Thank you from Porthole

[fergie]

Over the last three days I have recieved encouraging e-mails, phone calls, and was directed to the kind words being written on this board. Thank You!!! We certainly needed the smiles they brought. I love this sport and love its people and hope after the dust settles we will still be a part of it. I would love to update you all but don't want to abuse this board as a platform for my business. If the moderator approves I will give a complete up to date report.

[Pez7378]

Welcome to the Board Mike. Word travels fast around here. Keep your head up, and I'm sure things will work out. We're all pulling for you and the Mark V.

[Ken G]

Mike,
I just was on the Mark V last Friday and had an amazing time. Thanks. I was sad to hear of the issues your having with the boat. I hope everything works out for you as I cant wait to dive your boat again. Keep us posted!

Ken G

[Joshua Smith]

Over the last three days I have recieved encouraging e-mails, phone calls, and was directed to the kind words being written on this board. Thank You!!! We certainly needed the smiles they brought. I love this sport and love its people and hope after the dust settles we will still be a part of it. I would love to update you all but don't want to abuse this board as a platform for my business. If the moderator approves I will give a complete up to date report.

No, this is more like news than advertising. If you were trying to fill seats on your boats, we'd have to talk about running an ad, but you're just a new member of the board who happens to run a charter business; please do keep us informed, and welcome to the board!

[Burntchef]

last friday was blast!! thanks for the trip and hopefully we will be out over the diamond knot next week,
. best of luck

[Jan K]

Thank YOU Porthole, even I had the pleasure to dive from the MarkV.
Great diving platform, great crew...
Hope all will work out for you. Best wishes from Whidbey Island...

[LCF]

Mike, a lot of us have had the pleasure of doing dives off the Dash in the past, and a lot of us were very excited to tour the new boat at the boat show. I know the boat has been a hot topic of discussion, and again, a lot of us have talked about the Friday night trips, and about Neah Bay charters. The excitement has been widespread; it's an awfully nice boat, and I think I speak for a lot of us in saying that we have nothing but hope that everything will be sorted out for you (and, incidentally for US!)

I don't think the adminstration of this board would be unhappy were you to keep us posted about what's going on. A really first-class charter boat in the sound is something we're all interested in.

[fergie]

So the story, as told in pieces already, is that the Mark V is back in dry dock again. We have been suffering through many issues since our first weekend of operation. Some small, such as heaters not functioning, then some more major such as compressor/nitrox operation or lack of operation, and boat not able to plane with customers. The manufacturer, who is Armstrong Marine in Port Angeles, has made unsuccessful efforts to fix the issues until recently. The latest issue happened during an attempted Marker Bouy Dive Club charter.
To set the stage for better understanding I need to explain part of our procedures. Before a charter captain and crew arrive 1.5 hours before departure (most of the time) this allows us to check all motors, run compressor, etc. and by the time customers are arriving the engines are running and ready to go. Once on the charter, the enginges stay running and are then turned off after the customers have exited the boat. So now with that said. On the date of Marker Bouys charter we had already ran a morning charter. There was a 2-3 hour wait between dives. I turned the engines off. As customers started arriving and were mostly loaded, I deemed it time to warm up the engines as departure time approached. This attempt failed. I believed it to be another battery problem as we have been having simular issues, however; the normal fixes were not working. Serveral customers and crew worked at fixing the problem for 2 more hours until reality hit that no more diving was happening off the Mark V today. The divers quickly diverted there efforts in finding the nearest watering hole. A couple divers remained and called in a favor from a friend who happens to know boats and electrical issues. He arrived and found many unacceptable installation issues and then corrected them bringing the power issue to a close but then finding a bigger more sinister installation error.
The 2 new volvo penta D6 330HP motors were full of water. This water entered through the exhaust and back fed into the motors with the load of divers on deck. The reason this hadn't shown up prior is because the motors have always been running and that prevented the water from entering the motors. The manufacture was called but never responded to investigate the issue but was quick to blame Volvo. My insurance company sent out a surveyor as well as volvo who provided a mechanic and what was found was that the exhaust was only 4 inches above water line empty ( code is 12 inches under loaded conditions according to volvo) so when divers came onboard the waterline was higher than the exhaust port allowing sea water to enter the motors. Thats bad for the not so mechanically inclined.
So what now? The motors were able to be started after being flushed and injectors cleared. New exhaust risers are being custom made for the engines to prevent future repeat episodes. Armstrong Marine has stopped talking with us and has refused to make payment to vendors hired to fix compressor and hydraulics. There are many issues not being mentioned but the facts are we have had to cancel now 4 weekends of charters in just 3 months of operation for simular manufacture issues, they are not taking responability. Our resources are depleated and we have hired an attorney to look at the contract and advise us in what direction we can take with priority being staying in business. This road will be tough but I am encouraged by you support.
I will keep this post updated as new info is learned. Thanks again from Porthole!

