Having a “hot” product is usually a good thing, but not for Majestic Power Boats of Mims, Fla. The small company, which makes shallow water fishing boats, had raised the outboard motors to allow the boats to run in shallow water. When operating at higher speeds, however, the motors would run hot because they did not receive enough cooling water.

Roy McDaniel, Majestic Boats president/CEO, and his team had tried to solve the problem on their own, but with little success. McDaniel then heard about SATOP from Brenda Collins, a volunteer with the Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce, and decided to give SATOP a try.

To assist Majestic Boats, SATOP enlisted AJT & Associates, Inc., an Alliance Partner headquartered in Cape Canaveral, Fla. with experience providing unique design solutions in the areas of water treatment systems and mechanical structures.
Richard Wood, P.E., senior vice president with AJT & Associates, worked on Majestic Boat’s request for technical assistance. “This was a challenging problem because the solution had to be cost effective, could not hinder the performance of the boat, could not interfere with the motor and had to be easy to integrate into the hull design,” said Wood. Within a short time, however, Wood and AJT & Associates presented McDaniel with the design for a simple wing to attach to the trailing edge of the boat’s hull immediately in front of the motor. The wing helps pull water up toward the motor’s cooling intake and the motor now performs as intended.

Majestic Boats has begun fabricating the wing into the hull design of the boats and has found that the boats now ride higher in the water than before, allowing them to maneuver into even shallower water. “This innovative design change should put Majestic Boats at the forefront of the shallow water boat industry,” said Wood.
“With SATOP’s help, our problem was solved in less than a month and our sales have accelerated,” said McDaniel. “The solution and quick turnaround were exactly what I needed to stay competitive in the marketplace.