But someone posted he was an ex racer with tons of experience LOL!

HAH!!
Add $5000 to that!

It's hull dynamics and rocket science bro! If he would of had the proper background training in hyrdrodynamicsuperwaterschool it would of totally saved his dumbass!

That's about what I am budgeting...

Back to Tres! I took the course and had been running fast V's (110+) for 4-5 years and ran numerous poker runs and ran the boat hard... I bought a cat and HAD to take the course to get insurance. I can say I had a big ego and thought "I don't need anybody telling me how to drive the boat... I got this!"

I am an engineer and I understand hydraulics and hydrodynamics very well. The first day I didn't learn a whole lot but it made me use my knowledge to UNDERSTAND what was going on both under the boat and near the drives. It all now makes perfect sense!! He talked a lot about safety and about many things that if you aren't a seasoned poker runner or power boater you probably don't and desperately need to know. I was lucky here in Nashville to have a lot of support and friends early to "show me the ropes" so again it wasn't that big of a jump for me in knowledge. Then comes day two... We took the boat out and ran it turning over and over, making figure 8's over and over. Doing emergency maneuvers and accelerating along with running it at high speed. Tres showed me what the boat can do and he also showed me what the boat CAN'T do and what are the signals that should tell the driver there is a problem. I know now when the boat doesn't like something and I know when it is upset and not handling properly. I know what to do in those circumstances and when something is becoming dangerous just by the signals the boat is giving me. I UNDERSTAND MY BOAT! Now does that mean I am invincible? Heck no and I respect the power and speed even more now than I ever did before.

Guys... Some of us will spend $1500 in fuel at a poker run or thousands on props or whatever to squeeze the last couple MPH out of the boat. I operated within my limits before the class... I do that now but what I have is a much better understanding of those limits along with the boat and its capabilities not to mention what to do when that moment comes that I need that knowledge that Tres gave me... and he's a pretty cool guy to boot!

That was the original idea,Yes!

Wow you guys certainly covered a lot of ground here, I will do my best to cover what I can. I must thank all our advocates/course attendees and do appreciate everyone’s opinions, rebuttals, and comments.

Thanks also for keeping it civil and refraining from the personal attacts which all too often kill the value added dialogue.

Background: In 2003 Tres thought of and began the courses of instruction from purely altruistic motives. People died, it was human factors, preventable, and the consequence was the inability for many owners to obtain proper insurance for their 120 MPH plus watercraft. Tres continued with his program and found some success, but of course, the value was not recognized by the boat industry, some advanced thinking insurance companies got it, but it has been a difficult road,

I moved to Fort Lauderdale in 2004 and met Tres when I went boat shopping, Through some conversation we learned of each other’s skills sets, and in 2005 I officially became a instructor and then partner in the school endeavour.

OK, So why is this important for everyone to know? It remains obvious the course of instruction and the building blocks that support it are not understood.

Human Performance Technologies, Contrary to conventional wisdom, Yes, You can train the human to perform. The traditional idea of book learning and the demonstration of performance does not enable the student to achieve the minimum level of competence required to fulfill the requirements of the training.

Here is a long but abbreviated run down of how this is developed.

A front end analysis’s is conducted (FEA), compiling a list of competencies from accomplished performers, and subject matter experts. The competencies are then broken down to tasks; each task has a performance, condition and standard, supported by enabling objectives. These are then divided into two segments. KNOWLEDGE and SKILL--- Simply-- Classroom and Boat/Water.

The students now learn the why and have the knowledge needed to understand why we insist the boat must be driven, managed, in the prescriptive manner we require.

Now we take the skill to another level. The CIA model: Comprehension, Intuition, and Acknowledgement/Action. In other words you can train someone to be a gearhead.

We identified the common actions of what occurs when the boat becomes upset and in every instance the human reaction was counter to what should be done. In other words the untrained responses show counterintuitive the proper response was.

With prescriptive driving and repetitive coaching to the students, Somatic/Mental models are developed and now the human will revert to the proper action when in extremis.

PRACTICE DOES NOT MAKE PERFECT. PRACTICE MAKES PERMANTENT Learning wrong from the beginning builds confidence in the wrong behaviour and leads to failure.