[John Rawlings]

Wow....that's a tough fight brewing!

We all are confident that you and Porthole will end up standing tall when the dust all settles and that we can look forward to many more years of great diving with you!

- John

[overandunderwater]

I know that my friends and I are going to support you in your time of need. The exhaust issue sounds to me like a nail in the coffin for Armstrong but I'm not the most legal savvy guy out there. My club is planning a trip with you in July to Neah Bay, sounds like you have a temp fix in place that should at least last the season. We'd be more than happy to charter Dash on a more regular basis to help fill the coiffures.

[jackieg]

Thanks, Mike, for sharing what I know is a frustrating story for you! Please keep us posted and we are all anxious for you to get back on the water!

Jackieg (the spy and part time USCG inspectoress)

[nwscubamom]

Hi Mike! I had no idea...guess I've been out of the loop for a few weeks here. You must be tearing your hair out at this point - here's hoping you're able to get well-qualified help to iron out the mess and get up and running doing what you love.

- Janna

[CaptnJack]

Damn that sounds bad. Sorry about the agony.

The 12" above WL rule, is that something specific for USCG inspected vessels? That's not an AYBC guideline to my knowledge. Do you have in-line mufflers or lift mufflers?

Richard

[fergie]

Just what was told to me by Volvo. My exhaust is directly through the outdrive, no muffler.

[fergie]

I know that my friends and I are going to support you in your time of need. The exhaust issue sounds to me like a nail in the coffin for Armstrong but I'm not the most legal savvy guy out there. My club is planning a trip with you in July to Neah Bay, sounds like you have a temp fix in place that should at least last the season. We'd be more than happy to charter Dash on a more regular basis to help fill the coiffures.

The nail in the coffin thing is relative. It may never get to a judge. It is a money game they are playing and they are hoping to outlast us. Our attorney will have a game plan here soon but if we can't afford to defend or present our case it may never get heard and in the end Armstrong may win or be let off the hook.

[fergie]

Hi Mike! I had no idea...guess I've been out of the loop for a few weeks here. You must be tearing your hair out at this point - here's hoping you're able to get well-qualified help to iron out the mess and get up and running doing what you love.

- Janna

Well if I had hair to pull out :rr: Thanks for your support.

[girldiver]

I'm looking forward to chartering the Dash on Saturday...and encourage all the other NWDiveClub members to make an effort to do at least one day on the Dash in the upcoming few months.

While Mike has a really cool big boat...it also comes with really cool big payments. This is one of those occasions where the NW divers can show that we can band together and support one of the businesses that allow our ventures into the Emerald Sea.

BTW...the charter that I have on Saturday leaves at 2...and there are still two open spots. There's a couple AOW students...and a couple recreational divers. We'll be hitting China Wall and the wreck of The Boss. Call Mike directly if you'd like to come aboard.

Cindy

(I'm not gaining anything by this...just trying to fill spots out of consideration...) T

[BUZO71]

SO, I know advertising isn't allowed but... could someone get the website for checking charters on Porthole?????

[fergie]

With another weekend approaching, no good news has been delivered. We have had to cancel our weekend at the Diamond Knot yet losing another weekend of income and disrupting the plans of our valued customers and friends. The manufacture hasn't yet responded to a letter sent by our attorney.
We are not out of business yet and we are still seeking to resolve and continue operations if at all possible. As every weekend passes that we are not operating our hope fades. It is out of our control at this time and we are hoping for the Manufacturer to do the right thing and stand behind their product.
I have spoke to many people reguarding this issue and have been candid about the outlook. Please keep it factual and allow these postings to keep you up to date.
The boat should be in the water hopefully by Monday,if the manufacture pays the bill we could be operating again next week.

