These Buoys Do Stack Up - Stack-A-Buoy Marine Products Innovation in Marine Buoys

May 10, 2010 - PRLog -- 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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About Stack-A-Buoy
Stack-A-Buoy Marine Products specializes in the innovation and design of marine flotation buoys, lobster buoys and related accessories. Our unique design enables multiple buoys to conveniently stack together for easy transport and storage.

Although our initial target market is the lobster fishery; Stack-A-Buoy® is quickly proving to be beneficial in many other fishery, aquaculture and marine recreational markets.