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sell the boat.? ?So I went with Tom to see Lachine Rapids Boat Tours in Montreal, which is a very successful boat tour operator owned by two brothers from Pittsburgh,? Clark said. ?We were trying to sell them the first boat for Niagara, and during the discussion I am literally kicking Tom under the table because he?s about to give something away ? and this is still some- thing we do to this day. From that meet- ing we walked away with a $20,000 check and a commitment for a $130,000boat, and we ended up building five or six of them, and we?re great friends with these guys to this day.? Humble beginnings helped to lay the foundation, and MetalCraft's adherenceto high technical standard and sound fi- nancial principle have helped it grow to 130 employees at three locations, with a penchant for success in designing andbuilding high speed Patrol and Search & Rescue craft. In 2013 it will deliver its 600th boat, and for 2.5 decades it hasbeen a leader in jet boat design introduc-ing its first power boat ever, the Kingston, as a jet drive boat in 1987. In fact the company's Kingston jet design was selected by the U.S. Navy for the Force Protection Program and served in the War on Iraq. ??We are very concerned right now that you can?t see any reality on (U.S.) government spending for 2014- 15,? said Clark. ?The Canadian government spendingon marine is miniscule, and the government rules towork with are much harder than the U.S. rules. Cana- dian rules are very confusing. I?ve asked plenty of U.S. competitors to come and bid here, but when they read a spec, they simply say ?garbage.? Bob Clark, Contracts Manager, MetalCraft (Photo: Greg Trauthwein) November 2012www.marinelink.com 53MR#11 (50-57):MR Template 11/7/2012 4:49 PM Page 53