The Steel Industry or the Steal Industry?

It's amazing how many things in our lives actually influence the decisions we make or the decisions that are already made for us! We either decide to ignore it or act as though it has no bearing on our lives whatsoever when in all actuality, it affects us immensley & in more ways than we even realize! A great example of this can be found in the metals industry! Let me show you how....

Look all around you & tell me not only how many products you see that are made from some type of metal alloy, but also, how many machines it took to make those products that were made from metal!

Most of the world's industries, companies &/or employees rely on metal alloys to produce, fabricate, manufacture, program, simplify, assemble & much more! Metal alloys are also used in the cars we drive, the cell phones we use, to prepare the food we eat & on & on! Our dependancy is so great for this substance that much of our health, our technology, our comfort, our economy & our entire way of living as a whole depends on the metal industry! And like our gas prices in 2008, we will be faced w/ corporations that will recognize this dependancy & unfortunately, make us pay for it w/out any reason whatsoever! Don't for 1 moment think that this can't or won't happen because it already has began....

While the economy is struggling, but quickly starting to show signs of recovery (orders, proposals, spending, quarterly announcements, etc.), the prices of materials, hardware & components are quickly on the rise as well! Even though the steel industry's production levels are 40% - 60% down from last year & inventory levels among vendors are critically high, the steel industry has somehow found reasons enough to increase prices...dramatically!!! While they claim that orders are rising, suppliers & even their shareholders know that they have not raised enough to dictate these recent price increases! You would have thought that with last year's sales & revenue figures being down that it would have proved to these guys that the general public is not stupid & they won't be forced into sales tactics &/or strategies such as this! I realize that making an intelligent decision on this matter is asking an awful lot, but atleast an attempt to making a few brain cells move might just be enough to generate thought & reasoning behind their decisions! It's called thinking & it wouldn't hurt to try it every once in awhile!

Anyway, It was only 4 or 5 years ago that they were producing & selling the same products, same materials, same components, the EXACT SAME ITEMS for 3x - 5x less the amount! The end product is not any better than it was then & yet they blame gas prices, energy prices, raw materials, labor & yada-yada-yada! They provide more excuses why than they provide evidence why prices are what they are today! By raising prices now, they diminish any type of positive momentum or any potential chance that there is to increase sales! However, the 1 group or committee that could help us, simply can't & won't because they have appointed no other higher authority to regulate these guys! These steel corporations do what they want, when they want & however they want w/out any type of rules, regulations nor any type of reprecussions by a higher authority such as our government! It's obvious that w/ this type of free-will, they are ultimately destroying jobs & more importantly, destroying most of the companies, small & large, that make these jobs possible!

Alot of people don't realize it, but just as I explained earlier, the steel industry as a whole controls the fate &/or future for many different types of industries, companies &/or people's lives all together! There is no justification to why the steel mills increased the prices so dramatically for July & August, but w/out any type of rules, regulations &/or reprecussions by a higher authority, they will not only be allowed to control our lives, they will also control & affect other economies in other countries as well!

Once again, think about how many different types of metals that we rely on everyday, think about how many companies &/or industries provide these products & lastly, think of how many workers it took to produce those products that make our lives what they are today! Now tell me how much control does the steel industry have over all of our lives today! Look at everything around you, look at every product sold to you, look at every product that you use & every product that you will use... now tell me that it doesn't affect you! Think about this also...has our dependancy on the metals industry plagued us just as our dependancy on oil did? Is, "Be careful for what you wish for" now too late to wish back? No! If we can expand our minds to think of better products & processes just as we did before & don't allow us to become so dependant on 1 paticular product, then we can make a future of free-will than that of control! If you want things to stay the same, then you have no reason to complain about the situation that you are currently in! Shutting down your thoughts & your mind will only lead you down a path that is controlled or made by the person who did & does think!

I hope you find this post as thoughtful & as inspirational as the feelings & effort put into it & every blog that we post! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, changes &/or ideas that you would like to suggest, plz feel free to contact me anytime! Thank you for your time & consideration on these matters!

Protecting Your Boat...Coast to Coast!

With gel-coat repair becoming more & more expensive, boaters are finally looking into products that will help them save money from those costly gel-coat repairs! The good news is that there are literally hundreds of different products & techniques that you can use to protect your boat! The bad news is that there are literally hundreds of different products & techniques that you can use to protect your boat! In other words, there are so many options that its confusing & of course, every retailer has that perfect answer for you...only for you to come back weeks later looking for a better option!

