The Ohio-based manufacturer, Baja Marine, markets their high-performance racing watercraft and family-friendly sport boats as having “head-turning style and adrenaline-pumping speed.” The company manufactures a wide range of boats, from 20–40 ft hulls. Depending on the size, it can take anywhere from one to three weeks to create one of their lightning-fast crafts.
Construction begins as liquid fiberglass is poured into a mold to create the hull of the boat. Since the design of the hull dictates how the boat moves through the water, Baja employs a team of expert engineers to formulate the perfect relationship between horsepower, weight, and drag. The designs ensure superior performance, along with safety and durability.
After allowing around 45 min for the material to cure, the mold must be flipped. It’s easy to imagine that with its large size, flipping a 40 ft version is no simple task. To make the job easier, Matt Pearson, a process engineer at Baja, purchased a Thern pneumatic power winch.
Working with a local distributor, Pearson found Model 4771PN to be the ideal winch for his particular application. With machine cut gears in an enclosed oil bath, the winch is build to last – allowing Baja to properly mold plenty of boats. Additionally, the winch is constructed out of cast aluminum for lightweight strength and features an internal mechanical brake for positive load control and ball bearings for smooth and efficient operation. And with its 2,000 lb lifting capacity, it was an easy selection for it’s mold-turning duty.
Before installing the winch, the company employed simple manpower to turn the mold. “We went from three to five people manually flipping a mold to one person simply operating the hydraulic controls,” commented Pearson who oversees the production.
Along with its dedication to constructing safe watercraft, the company also concentrates on the safety of its employees – something the Thern winch is also helping with. Manually flipping the boat mold invites opportunities for injuries such as back or knee strains. “The winch has really reduced any safety concerns,” says Pearson.