Boat racer. I don’t care, usually means nothing to me, I have gone pleasure boating with many “Racers” and most don’t know anything/Some of course are great. We use race videos to show exactly what not to do!

The challenge remaining was to package all of this into a duration that would be acceptable and to keep the science behind the training so it is not even known to the students during the course of instruction.

The Outcome; We have trained somewhere around 750 boat operators since 2003 and the programs continue to evolve. We continually review, evaluate, an audit our processes to keep all we do current and on target.

With the exception of a couple of boat owners whose boat broke within the first few minutes of on water instruction all of our feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

The market here in America is certainly behind in its willingness to recognize skill based training protocols reduce risk. Traditional boat training is all knowledge based and is usually soft skills such as carriage requirements, navigation, and recognition of boat nomenclature. The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators governs the approved courses here and remains in the dark ages of instructional methods.

We train the advanced operators at the U S Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group, (Seal Team Guys). Mercury Racing and Mercury Marine, and I can tell you no one else can provide what we bring.

The Cost: Expensive YES! But how do you establish the cost. We do not have a critical mass here and the cost/value proposition is overwhelming positive for the students.
Analogy: Let’s say I wrench on our boat, change the oil, service it, do all that is required and keep it perfect, I charge a reasonable fee. You are happy we are friends, and the relationship continues for all your boating years, which over time brings a nice revenue stream. This is success.

Boat School Success: Usually we are a one trick pony. We achieve success when you leave the course of instruction and go on to apply what you have learned for the rest of your boating life. You have no idea how many wives have come to me at Poker Runs and conveyed thier thanks. The boat is now comfortable and guess what usually faster than it was. A new level of confidence goes along with the application of proper skill.

Yes, some do come back for an on water refresher, upgrade to a 170 MPH Cat, or yes I am often a hired gun, throttling at a Poker Run for a customer who recognizes they prefer to have help when running 120MPH plus with 60 or more boats for 160 NM. Back to the CIA-- model, however they are fine on any given Sunday with family and friend. The skill of developing situational awareness does take time.

Feedback, We have had many sessions with reporters in session reporting out in most if not all related media. Boating magazine recently did coverage and had the students report out from the expierience. Soundings magazine is about to go through the program and publish the results in thier magazine.

Additinoaly I will be speaking at the Fort Lauderdael Mariners Club Marine Insurance Seminar at this years Fort Lauderdale Boat Show to highlight the importance of skill based training.

I hope this anwers guestions and birngs a deeper level of understanding of our programs.

Stay Safe
Brad

This is what changed the course of this thread:

" If it was more affordable I might consider going" guess his life, his family and friends life isn't worth 1500 bucks !!!

Brad why not put all your info out there for people to read and study? Would this not save the most lives?

Surely you guys love this sport. Why turn it into a business? 750 x $2500 = $1.875 Not much money over 9 years buddy! Just being real.

Or do you guys just see rich dudes with fancy boats and think cash cow?

Understood Lima Charlie!... Sometimes we all need a litte course correction.

Thanks

REALITY! Because it cannot be properly accomplished with just knowledge. In order to be successful the application of knowledge must be evaluated, coached, and repeated.

Knowledge alone can actually bring negative consequences in an active enviroment.

This is NOT about becoming rich at all. If money was my motive I could spend less time building a business with much less resistance.

Brad,

Eloquent, constructive, direct, and applicable response that covers all aspects of what your class is trying to accomplish. I appreciate you taking the time to put your thoughts on paper and doing so in a descriptive manner.

Please know, I kindheartedly find value in your class and look forward to taking it next year at the Lake Cumberland Poker Run. My point was for others to back off the responses of individuals who find the classes associated cost expensive. It's not a matter of what is important; money vs. family. It would be naive to think that any boater does not believe in protecting and boating safely. Some people can swing a $1,500 fuel up at each end of the lake. Others add to their debt each time they fill up. Some budget and save throughout the year to enjoy something they love. We all have our own individual values and just because someones financial position or financial approach differs from our own doesn't make them "wrong".

My position: no one person should judge another, we should support guide and provide useful information others can benefit from, all of us should operate within our means and keep safety at the forefront of our everyday lives.

