Interview with Morgan Huntley, IYRS ’08, Marine Systems
What did you do before enrolling in the Marine Systems Program at IYRS?
Morgan Huntley (MH): I always had summer jobs on the gas dock, as a launch driver, pulling moorings, and I figured out that I could fix things. My family always had power boats. My dad and I built a small dinghy with an engine. Every summer my friends and I would find a boat and fix it up so that we had a free boat to ride around in. After I got my BA at the New School in New York City, I got a job with a guy who did on- and off-highway diesel repair— trucks, boats, heavy equipment, etc. We worked on big engines but I found that I enjoyed the marine aspect more.
Why did you choose IYRS?
MH: I chose IYRS because of its reputation. When it came time to search for employment, that reputation opened many doors. I remember what Rives Potts [head of Brewers Pilots Point] said during his speech at graduation. “Figure out where you want to live, figure out what you want to do, and figure out who you want to spend your life with.” Well, there are no boat builders on 9th Avenue in New York City. I spent a year in Maine but found Newport and knew I wanted to live here, and I also wanted to be where the industry is. I live on a 43-foot Pearson motor yacht year- round here in Newport. I’m still working on the third.
Was the program what you expected?
MH: There were a few hiccups. With this past year (2007–2008) being the first year of the IYRS Marine Systems Program, we all ran into situations that we didn’t expect. But when it comes to boat repair and maintenance very few things go as planned. There’s always something in the way of the part you’re trying to install or fix, and these unexpected challenges are what makes it so fun. Also, I wanted to be in there to help build the program. Geoff Almeida [IYRS Systems instructor] is amazing.
Where are you working now?
MH: I’m working at Loughborough Marine here in Newport. Right now we’re working on a 48-foot custom-built, cold-molded sportfishing boat, and I’m a subcontractor for all the systems work on the boat. What I like about my job is that it’s different every day. This morning we took out a holding tank, then did some vacuum bagging, and then in the afternoon, I started working on some mock-ups of the engine room.
How did your time at IYRS prepare you for your current position at Loughborough Marine?
MH: It’s worked really well. Working on boats never works out the way you expect. So you have to make the situation work. What Geoff Almeida taught us was so practical: how to think outside the box but not be stupid. Our whole approach during the school year was figuring out how to make it work vs. saying it can’t be done. I remember at the end of the year Geoff saying that what he really wanted to impose upon us was that we could do anything, and I think most of us left feeling that we had the knowledge and the tools to do so. What I learned at IYRS has really let me shine within my current work situation. The whole reason to go to IYRS was to move up the work track faster.
Why did you choose to work at Loughborough Marine? What do you like best about your job?
MH:I had multiple job offers. I decided I wanted to put into practice what I learned at IYRS—and I get to do that at Loughborough Marine. That was important to me before learning a whole new set of skills. I like that my boss trusted me to do my job right out of the blocks.
What’s the one skill that you learned at IYRS that has been the most valuable so far in your career?
MH:It’s a toss-up between the technical skills I learned and dealing with people in the work environment. What Geoff Almeida taught me about electrical is leaps and bounds above what others know in the workplace. But he also taught me about how to pick my battles. In boat building, there’s 10,000 ways to do something and probably 9,990 don't work. There can be a lot of tension in the shop where everyone has their own way of doing something. He showed me when to stand up and say it doesn’t work and to offer up a solution that does.