While living on Midway Atoll for more than a year doing historical renovations of the WWII buildings—transforming barracks into hotels for veteran + ecotourism—and leading new construction of a beachfront restaurant, we worked six days a week.
The seventh day was for fishing.
This is where I developed a love for boating, diving and angling. When I got back to the mainland, I’d look for work as a deckhand in between construction projects, just to get out on the water, and learn as much as I could during season.
From there, I started captaining + maintaining boats for friends who just wanted to get out on the water and preferred not to wrench on their own boats, which I enjoy.
This allowed me to lead trips all over Southern California + Mexico from the Coronados to Catalina, San Clemente Island, and even a 10-day trip to Guadalupe.
Over 25 years, I’ve renovated four fishing boats—24 Wellcraft, 34 Luhrs, 48 Uniflite + 50 Pacifica—including woodwork, fiberglass, engines, and electronics. My background in construction and collaborating + apprenticing with electricians and plumbers has paid off when it comes to rebuilding, repairing and caring for boats.
There’s no better place to test your work than 100 miles off the coast!
I also find creating a balance between life and work is energizing and makes me better at both. But, passing these skills onto my son and getting to enjoy well-earned trips together is the most gratifying.
The boat pictured here is the ‘34 Luhrs, which belonged to Stan Laidlaw who I replaced as a Superintendent & Carpenter on the Midway project many years before, and with whom I continued to work for 20+ years through Hollister Construction, and his own company, Laidlaw Building & Development.
It’s one of the four boats that I was instrumental in renovating but was involved with the longest. I traveled to the east coast to get eyes on it and run through everything before giving the thumbs-up and coordinating the third-party purchase + preparing it for transport.
Once it arrived in San Diego, CA, the extensive renovation began. I maintained Osprey for more than 15 years before preparing it for sale just prior to relocating to Idaho. We caught a lot of fish on that boat and I will always be grateful to my good friend, Stan, for his trust and generosity in allowing me to care for her.
After finding our fixer-upper in Spirit Lake, I’ve only committed to community service + hobby jobs while completing our remodel, and looking for the right opportunity in construction.
I’ve received offers, but haven’t wanted to accept a position that I can’t see myself working long-term. I would never want to leave mid-project for a better role and put anyone in a jam.
So, for me, the right thing to do has been to take my time and earn a living working my hobby interests while looking for the best (and not just any) fit. This has allowed me to re-energize and feed my passion for restoring classic Land Cruisers + other 4×4’s.
Custom overland builds are a serious investment for clients who put 100’s of thousands into sometimes a brand new rig. By the time we’re done outfitting it, we could’ve built them a small lake house!
This has kept my Superintendent and Project Manager skills sharp. I’ve continued leading builds, collaborating with teams and subs, and managing day-to-day communication with high-end clients.
Pictured is my favorite build, a rare Land Cruiser Troopy. Fresh from a rollover accident, the original body was combined with a second body to start.
A great deal of customization later—including an auxiliary fuel tank for long-range trips and complete custom interior—the Troopy was transformed into the beautiful ride seen here featuring the classic military-style side-facing bench seating in the back.
The build was completed for a retired veteran who fell in love with Land Cruiser Troopies while serving in the Middle East. It was an honor to work on this project and so many others with their own stories.
But this one was the most satisfying to deliver to a client who served our country, and brought home a memory that led him to a dream, and we got to make it a reality for him (and a well-earned one)!
It’s a lot like building a home or business and getting to do the final walk-through + hand over the keys to a happy client. I look forward to getting back to that but only when the right opportunity presents itself.
I realize, to a certain extent, a potential employer might like to know a little about me and my interests to determine whether I’d be a good “culture fit” with their company. One thing I can share is that I enjoy the outdoors with my family.
Getting way off the beaten path weeds-out the average guy while providing an opportunity to take-in some incredible views of untamed places both offshore and off-road.
We’ve also enjoyed on two wheels the desert landscape, not to mention countless trips to the motocross tracks where—for many years—I was a one-man pit crew for our only son.
I’ve enjoyed passing down to him a now shared love of dirt bikes + off-roading
Our latest Land Cruiser—now well over 300K miles—has gotten us to some epic spots where we’ve made lasting memories. Here are just a few of our most special trips (Sedona, the Sequoias, Courtright Reservoir, Anza-Borrego, and Sandstone Canyon).
