Women Dig Diesels At Mack Boring Seminar

A group of women hailing from New Hampshire to Florida arrived at the Mack Boring Technical Institute in Middleboro, MA, amid rain and fog for the two-day diesel engine workshop led by Larry Berlin, instructor extraordinaire.

Each woman came to the class from a different perspective -- no boat, looking for a boat, have a new boat, have a newly acquired old boat, and owned a boat for years but no experience with an engine. One purpose bound them all: to be knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the diesel engine. They wanted to be a full partner, not on the sideline, and not to be ignored at the marina or repair shop.

So under Berlin’s watchful eye and expert instruction, the group alternated between the classroom and the workshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Every question was important and no questions were left unanswered. Heating systems, cooling systems, bleeding, injection replacement, calipers, thread gauges ... oh, the new language the women learned. The reward for their efforts was to hear the whir of the engine when Larry started each one on Sunday evening.