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Boksa Marine Design becomes employee partnership of marine engineers

Boksa Marine Design becomes employee partnership of marine engineers

gCaptain
Total Views: 781
August 23, 2022

Boksa Marine Design (BMD) is now an employee-owned naval architecture and marine  engineering partnership. On August 1, BMD President Nick Boksa, P.E. restructured the firm from a privately-owned business to a partnership culture, making five key engineers and naval architects minority stockholders. 

With BMD’s 20th anniversary on the horizon, its crew of young, highly skilled employee-owners will guide BMD well into the future, with Nick Boksa at the helm. 

“I have a great deal of confidence in our team of professionals that have been behind all the great work we have been providing for years,” said Nick Boksa. “The goal of this partnership is to ensure long term adequacy and continuity of resources to meet the growing and evolving needs of our industry. BMD has become much more than an on-demand outsourced provider, but rather a long-term strategic partner to our clients.” 

Headquartered in Lithia, FL, just east of Tampa, Boksa Marine Design provides a wide array of expertise and practical experience in design and construction of steel, aluminum and composite vessels. Clients includes US based commercial marine and military shipyards, owners and operators as well as an international clientele of builders and government agencies around the world. BMD is also a leading designer of superyachts and sportfishing boats and provides complete composite design to production boat builders. 

BMD’s engineers are niched as academy graduates who have also worked as licensed crew onboard ships and other vessels, or alternatively with military service and backgrounds in major shipyards. Robust and stout, every BMD design is engineered with generous, accommodating, crew-friendly workspaces and practical engine room layouts; the kinds of vessels our engineers would enjoy serving aboard at sea or on the inland waterways. 

The Partners 

Josh Trupia

The employee-owners of BMD include Josh Trupia, a marine and mechanical engineer responsible  for mechanical and structural engineering, piping systems schematics, 2-D and 3-D pipe routing,  production engineering and propulsions system arrangements. 

Josh is a graduate of State University of New York Maritime College and holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), Marine Engineering. Earlier in 2022, Josh relocated from our Florida headquarters to Arkansas to better geographically integrate our naval engineering resources  within the inland river market. He is concentrating on tugs, barges and towboats for operators and shipyards on the  Arkansas, Mississippi, Ouchita, White Rivers, and the inland market as a whole. 

Jeff Kuenning

Naval architect and marine engineer Jeff Kuenning is now BMD’s Director of Naval Architecture.  Jeff is responsible for stability analysis, speed /power analysis, weight studies, drafting, structural  calculations and design, 3-D design, engine room ventilation and systems design. Kuenning assures regulatory compliance with significant regulatory experience with USCG, ABS, ABYC and  other class societies.

Jeff graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSE in naval architecture and marine engineering. He was  previously a naval architect and marine engineer with NETSco, Inc. and John W. Gilbert & Associates, Inc.  

“It has always been a professional aspiration of mine to become a partner in a firm’s ownership,” said Jeff Kuenning.  “To have the opportunity to join a group that is going to help continue the growth of BMD and bring it to new levels is  very exciting. This new ownership group will further expand our capabilities and offerings to new and existing clients. In  collaboration with Nick, our goal is to position BMD to continue to build upon our strong position in the industry for many  years to come.” 

Mike Valentine

Mike Valentine is a marine designer focused on production engineering and ShipConstructor©  modeling. Previously, Mike worked with Bath Iron Works, a division of General Dynamics, on the  label plates team on DDG 51 and the hull outfit team for DDG 1000. Mike served in the U.S. Army;  he was deployed to Iraq and stationed on the Tallil Air Force Base. Mike was also an Army Reservist  in the 619th Transportation Company in Auburn, Maine.

James Pilliod

A 2013 graduate from US Merchant Marine Academy, James Pilliod is a marine systems engineer.  James is a USCG 2nd Assistant Engineer also commissioned in US Navy Reserve. Pilliod worked as a  marine engineer aboard ships for Noble Drilling and was on Noble’s delivery engineering team for  new builds with Hyundai Heavy Industries.  

James also served as a marine engineer onboard various cargo ships and offshore supply vessels.  He enjoys working on small sail and power boats in his spare time. He volunteers with Warrior  Sailing Program, racing with disabled veterans and teaching them how to sail in team events. 

Jack Becker

Jack Becker, naval architect, is responsible for stability analysis, conducting inclining tests, structural calculations, composite engineering, 3D modeling and commercial vessel design. Jack  graduated from Webb Institute with dual degrees, Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He previously was an intern for Metal Shark Boats in naval architecture  and shipyard production. At Matson, Inc., Jack was an engine and deck cadet in Pacific Ocean  operations. 

Earlier in 2022, Beck became the lead of BMD’s composite design and engineering team, tasked with expanding the firm’s  capabilities to better support production and custom composite boat builders. 

Speaking for his new partners, Jack Becker is enthused about the future. “I am incredibly excited for the bright future  ahead for Boksa Marine Design,” he said. “These are steps in the right direction to a gradual transition of power and  responsibilities years from now. My business partners and I are dedicated to continuing and growing upon the strong BMD  reputation within the maritime industry.”

Company Profile 

Specializing in full-scale design and naval architecture, BMD vessels are engineered and built to meet class standards and  regulatory and flag state requirements, exceeding operational requirements of their mission. Vast experience in production  engineering, 3D modeling and lofting and nesting of metal parts makes BMD the best choice to cover peak engineering  loads at busy shipyards in commercial marine, workboat and inland waterways.  

Boksa Marine Design (BMD) has completed over 720 naval architecture projects up to 740 feet for 65 clients since 2003,  demonstrating high versatility between commercial, military, government, law enforcement, inland waterways and  passenger vessels. Projects run the gamut from crane barges to survey and patrol boats for Workskiff and North River  Boats, and production engineering projects for Conrad Shipyard, Blount Boats, St. Johns Ship Building, VTB and OSG. BMD  provided complete design and engineering for DonJon’s 78’ Tug J. Arnold Witte. BMD provided Subchapter T regulatory  compliance for Corinthian Catamarans and Cooper Marine. 

Boksa Marine Design’s workboats are hardworking commercial vessels that are built to last – engineered for the sea. BMD  provides ground-up design for many special projects, including R/V W.T. Hogarth, a 78-foot research vessel and floating  laboratory for Florida Institute of Oceanography scientists and students studying the Gulf of Mexico.  

BMD has also provided naval architecture and a host of engineering services including refit engineering projects for  superyachts and production boats, including Burger Boat Company, Derecktor Shipyards, East Cape, Buddy Davis, Todomar,  Toro and many pleasure craft builders around the world. 

Boksa Marine Design Log  

Nick Boksa

BMD was founded in 2003 by naval architect and marine engineer, Nicholas Boksa, P.E. Nick  graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USSMA) with a B.S. in Marine  

Engineering Systems. At USMMA, Boksa earned a USCG 3rd assistant engineer merchant mariner  license. He attained the rank of Lt. Commander in the U.S. Merchant Marine Reserves and  obtained his master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of  Michigan. 

Before launching his own firm, Nick Boksa worked at Burger Boat Company as a naval architect, responsible for hull design,  structural engineering, weights and centers, powering and performance, mechanical systems and outfitting for Burger hulls  483 – 493, all semi-displacement motoryachts ranging from 76 – 118 feet.  

Boksa then joined Maritrans, Inc. as a naval architect and marine engineer responsible for design and construction  management of a fleet of oceangoing tugboats and large oil tank barges (ATBs). Later, as naval architecture and engineering  manager for Davis Boatworks, Boksa designed semi-custom FRP sport fishing yachts up to 70 feet, with the fleet’s speed  exceeding 45 knots. Significant experience with iconic, industry leaders in diverse markets is a bonus for BMD’s clients  expecting proven engineering and naval architecture solution. 

For more information, images or to set an interview with the partners of Boksa Marine Design, please contact Lisa Overing,  Megayacht Media, at 954-579-2398 or [email protected] 

Complete naval architecture and marine engineering, ships and commercial marine, inland waterways, barges,  tugs, tow boats, ATBs, workboats, law enforcement, military, fisheries, research vessels, passenger vessels,  superyachts, sportfishing vessels, production boats. 

NAVAL ARCHITECTURE 

• Exterior Styling 

• Interior Arrangements 

• Space Planning 

• Mechanical Systems 

• Vessel Performance Calculations • Vessel Specifications 

• Preliminary Hull Design 

• Hull Form & Outfitting Design • Structural & Mechanical Attributes • Stability Analysis 

• Construction Oversight 

• Design Review 

• Vessel Survey 

• Cost Analysis 

• Vessel Life Analysis 

• Production Mold Design 

• Tooling Design 

• Cold Molding Design 

• Lamination Engineering 

• 3D Modeling 

ENGINEERING 

Marine engineering 

• Electrical Engineering 

• Structural Engineering 

• Mechanical Engineering 

• Weight Analysis 

• Detailed Shop Drawings 

• Code for Numerical Cutting 

• Lofting & Nesting 

• Interior Arrangements & Space Planning • Mechanical Systems Design 

• Specification Development 

• Ballast Water Management  

Production Engineering 

• Fairing & lofting 

• Nesting of parts for CNC 

• Shell plating & structure 

• Molding & tooling design 

• Modular construction 

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