Boat Sinks, nowhere to go but up, then onto the Internet
"After
over 20 years in the fishing business, my boat sank and I had
to swim home -- so I quit," said George McMurrick, former
fisherman, now Internet sales entrepreneur. He started his home-based
business, Astoria Net Shop, out of his home in 1987 primarily
to serve the fishing industry.
McMurrick is originally from Cottage Grove, Oregon and moved up
the coast from Newport in 1975. In Newport he met his wife, Daphne,
whose sister worked for him at the time.
As he recalls his venture, after the move he fished out of Long
Beach until his boat sank, mostly fishing mid-water joint ventures
with the Russian and Polish governments. He had been involved
with shrimp fishing, also cod, salmon and crab. No gillnet fishing
though, primarily salt water fisheries. After the boat sank he
"owned a couple of restaurants in Washington for two years,
then purchased a school bus and drove off to Alaska for three
years and then decided to come back."
When he first moved back to the area he went to work in a fishing
net repair shop run by partners that he had helped start up in
business during his fishing days. "I was their first customer,"
he said. The partners have since broken away and started their
own shops, and George did the same.
Repairing fish nets is no occupation for lightweights. In the
first place, a new net for shrimp fisheries may weigh as much
as 600 to 700 pounds: A drag net for other fisheries may weigh
up to 900 pounds in netting alone with another couple of thousand
pounds of rigging added to that. To purchase a new shrimp net
could cost a fisherman as much as $5,000 with drag nets ranging
up to $12,000. You really want to keep those nets in good shape!
"I had no equipment," said George, "just a pocket
knife and a needle and thread.
"Since then I have made a lot of changes," McMurrick
continued, "I fitted a big truck with a drum on the back
to haul the nets from the waterfront to the shop. Now you see
quite a few of those trucks around." He has also purchased
a forklift and other tools, build a 35foot by 65foot shop on land
around his home and, "...invented things as I went along."
He took his net business to the Internet two years ago and began
exploring other uses for netting, including sports netting repair
and brokerage of new sporting equipment such as soccer goals,
batting cages and chest protectors. "I have sold pitching
machines to people in Guam, Mexico City and Norway," he said.
The Longview, Washington area has a large concentration of clients
because of the concentration of baseball and golf enthusiasts.
"They have five major outdoor complexes and two or three
indoor facilities." He has spent the last seven years designing
and installing batting cages as far away as Bremerton, Washington.
His Internet "territory" for batting machines includes
Northern California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
George sees the Internet business as the way to the future. "This
Internet business should carry me into old age. Here I am, just
a guy with a telephone and a computer. I have a network of vendors
and suppliers for everything I need." He recently sold a
90 foot long retaining net for the olympics, "I just buy
the material, cut it out and sew it back together in the right
shape. I have a guy in Illinois with a sewing machine if anything
needs to be sewed." McMurrick states his website is getting
1,200 hits per month and his goal is as many as 4,000.
George's website is not only a sales tool, it is also educational.
The page titled Net Trivia is designed to help customers understand
the netting choices available to select the right product for
their needs. Insights include:
· The "Bond" on nets reflects the amount of weatherproofing
in the netting.
· Knotless netting is higher quality than knotted netting
and has a longer life - knotless webbing does not wear out in
the area of the knot when hit by sports ball.
· "504" netting is the same netting used in baseball
spring training in Florida.
· Twine size affects the weight and strength of the netting.
Size 18 netting is 18 strands in the twine. The more strands,
the stronger the netting. Buy the correct strength and weight
net for your intended use.
· Baseball, golf and soccer nets all have different mesh
or "web" sizes. This is measured by flattening the hole
so the two pieces of netting are laying right next to each other
- an 8" mesh is really four f"pieces of twine.
Now you know more about netting than you ever thought you would.
Check out George's website to learn even more about netting and
sports equipment. Way to fish for customers, George!
LCB
Astoria Net Shop
Owners: George & Daphne McMurrick
Address: 35046 Fifth Lane
Astoria, Oregon 97103
Telephone: 503/325-0789
Toll Free: 800/832-5701
Fax: 503/325-0789
E-mail: netshop@teleport.com
Website:astorianetshop.com
Shop Hours: By appointment
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