Page 138 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Most of Peterson’s dockside customers are commercial fishing boats
assembly plant on the West Coast right here during World War II. And Kaiser Shipyards built Victory and Liberty ships here for the war. Before all that, Jack London sailed up this little estuary all the way to San Pablo Bay.”The historic channel measures 22-feet deep at Peterson’s dock, accom- modating large commercial vessels like tugs up to 110-foot long, or four smaller vessels at one time.
Peterson Marine ad from 1957
Cawley has handled all the repairs (until he retired in 2021), with help from Peterson Power’s shop when things get crazy. His biggest customers have been commercial fishing boats. “We work on any- thing, but mostly 3208, 3116, 3126, C7, and C9 engines—the same ones I used to work on back in Peterson’s truck shop.” Back in the 1960s, truck en- gines were the proving ground for marine engines. Caterpillar then developed them further with ma- rine-specific attachments. “There’s still a ton of 3208s out here on the bay. They would be com- pletely unacceptable as truck engines now because of emissions, but out on the water, it’s different. A lot of these boats put eight hundred to a thousand hours on them over the course of twenty-five years. In a truck, they’ll easily run up a thousand hours in one year. That’s the difference.”
Cawley’s reputation on the dock wooed much of the fishing fleet back to Caterpillar.“They were an- gry with Cat for all the issues they had with their C7s and C9s,” says Richter, “but Ron has been able to gain their respect and loyalty. They’re coming to our dock because of his skill and his personality and his willingness to take care of them. He’s cre- ated a real atmosphere of customer service. In fact, one of the customers started calling him Captain Ron and the name stuck.”
LOCAL BIG BUSINESS:
COAST GUARD, TUGS AND BAR PILOTS
Peterson’s history within the marine market goes back to 1957 when Peterson acquired the SF Bay Area Caterpillar marine engine franchise formerly held by the Thomas A. Short Company (TASCO). Since then the marine market has changed dramat- ically. “We’re working on Coast Guard cutters and tugs that guide billions of dollars’ worth of crude oil through the bay to the refineries,” says Matt George, Peterson Power’s general service manager from 2006 to 2017. “It’s not just fishing boats any- more. In 2015, we did an overhaul on a Navy ves- sel—something we would never have dreamed of
136 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG