take care of the woodwork and boat construction end of things along with the paint and finish work. We are carpenters, working side by side with the rest of our crew. And Don, who is in charge of all mechanical, electrical and machine work, is in there, working in the engine room, putting all the stuff together.

"We will build whatever anyone wants built," Rybovich says. "We are one of the few companies that will build a custom boat smaller than 60 feet. Most people find a groove and build in one size range. We enjoy doing different things." Earlier this year, Ryco Marine built and launched China Girl, a 65-foot, flying bridge sportfisherman for inventor and avid fisherman Mickey Rupp. And they are currently working on another 65-footer. Rybovich notes that orders for new boats have dropped off over the past I2 months.

"Since the bubble burst with the stock market and since 9-11, people are being a lot more careful. In some cases, they have less liquidity, but they also are concerned about how it looks when they go out and spend a pile of money on a big new boat," he says. "The upside is most yards are staying busy and the service work has continued to get better. You have to protect your investment."