Thursday, June 06, 2013

Where is Peter Seidenberg?



Where is Peter Seidenberg?

That's what everyone in the Laser sailing community around here seems to be asking.

We didn't see him at the Wickford Regatta, our district championship. It didn't seem right to be sailing a major New England Laser regatta without seeing his familiar sail number (usually near the front of the fleet.)

And I haven't even been able to persuade him to come out for our informal Tuesday night Laser practice sessions in Bristol followed by dinner and a few beers at Redlefsens, usually one his favorite outings.

Peter, for those who haven't heard of him before, has won the Laser Masters Worlds eight times, and has been a perennial presence on the New England, national, and international Laser sailing scene. He was also the inventor of the now ubiquitous Seitech launching dollies for small boats which he manufactured with his own company for many years, until he sold the company and retired.

So where is Peter Seidenberg?  Why isn't he sailing?

Well, it seems that Peter has been working. He is no longer retired. He has been working such long hours that he doesn't even have time to go sailing.

And what is he working at?

Apparently Peter, even in his mid 70s, still has the bug to design, build and sell the best boat launching dollies in the world so he has started up a new business, Dynamic Dollies and Racks, to do just that. I haven't kicked the tires yet on any of his products, but from what I know of Peter's deep understanding of the needs of small boat sailors, his superb engineering skills, his commitment to customer service, and his intense attention to detail, I am sure that the products of Dynamic Dollies and Racks will be excellent.


Check them out at their website Dynamic Dollies & Racks which has, among other information, a price list and a list of the dealers where you can buy their products.

Like them on Facebook.


And here is the press release, which came out last Friday, announcing the launch of Dynamic Dollies...




DYNAMIC DOLLIES & RACKS, LED BY PETER SEIDENBERG, INTRODUCES A NEW BRAND OF DOLLIES AND RACKS FOR THE SMALL BOAT COMMUNITY.

PORTSMOUTH, RI – Dynamic Dollies & Racks, LLC was recently formed by a group of dinghy sailors, led by Peter Seidenberg, to design and manufacture boat launching dollies, as well as storage and trailer racks for small boats of any kind up to a weight of about 450 lbs. The company manufactures and stocks a complete line of boat-­‐specific dollies and will fulfill any custom requirements in dollies and racks. All products utilize anodized structural-­‐ grade aluminum tubing and glass-­‐reinforced injection-­‐molded plastic joint components. Generally, products are shipped as a kit in a single box.

Seidenberg, a naval engineer, 8­‐time Laser Masters world champion and the inventor of a similar product 24 years ago, which he subsequently manufactured in his own company for 12 years, decided to come out of retirement to spearhead this new venture. He drew on his engineering knowledge and previous experience to design the new line of products making them more user-­‐friendly. “Our aim is to make your boating experience more pleasurable in providing a problem-­‐free way of moving your boat in and out of the water and storing it safely when not in use. Our new proprietary wheel with a pneumatic tire and Delrin® ball bearings will be a big factor in the dolly’s performance,” said Seidenberg.

“We have assembled a team of dedicated sailors and tradesmen to manufacture and market our products. We hired Chris Souza, an experienced marine professional, who has been involved in the small boat business world for twenty years in every capacity, to manage the team,” said Seidenberg. Souza adds, “Our full attention will be given to fulfill the needs of our dealer network in satisfying their customers, the boating public.”

chris@dynamicdollies.com 
ben@dynamicdollies.com 
www.dynamicdollies.com 
1­‐401­‐683­‐0427 


7 comments:

Baydog said...

No dolly for Moths yet, George!

Tillerman said...

If you want a Moth dolly, then contact them. They say they can custom make a dolly for your needs.

torrid said...

I first encountered Seitech dollies when I got into 470 sailing right after graduating college. As a new engineer, I was highly impressed with the variety of designs available and the commonality of the parts. I have often mentioned my aging Laser dolly that I still use every time I sail. I've bought and sold four or five Lasers for use with that dolly. Easily one of my best purchases ever.

I had heard about a year ago that there was a long backlog of Seitech orders. Not sure what became of it, but I'm guessing he is stepping in where LP has fallen down (no design rights or royalties on dollies I assume).

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest Peter get into the fiberglass hull business.

Unknown said...

I just heard about this the other day. What I heard was that Seidenberg is about as unhappy with LaserPerformance as Bruce Kirby is.

Tillerman said...

For heaven's sake, torrid, I want my friend to get this dolly business established and then hand over the day-to-say running of it to his general manager so that he has time to come sailing with me again before the end of the summer. Don't encourage him to start yet another business!

George A said...

Actually both Sietech and the new Dynamic range offer dollies (trollies) for the Classic Moth (read the list, friends). Additionally the dolly designed for the Europe dinghy works well with most Classic Moth shapes (as it should since that boat got its start as the "Europa" Moth).

I've already contacted Dynamic and asked if the parts for the new range will interchange with existing Sietechs and they've replied yes with two exceptions:

(1). the handle on the new dolly is slightly shorter (but the hole size is the same).

(2). the dual tongues on the high capacity dollies are closer together so if you're ordering replacement keel tubes or threaded rod you need to keep that in mind.

Neither of these are a concern for me. I plan to order a pair of web sling brackets which feature a neat tie-down loop since one of my current Sietechs has a crack in one of those brackets which grows slightly each outing. That will in one stroke repair the dolly and be a neater solution than the loops of line that I've tied around the axle to serve as a location for a tie-down strap if leaving the boat with the rig up overnight at a two day regatta.

Tillerman said...

Oh yeah. I never thought to look for Moth under "C".

Post a Comment