involved?
I am not saying it wouldn't work out for everyone, but it made things uncomfortable at times and annoyed me at others. I would rather just do my own thing on my schedule, when I want, how I want and be responsible for my own decisions.
I have co-owned several things, but not a boat. A second home, ATV's, Snowmobiles, etc. It never really worked out well. I mean it was ok, but then there were scheduling conflicts and some of the other parties friends didn't treat things the way that I would treat them and wanted them treated. I do have a bit of OCD when it comes to my things and care for them very well. I didn't need to co-own for my own financial reasons, but for the the individuals I co-owned with for theirs. Figured it would be cool and give me an opportunity that I wouldn't have otherwise done, such as Snowmobiles.
Blake Jamieson grew up on boats. As a child and into his teens, he was lulled to sleep by lapping waves against the hull of his parents’ sportfisherman. They’d cruise along the remarkable coastline near their home in Vancouver and into the waters just south of Alaska, digging clams one day, diving the next. When Blake was older, as a student at the University of British Columbia, he spent summers working with the Coast Guard doing search and rescue. When he had a few days off, he’d meet his parents on their boat in the rugged wilderness of Desolation Sound, where they’d swim in some of the warmest waters in the region, kayak, fish and kick back. Blake’s parents would say of their son that the ocean was ingrained in him. As for Blake, he’d contend that when you live in this part of the world, “you get the mountains and the water in your bones.”
Blake’s dream boat would need a dream team to put it together, so Bob reached out to a few pros he knew could make it all happen: electrician Al Morgan, fabricator Greg Sharpe, mechanic Cyrus Sayeghan and Loum-N-Vu, who did fiberglass work. Bob was 65 when the project got underway, and his experts—“the guys,” as Blake called them—were close to his age. To get a rise out of his dad, Blake would jokingly compare the crew to the characters in Red, a movie about a CIA agent who brings his former colleagues out of retirement for a special assignment. When Bob asked the men to help out on the Bertram, he anticipated it might take a year. It took four. But as Bob and Blake would discover, the guys brought their A-game everyday.
They looked long and hard, and after a couple of months the Jamiesons found their boat: a 1970 Bertram 38 Widebody with a 14-foot 6-inch beam and just an 8 inch difference between the cockpit and cabin. Of course, the 44-year-old boat had some serious issues and it would need a ton of work, but it had the features Blake wanted most, plus a solid reputation. “If you’re going to restore a boat, it might as well be a Bertram, because the hull is so good,” says Blake. “This boat is built like a tank, and I knew it would make me feel comfortable and confident cruising up and down the coast.”