However, this is a more difficult question than you may think considering the options available! Rubrail, post bumpers, harbor cushions, corner cushions, back-stops, dock rollers, slip-guides, dock wheels, super cushions, poly-bords, hydro-guards, boat lifts, pwc lifts, boat cushions & much more! For those of you who have the combination of spontaneous creativity & Inspector-Gadgets Go-Go Dock Tools, leaves me to wonder how many other items have been created to help protect your boat with! Now, for those of us who only get to rely on the dock products available on today's market, I'm afraid that short-list given at first are the only items we get to work with! However, it still isn't that simple to choose what's right for you & your scenario or application! For example, just in the rubrail category alone, there are well over 20 different styles to choose from!

One thing I have learned over the years is that there are rarely 2 issues that are the same so please don't be disappointed when I don't call out your name or your issue! I'm just going to give you a few examples, techniques, helpful hints, etc. of what we found to be effective over the years to a certain situation. Floating docks will be different from stationary docks or a covered roof vs. an uncovered roof & likewise, cuddy cabins will be different from pontoons or tri-toons, which will be different from a go-fast, yada-yada. Now let's get started!

Rubrail is the simplest form of protection that every dock should have! It's small in size but has saved countless boats from beating against the side of their dock whether it be metal, wood, etc. It usually borders the entire perimeter of any traffic-areas & won't mar or scar your boat. It's 1 of the most economical forms of protection, but is a lifesaver when it comes to directly banging your boat on the frame. It comes in many shapes, sizes, lengths, etc. & depending on your application, could be all that you need!

Post bumpers are becoming the most universal product on the market today! Their main purpose is to be applied to your roof posts as a protective barrier that keeps your boat from hitting the roof posts &/or underwater brace legs. However, we have found that they have many other uses, such as backstops, boarding-posts, lift-guides, corner protection & much more! Most post bumpers are made to fit a post anywhere from 2" - 4" wide & usually only 3' - 6' tall. They are relatively inexpensive & some are made to last you for years depending on their use. We came up w/ the backstop idea so that boats could back into their slip & bump these rather than beat & destroy the dock or the boat. Depending on your freeboard level or waterline to the top of the deck will determine what size of backstops you would need. We have made backstops for 6' paddle boats, 20' runabouts up to 60' Aft-Cabin Cruisers!

The boarding-post idea was for swim platforms & docks that didn't have any type of roof system, but still needed that extra protection that the rubrail just doesn't provide! They allow a boat to pull-up next to the side of the platform to park or they serve as protection for boats that are simply dropping someone off on their dock. You can even have cleats installed on them which works really well for Gas-Dock Applications! Now the cleat isn't a trip hazard like so many of them are! You can use multiple amounts of them on the inside of your uncovered slip so that they can bump into the post bumper rather than your dock, decking, etc. B/c post bumpers are made from polyethylene, they are guaranteed not to mar or scar your boat! It's these properties that make polyethylene so valuable to the marine industry & most of the products made on the market today are made strictly from polyethylene! X-Treme Marine Concepts, inc. has teamed up w/ Stokes Dock Co., Inc. in order to utilize the new Poly-bord system which is made entirely from recycled polyethylene, replaces the need for rubrail & lasts a lifetime! It's truly a unique product that will become the new thing of the future for the marine industry!

Harbor cushions, corner cushions, super cushions & such are used primarily for larger boats to use as a cushion or protection when simple rubrail just won't do the trick! They came in many different shapes, sizes & forms, but they all are made from polyethylene & are durable enough to withstand the force from a 20,000 lbs. boat or 75,000 lbs. cruiser! When you consider that they are only $60 - $90 each & most minor gel-coat repairs could cost you starting out at $2500, it's pretty much a no-brainer for most of us to have it installed immediately!

The dock rollers, dock wheels, slip-guides & such are simply items that help guide you into your slip w/out damaging your boat. There are many different versions of these dock roller type items, but they all have different applications that they can be applied to. X-Treme Marine Concepts, inc. is designing a new innovative system that will provide protection & help guide you into as well as out of your slip w/ simple ease!

More & more companies like X-Treme Marine Concepts & Stokes Dock Co., are coming out with products that serve multiple purposes in order to make the boating experience more enjoyable rather than more expensive! Some companies, like Stokes Dock Co., are going the extra mile in order to have everything that a boater needs for his/her special application! One of their most important company mission statements says it all..."We Provide Solutions For Yesterday's Problems Using Tomorrow's Technology...Today!" Most of all though, we not only want to earn your business, we want to earn your trust & your loyalty! If you need help choosing the right product then please feel free to email us, call us or leave a question in your comment & 1 of our friendly-knowledgeable sales staff will respond or contact you asap! Come see today what a difference Stokes Dock Co. can make to your waterfront living experience! We are currently in the stages of developing a new state-of-the-art website for residential & commercial clients all over the nation that is packed full of product info, helpful hints, simple techniques, ideas & solutions for your dock, your issues & your convenience! For updates, Follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stokesdock or simply stop by at http://www.stokesdock.com. Stokes Dock Co. - Protecting Your Boat...Coast to Coast!