FL shipyard’s portable push-boat niche

As tugs and push-boats get bigger and complex, Marine Inland Fabricators (MIF) is growing by staying small and simple. The truckable towboat is having its moment in the sun, and MIF is glad to meet the demand. Located on 5-plus acres of waterfront along the Intercoastal Waterway, the Panama City, Fla., shipyard hasn’t rested since being slammed by a Cat 5 hurricane last year; and filling orders to a variety of firms looking for that portable, powerful push-boat solution. Rudy Sistrunk, president of MIF, has spent an entire lifetime in shipyards. A Morgan City, La., native, Sistrunk cut his teeth in the engineering department at Swiftships, one of the city’s main yards. Eventually, he landed in Panama City with a rich portfolio production building and custom project management and operations. He took a change in 2005 when he purchased Marine Inland Fabricators. “It was the best decision I have ever made,” Sistrunk told Workboat. MIF specializes in building a simple design created in the 1980s by Randy and Ricky Lee who opened the yard with their father. The idea was to design a jobsite boat that would be powerful enough to move marine contractors’ equipment and material; yet, being able to truck as a legal load. The result was the Clydesdale truckable towboat model, a 25-foot hull with a draft of four feet. The wheelhouse is on a pedestal that bolts onto the hull and can be unbolted for trucking. The boat does not require a Coast Guard licensed captain to operate it since it is under 26 feet. (Source: Workboat 01/09/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/shipbuilding/florida-shipyards-truckable-pushboats/?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTnpSalpXRTRZbUZtTjJRMCIsInQiOiJNa0FcL0s5ZnU1d1d3WTBHMUhPR3VYY2lhN0l0R0xVT2hZN3ZzMVZhQWFzdEZocEJNMXJWaUdMWTdMVlwvdklGRlZTNVZNT3h1bWtlUnMwOXpJYzEwWFwvR1RBQmU3NldVdTFnaTBMWUMyV0RWM0pvRkNmUENER0tpTmxWdFwvdVArd3AifQ%3D%3D