Thanks again, Brad!

So not only are you helping us fast boat guys, but you could drop doing this and open a business that would be wildly more successful than what you are doing now.

Thanks for helping the sport!

Agree, and Thank you. I look forward to meeting you on the water one day!

It was exactly what was stated ...

As you notice , there is not 1 person (NOT ONE) who took this course and said it was not worth it, its only the ones who have not took it that question if it is worth it ..

We have people on here with a range of incomes. I'm disturbed by the comments by a few of those in the higher income brackets who are disparaging those who cannot afford the Tres Martin class. I think it is pretty disgusting and insensitive. Some people have bought boats on here for $10,000, because that's what they could afford. Some of them may be V-hulls that would be lucky to do 60 mph. The course obviously has diminishing returns, the slower the boat goes. At some speed, it's not going to make sense. Not everyone is out racing or doing high entry fee "look at me, first to the card stop" poker runs. Some people are safely out on the water having fun, not pushing their boats to the limit, but still going at a faster clip than a Bayliner.

How many of the people here saying he is putting his family at risk have Lifelines for everyone on board AT ALL TIMES on their boat? How many people here have the lanyard attached at all times? How many here running over 80 mph have helmets required everyone on board? How many here have not had one drop to drink in the last 24 hours prior to getting out on the water?

Frankly, there isn't one person here that hasn't "put their family at risk", unless they stayed at the shore, because just getting on the boat has risk. There are varying degrees of risk, and everyone decides for themselves what the risk should be.

I would love to take the Tres Martin course, and probably will take it someday, but I can understand there are good reasons for those who don't.

Michael

I thankful for what Tres and Brad do. It is hands down the best money I've spent in performance boating. I grew up racing Dragboats and can never remember not having a performance boat and I still learned a lot.
Tres and Brad have to have some big stones to ride as a passenger in the boat with some of us yahoos. Think about it......You have met someone for a day, then your going to go for a ride at 150 with them....... Not me
As far as the cost, I would have to pay double this for medical education and I think it is appropriate they get compensated for what they do.

I agree that if you are not running a "fast" boat, you may not get the full factor of the complete course. With that being said, there is a lot more to Tres's course than just driving, that is where the real education starts. Day one, as stated is not actual driving at all, it is engineering, factors, safety and understanding of the "performance" boats in hull design, power, etc...

If a person is not ready today to take the course financially it does not mean they cannot strive to get it as a goal.

I think the people that are being targeted,more direct with; are the ones that do spend the money for the boat, power train etc. Those boats cost more than the monies you have stated, the up-keep alone FAR exceeds that budget, and "they" are many times those that know too much to take any course... If you do not fit into that category, it is not really a problem... Just that everyone hopes that in time you will graduate to the next level and then see the value.

Nothing in life is free, if it was, that is what it is worth... We have all found our niches in life to be able to afford what we do for a hobby, being able to translate that into the hobby, cudo's. And I can tell you, it is not that easy to get people to spend money for the sport, unless it says, look at me or hear me.

We all share hints on the best way to do thing's, ie: car guy talk, taking the course IS NOT the same thing, it is much more specific and information intense. As I alluded to in my earlier post, bad habits learned are much harder to break than learning the correct way, will both good and bad work, many times, but when it all goes bad, I would hope the good triumphs! That is what your crew will appreciate, I can guarantee it!

[QUOTE=Michael1;3782039]The course obviously has diminishing returns, the slower the boat goes. At some speed, it's not going to make sense.
[/QUOTE/]
I need to really clarify the idea of speed and how it relates to this discussion.

Analysis of accident/incident and casualty reports show speed is rarely if ever a primary causal factor in accidents.

Speed does dictate severity of consequence. Many if not most boat accidents occur at slower speed. We have seen many center console fish boats spin out or high side at what would seem to be a normally forgiving speed. 40 foot Cat's go over, numerous 36-50 foot stepped bottom mono hulls pitching everyone out less than 50 MPH.

Performance in our name is better related to Human Performance not boat performance. Many people drive cars, ride boats, bikes, etc. Who does it the best?

Thanks and Stay Safe,

Brad