[bigsky]

just wanted to post a public thank you to mike f.
with the massive problems he is having with the mark v and the
cancellations, lawyers and who knows what else, i am pretty sure
he has a lot on his plate right now. i purchased 4 slots on the
diamond knot charter for 2 days of diving. total bill about $1200.
i just received a phone call from my bank, informing me that
the money was credited back to me. i did not call mike on this,
he took the time to look after his customers and return trip
deposits . i was not worried about it, but thought it might take
awhile with everything he has going on.

Thanks Mike and all the best to you.

now i just need to go to armstong boats and punch somebody
those mother@#$^$*# cost me a wreck dive

[dsteding]

That was incredibly stand-up for Mike to do. I ran into him Friday at Cove 2, really good guy.

Mike, any updates? I hope you are out running a charter as I write this . . .

-Doug

just wanted to post a public thank you to mike f.
with the massive problems he is having with the mark v and the
cancellations, lawyers and who knows what else, i am pretty sure
he has a lot on his plate right now. i purchased 4 slots on the
diamond knot charter for 2 days of diving. total bill about $1200.
i just received a phone call from my bank, informing me that
the money was credited back to me. i did not call mike on this,
he took the time to look after his customers and return trip
deposits . i was not worried about it, but thought it might take
awhile with everything he has going on.

Thanks Mike and all the best to you.

now i just need to go to armstong boats and punch somebody
those mother@#$^$*# cost me a wreck dive

[overandunderwater]

It's official, Mike has canceled Neah Bay for the summer per his website.

[fergie]

Just an update. I have been off line for a while.I am still juggling all that is taking place. Neah Bay is closed for any new charters or unscheduled trips. I am trying to accomadate those who have aleady booked a trip. The problem is that we had booked both boats throughout the summer. The Dash has several obligations on the same weekends as the Neah Bay Trips. I can not cancell one customer to take another. The other problem is the Dash only holds 6 divers. Trips booked to neah bay were full at 14. I can not hadle that with the dash. Thanks to all who have booked with us and remain patient and understanding.

The Mark V problems are nearing a critical time. We have now missed our 2nd payment and the charters the dash are doing only supports itself with the current fuel prices. The bank has sent certified letters to start processing for forclosure. This action will undermine all legal efforts made to this point and will definantly end porthole dive charters. The Dash and all equipment owned by porthole are collateral and will be lost with the Mark V. I am open to fund raising options to bring the loan current if any one has any. Our attorney has just sent a final letter to armstrong demanding :naka: an immediate response If they fail again to reply, we will be filing for litigation by next week. This again can be a drawn out process but is our last chance to resolve our issues.

[dsteding]

Mike-

We met on the dock when I was taking tech 1 with AG a few weeks back.

Sorry to hear about the continued struggles, I don't think there is much I can do, but I can offer good thoughts and support.

We're all pulling for you,

-Doug

[Joshua Smith]

Just an update. I have been off line for a while.I am still juggling all that is taking place. Neah Bay is closed for any new charters or unscheduled trips. I am trying to accomadate those who have aleady booked a trip. The problem is that we had booked both boats throughout the summer. The Dash has several obligations on the same weekends as the Neah Bay Trips. I can not cancell one customer to take another. The other problem is the Dash only holds 6 divers. Trips booked to neah bay were full at 14. I can not hadle that with the dash. Thanks to all who have booked with us and remain patient and understanding.

The Mark V problems are nearing a critical time. We have now missed our 2nd payment and the charters the dash are doing only supports itself with the current fuel prices. The bank has sent certified letters to start processing for forclosure. This action will undermine all legal efforts made to this point and will definantly end porthole dive charters. The Dash and all equipment owned by porthole are collateral and will be lost with the Mark V. I am open to fund raising options to bring the loan current if any one has any. Our attorney has just sent a final letter to armstrong demanding :naka: an immediate response If they fail again to reply, we will be filing for litigation by next week. This again can be a drawn out process but is our last chance to resolve our issues.

Mike, I'm really sorry to hear about all this- it sucks. I don't know what we can do to help, but I'm just beside myself that Armstrong can get away with this.....