Nova Scotian’s long-lasting lobster trap buoys don’t require painting
A TV story had just aired about Blair Gotell’s new product,
Stack-A-Buoy, when Gotell got a phone call. The caller, a local
lobsterman, had an issue with traditional buoys. “I’m tired of painting
these damn buoys,” he said. “Can you get me 300 of your buoys by the
time the season opens?”
The opening was about four weeks away and Gotell’s manufacturing
process was just getting geared up. He thought hard and then told the
fisherman: “If I can’t get the buoys on time, I’ll come paint yours.”
“You’re on,” was the reply.
Gotell didn’t have to paint the buoys.
Gotell, who operates out of Arichat, Nova Scotia, launched his
Stack-A-Buoy business less than a year ago. Instead of a foam material
that has to be painted every year, the Stack- A-Buoy is made from a
molded, high-density polyethylene that’s recyclable with colors
injected during the construction process. And, as the name suggests,
Stack-A-Buoys are scooped out on top, allowing them to be stacked
securely. Each Stack-A-Buoy weighs 2 pounds and measures 12.5” x 9”.
Not having to paint the buoy has been a big selling point for
Canadian lobstermen, as well as for some Mainers. One Maine fishermen
hesitated at the buoy’s $12 price tag, but “then when he figured out
that it took him three weeks to paint 800 buoys, along with the other
benefits, the price point wasn’t so important,” Gotell says.
One of the other factors is longevity. The Stack-A-Buoy is not
porous and should last a lot longer than porous Styrofoam or PVC buoys.
Safety is another thing to consider. Gotell says one lobster- man
who fishes his traps in trawls said when the traditionally shaped buoy
is on the side rail, it can roll off into the water as the boat rolls,
pulling gear with it. It also can fall on deck, roll around and
increase the risk of the fisherman getting tangled in the line. The
Stack-A-Buoy is more likely to stay on the rail and doesn’t wobble.
Last, when the lobster season is over, you don’t have to deal with a
sprawling stack of foam buoys. Stacked on top of each other,
Stack-A-Buoys take up 30 percent less space.
By late April Gotell says he will have a machine that’s able to stamp license numbers into the buoys.
Contact Stack-A-Buoy, P.O. Box 360, Arichat, Nova Scotia, Canada B0E 1A0; tel. (902) 226-2697; info@stackabuoy. com, www.stackabuoy.com.
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