Started in the Marine industry in March of 1995, just after my 21st birthday. Job involved rigging brand new Astro bass boats with Mercury V6 engines. Also did repair and maintenance on boats at a marina in Cohoes NY.
From there started to work for a huge, high-volume dealership. Started factory training there, becoming certified in Mercruiser, Mercury, Mariner, Force outboards, as well as Kawasaki Jet Skis, and Ski-doo snowmobiles. The dealership had around 12 full line boats, as well as Jet Skis and Ski-doo snowmobiles. A very high-paced and busy dealership, delivering around 200-300 new boats a year. At only 23 I became one of the “go-to” people for advice and help with issues.
Moved to Florida and worked at a marina, in St Petersburg. Marina was right on the water a few miles north of the Sunshine Skyway bridge. The Marina had quite a few wet slips, as well as dry dockage. Monterey, Sea Pro, Crownline and Aqua Sport were a few of the brand-new boats sold there. Received training now in Volvo, Suzuki, OMC (BRP) outboards, and Yamaha. Dealt first hand with salt water issues, and what it means to not have a break down. Customer satisfaction was a top priority here. Now at 26 I had become a shop supervisor, as well as the top Technician there.
Still in Florida I was interviewed by the owner of custom boat and race boat manufacturer. The owner was building a brand-new facility with manufacturing and service at one location but would be in touch when it was ready. A year later I was hired and was hand-picked for the job. We were the first in history to be allowed to have a service department on the same grounds as where the boats were made. I worked alongside the entire plant and became familiar with every aspect of boat manufacturing and would assist in every way possible. Also became involved in the design changes made to the process. Besides Mercury race outboards and inboards, we also installed, maintained, and repaired Ilmor Dodge Viper V10 engines, as well as Teague outdrives. Assisted the owner on a lot of fronts. Attention to detail on all of these high-performance boats was mandatory, and all the employees there were all hand-picked by the owner, and all were professionals with impressive backgrounds. We were featured in many magazines, and we were used in many of Mercury's brochures and catalogs.
Back in NY I spent most of my time on Saratoga Lake. More of the same, high-volume dealerships and now also dealing with Honda and Suzuki engines. Was the top Technician, the warranty department, the parts department, part time sales, and the Service manager for many years.
In 2020, became involved with Thompsons Marina on Sacandaga lake. As of 2024, this will be my 29th year in the Marine Industry, and look forward to making Pluchinos a great place to service your boating needs!