Factory Tour + Demos... any questions??

[IXFE]

It was a crazy day and it flew by way too fast.  Already looking forward to my next visit.  This thread was super helpful.  While I couldn't get every question answered, I learned a bunch!

On April 13, 2016 at 0:09 PM, ahopkinsTXi said:

They won't tell you, but what are the changes that are planned for the 2017 TXi?

Believe it or not, I actually asked this question.  The tour guide said he didn't know, but he had heard the rumors.  I saw three TXI's in production and was told they still build 2-3 each week.

 

On April 13, 2016 at 5:17 PM, Slurpee said:

See if my Reuben hulled VLX is still sitting wrapped waiting for a truck to bring it to TX. White Trailer. 

Questions.... Is the whole boat waxed before it leaves including the bottom?  Do they use a laser projection on the molds for taping references during prep?  What is their personal favorite for ugliest boat this year?

I didn't see your boat.  My guess is that it was up at the trailer facility (just up the street).  We didn't tour that area, but it's where the boats go to be mated up with the trailer and put on the truck for shipping.  

I also asked about the wax, but did not get a definitive answer.  My guess is no... seems to be more of a dealer prep type of thing.  But I'd wax your new boat again just to be double sure.  Or put two coats on just to be triple sure! 

I didn't ask about ugliest boat... but I did ask lots of random people what their favorite boat is.  I was surprised to hear 25 LSV over and over again.  

Speaking of the 25 LSV, they are killing it with this boat.  The best year they ever had with the 247 was 250 boats.  That was their goal for the 25 LSV also, but Richie Anderson told me they are on track to build 400!!  That blows my mind.  

Another volume tidbit... they build twenty-five M235's in the month of March alone.  They believe they will conservatively hit 200 in the first 12 months 

 

On April 14, 2016 at 0:37 AM, DarkSide said:

IXFE,

Pay attention also to gel spraying.  if you get the chance watch them touch up the cut lines right after spray.  Those guys are artists! 

 

Indeed, I did see one of the painters bent over the mold touching up by hand.  

Some fun facts about color ... The gel coat guys start at 5am.  They do that so they can knock out four boats before the lamination folks get in.  That way they have boats ready to laminate.  

85% of the boats are sprayed with some sort of metal flake.  I saw lots of purple flake, yellow flake, and brown flake in factory.  Oddly enough I did not see any green flake.  I asked the tour guide about that; he said it was BIG in 2013 and 2014, but has largely died down.  

 

 

Edited April 19, 2016 by IXFE

[IXFE]

On 4/13/2016 at 4:20 PM, mikeo said:

here's a few thoughts based on my tour last year at this time:

Don't try to drive across Kimbery Way, it would take you through the Kimberly Clark plant and the security guards won't let you in. Go to the back of the business park off of Lee Hwy/11 to get in. Watch out for the turn at Sugarlimb & Lee Hwy, there was a police station or something right there and there was a cop who was closely watching the intersection.

The guys we talk to in support are in a building away from the "action" of the factory floor; since they're the ones we talk to, stop by and introduce yourself. Tech support/customer service is in the second building on Jamie Dr. before you get to the main gate (right inside the business park)

Watch the process of removing a hull from the mold if you haven't seen it before; take a mallet if/when offered, you'll never bang on a boat like that again in your life.

Ask the employees to take pictures with your camera/phone during the tour. They ask you not to take pictures since there is stuff going on that hasn't been released, but they know what/where it is so they can keep it out of the pictures.

Ask to meet the engineers, they're in the factory and may have some good info/stories.

Try to make a contact in the upholstery area; it seems to be a recurring theme that people are looking for skins and they may have some good ideas of people who can do good work. Speaking of skins, see if you can find out what's the plan for the new materials. I've haven't much (if anything) good about the upholstery materials used in '16. I even heard a rumor that Mastercraft used the same material a few years ago and went back to the "original" material because it was impossible to keep clean.

Ask about the copious amounts of electrical tape used on the wiring harness near the battery cables. I foresee this becoming a huge mess that needs to be cleaned up in a few years; why aren't they using heat shrink?

With the massive amounts of stuff being put on towers, what are the current tower gas shock/spring ratings? are these going up?

Are there any plans to offer options for filters on the ballast filling pump lines?

Apex Canvas/Commercial Sewing is in the same business park, walking distance from the tech/customer support building. Depending on bimini you ordered, it may be coming from Apex/CS.

OJ Props is right there too, but they claimed not to offer public tours when I called them to try to arrange something. You may want to try dropping in and see what they say.

If you have time, it's a bit of a drive, but try to make it to Oak Ridge and visit PTM to see how the G4 tower is built along with the clamping racks. They don't do anything with mirrors in Oak Ridge, but the aluminum machine shop is very impressive.

That's all I can think of right now...

They changed the entrance to the factory so you don't have to go through Kimberly Clark anymore.  The rode we came in took us directly past the new trailer facility up the hill and then down into the main parking lot.  I didn't see any cops 

Our tour was only 1.5 hours long and we stayed at the main factory.  There was no time to go see the trailer building or customer service.  

The only engineer I met walking through the factory was Rachel Green.  I said hi and introduced myself, but didn't get a chance to tell her how much I hate the RF components they put in the boats.  Like everybody else, she was incredibly welcoming.  

We did watch as they pulled a boat from the mold.  I learned that they glass in thick straps so they can pull it out.  And the hammer... they only hit in areas where they know they are going to cut that fiberglass out (e.g. holes in the top deck).  

As you walk into the factory, the first thing you see is the on the left are laser cutters carving up large sheets of black starboard plastic.  I had never thought about it until that moment, but our boats have a ton of that stuff.  It's like the ground beef at Taco Bell... the one ingredient used throughout every menu item.  

No contacts in the upholstery shop... but we spent a good amount of time walking through there.  They go through a lot of staples in that place! There are two layers of foam under the vinyl with different densities.  The vinyl itself is also backed by a third 1/4" layer of foam.  While all the upholstery jobs looked challenging, wrapping the dash looked particularly challenging.  I asked about getting old skins and was told that they keep the patterns for 10 years and have all the old vinyl (some colors may be hit and miss).  I was told you could just call the factory for new skins.  Can that be true?  I mean, if it's true, why all the fuss about aftermarket skins?  

As we got to the back of the upholstery shop, I noticed a bunch of sub boxes mounted to kick panels (no carpet yet).  We'd been on the tour for almost 30 minutes and I took this opportunity to share my opinion of the sub box.  I told the guide it wasn't very good.  He just went silent and looked at me innocently, as if to say "what do you mean?  everything we make here is awesome."  I showed him large gaps in the seems of the box to make my point.  He remained stoic.  At that point I decided I was going to be very careful with any more feedback.  I was a guess in their home afterall, and it occurred to me there's a lot more "right" than "wrong" with that place.  So I held back asking about the new vinyl and I certainly wasn't about to nit pick electrical tap.  

I will say... it seems odd to me that OJ is 200 yards away but they source props from ACME. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

1 hour ago, IXFE said:

It was a crazy day and it flew by way too fast.  Already looking forward to my next visit.  This thread was super helpful.  While I couldn't get every question answered, I learned a bunch!

Believe it or not, I actually asked this question.  The tour guide said he didn't know, but he had heard the rumors.  I saw three TXI's in production and was told they still build 2-3 each week.

 

...

 

 

Cool, thanks for asking! I have heard rumors too. I am fairly certain it is coming, I am just curious to know what the changes are. I am surprised to hear they build 2-3 a week though. Happy to hear that as well though! Although the promo boats have flooded the market and anyone that has a 2-4 year old boat is really taking a bath right now.