Rob Neal News

Larry Wieber's Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc. (ACB) has maintained a low profile during its first four years of operation. With a growing demand for security craft, and ACB's stellar performances in front of government buyers, his company's success is now Bellingham, Washington's worst kept secret. Personal sacrifice and pain often accompany success. Larry Wieber never knew the pain part would be literal, not figurative. In the process of helping a television production company prepare a story on his unique craft before bad weather stopped filming, Wieber badly crushed one of his fingers while rolling one of his boats off its trailer.

In considering activities in the U.S. maritime industry for the short and long term, it is unwise to start the conversation without a mention of the patrol and defense needs of the country in the mounting effort to secure nearly 95,000 miles of coastline. As plans emerge during the coming weeks, months and years, the only certainty is increased funding for a variety of ships, boats and marine-borne electronic surveillance systems geared toward meeting and defeating enemy attacks, both large and small. An embodiment of the push for new technology is embodied in the activities of companies such as Larry Wieber's Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc. (ACB) in Bellingham, Wash.