I travelled to Clarkston, Washington last week, to visit the Thunder Jet production facility. I had been invited to see the facility and the boat that my sponsor, Mark’s Marine in Hayden, Idaho is having built for me. John Calder, sales manager at Mark’s Marine, introduced me to Shawn Chrislock, the operations manager. Shawn took me through the different stages of construction of the boats, from the formed hulls that were being welded, to the paint shop, to where the seats were being made, and finally the area where the final rigging was being done. There were several pages on the build sheet for this particular boat; they have specific instructions for each one. He even took the time to ask me where I wanted the downriggers and back rod holders mounted. He knows anglers had different preferences and I really appreciated the opportunity to show him where I wanted them. This is a busy shop. As many as 300 Thunder Jet boats are completed every year. The attention to detail is what makes these boats the exceptional quality that makes them last for years. Thanks John and Shawn. What a great experience. From here the boat will go to the Mark’s Marine dealership for the installation of the electronics, bow mount motor and other accessories to make it a fishing machine, made just the way it want it!