Ticketing is active for seminars at TrawlerFest-Riviera Beach in Florida, including the signature diesel engine course with two of the nation’s finest instructors on the topic. As our video shows, they make learning fun.
This is not the only diesel engine course for boaters, but it is the only diesel engine course for boaters taught by renown author/researcher Nigel Calder and veteran boatbuilder and yard operator Steve Zimmerman. Calder’s status is such that when he makes an observation about engine performance, the engine manufacturers themselves pay attention.
This two-day session, “Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines,” combines classroom time with hands-on engine time in the shop. It combines theory and practical troubleshooting instruction, and it does so with a touch of humor to keep things lively. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion that in some cases may help save some money on their boat insurance.
It is also worthy of note that unlike most other engine instructors both Calder and Zimmerman are real-deal cruisers, who bring this perspective to the curriculum. Before you sign on to any other diesel course, ask the organizers how many years of long-distance cruising its instructors have done.
The TrawlerFest boat show and seminar series happens at the Riviera Beach Municipal Marina Tuesday through Sunday, Jan. 26-31. The boat show runs Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 28-31, and includes booths displaying marine products and services.
The diesel seminar is the longest course offering. Three others are the equivalent of one eight-hour day, though they are held over two mornings. six are all-morning affairs. One is all afternoon. And 17 are short courses, at two-hours.
The best value is to purchase a VIP pass which allows entry into any and all of the seminars (except the diesel and “Hands-On Boat Handling” seminars) for a set price, which also includes admission to the show and evening social events.
MESSAGE TO SAILORS
Here’s a message to Florida sailors: Even though the event is called TrawlerFest, and its brought to you byPassageMaker magazine, most of the seminars are “propulsion agnostic.” That is, their lessons apply equally to sailors as well as power cruisers.
