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OUR SERVICES
Sea Trial Captain and Boat Purchase Help
Buying a boat? I'll run the sea trial with you, tell you how she handles and what she needs, and help you decide before you close. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person. Anywhere else, we go through the listing, the photos and the survey by phone. I also help plan big trips and answer the questions that don't fit anywhere else.
Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
OUR SERVICES
Sea Trial Captain and Boat Purchase Help
Buying a boat? I'll run the sea trial with you, tell you how she handles and what she needs, and help you decide before you close. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person. Anywhere else, we go through the listing, the photos and the survey by phone. I also help plan big trips and answer the questions that don't fit anywhere else.
Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
OUR SERVICES
Sea Trial Captain and Boat Purchase Help
Buying a boat? I'll run the sea trial with you, tell you how she handles and what she needs, and help you decide before you close. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person. Anywhere else, we go through the listing, the photos and the survey by phone. I also help plan big trips and answer the questions that don't fit anywhere else.
Or give me a call at (248) 497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
USCG Master 100 GRT
GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS
USCG Master 50 GRT
NEAR COASTAL
Commercial Towing Assistance
Endorsement
B.S. Mechanical Eng.
U of M Dearborn
Past Commodore
Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006
USCG Master 100 GRT
GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS
USCG Master 50 GRT
NEAR COASTAL
Commercial Towing Assistance
Endorsement
B.S. Mechanical Eng.
U of M Dearborn
Past Commodore
Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006
ON THE SEA TRIAL
What a captain does on a sea trial
Have a surveyor aboard. They’re checking the boat’s condition, and their report matters to you and your insurer. I’m there for the question the survey doesn’t answer: can you run this boat, in your water, on a day that isn’t perfect?
Before the offer
Send me the listing. I’ll tell you what to ask the seller and whether she’s worth a sea trial at all.
At the sea trial
I’m aboard for the cold start. Then we work her at idle before she ever gets on plane: backing, pivoting, holding her against the wind. Her cruise and top-end numbers get written down.
After the survey
We go through the report together and sort the findings into dealbreakers, negotiating points and routine upkeep.
After closing
I can run her home, or stay aboard while you learn her on the way.
The survey tells you what she is. The sea trial tells you whether you can run her.
— WHAT'S INCLUDED
What Marine Consulting Covers
Consulting engagements are open-ended by design. There's no fixed curriculum and no set outcome. You bring the question, I bring the experience. Most of what people come to me for falls into one of these.
01
Sea trials and purchase help
Before you buy is the cheapest time to find out what you’re really looking at. I help with pre-purchase evaluations: what to look for at survey, how to read a vessel’s condition and history, what a survey finding actually means for you, and whether the deal in front of you is worth making. A second set of eyes that has bought, sold, delivered, and maintained boats for a living can save you from an expensive mistake. Start with what a marine survey covers and what to check on a sea trial.
02
Travel and trip planning
Planning a long run on the Great Lakes is its own skill. I help owners think through route, daily distance, ports of call, fuel stops, weather windows, and the reservations that need to happen before you leave the dock. The goal is a plan that holds up when conditions change, and a realistic Plan B for when they do. For a sense of how I approach it, here’s how to plan a multi-day Great Lakes trip.
03
Seamanship questions
Docking that keeps going sideways. An anchorage that won't hold. A maneuver you've never had to make and don't want to learn the hard way. These are the things worth talking through before you're out there committed to them. Bring the specific situation and I'll walk you through how I'd handle it.
04
Vessel systems and maintenance
Thirty-six years across the automotive, commercial truck, and marine supply industry means I can usually tell you what you're dealing with and what it's going to take. Engines, fuel burn, what a maintenance schedule should actually look like, what's worth fixing and what's worth walking away from. Not a substitute for your mechanic, but a straight read before you commit time and money.
05
General guidance
Some questions don't fit a category. Buying, selling, upgrading, planning, or just working through a decision you'd rather not make alone. If it touches boats and the water, it's fair game. If I'm not the right person for it, I'll tell you that too.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
— WHAT'S INCLUDED
What Marine Consulting Covers
Consulting engagements are open-ended by design. There's no fixed curriculum and no set outcome. You bring the question, I bring the experience. Most of what people come to me for falls into one of these.
01
Sea trials and purchase help
Before you buy is the cheapest time to find out what you’re really looking at. I help with pre-purchase evaluations: what to look for at survey, how to read a vessel’s condition and history, what a survey finding actually means for you, and whether the deal in front of you is worth making. A second set of eyes that has bought, sold, delivered, and maintained boats for a living can save you from an expensive mistake. Start with what a marine survey covers and what to check on a sea trial.
02
Travel and trip planning
Planning a long run on the Great Lakes is its own skill. I help owners think through route, daily distance, ports of call, fuel stops, weather windows, and the reservations that need to happen before you leave the dock. The goal is a plan that holds up when conditions change, and a realistic Plan B for when they do. For a sense of how I approach it, here’s how to plan a multi-day Great Lakes trip.
03
Seamanship questions
Docking that keeps going sideways. An anchorage that won't hold. A maneuver you've never had to make and don't want to learn the hard way. These are the things worth talking through before you're out there committed to them. Bring the specific situation and I'll walk you through how I'd handle it.
04
Vessel systems and maintenance
Thirty-six years across the automotive, commercial truck, and marine supply industry means I can usually tell you what you're dealing with and what it's going to take. Engines, fuel burn, what a maintenance schedule should actually look like, what's worth fixing and what's worth walking away from. Not a substitute for your mechanic, but a straight read before you commit time and money.
05
General guidance
Some questions don't fit a category. Buying, selling, upgrading, planning, or just working through a decision you'd rather not make alone. If it touches boats and the water, it's fair game. If I'm not the right person for it, I'll tell you that too.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
— WHAT'S INCLUDED
What Marine Consulting Covers
Consulting engagements are open-ended by design. There's no fixed curriculum and no set outcome. You bring the question, I bring the experience. Most of what people come to me for falls into one of these.
01
Sea trials and purchase help
Before you buy is the cheapest time to find out what you’re really looking at. I help with pre-purchase evaluations: what to look for at survey, how to read a vessel’s condition and history, what a survey finding actually means for you, and whether the deal in front of you is worth making. A second set of eyes that has bought, sold, delivered, and maintained boats for a living can save you from an expensive mistake. Start with what a marine survey covers and what to check on a sea trial.
02
Travel and trip planning
Planning a long run on the Great Lakes is its own skill. I help owners think through route, daily distance, ports of call, fuel stops, weather windows, and the reservations that need to happen before you leave the dock. The goal is a plan that holds up when conditions change, and a realistic Plan B for when they do. For a sense of how I approach it, here’s how to plan a multi-day Great Lakes trip.
03
Seamanship questions
Docking that keeps going sideways. An anchorage that won't hold. A maneuver you've never had to make and don't want to learn the hard way. These are the things worth talking through before you're out there committed to them. Bring the specific situation and I'll walk you through how I'd handle it.
04
Vessel systems and maintenance
Thirty-six years across the automotive, commercial truck, and marine supply industry means I can usually tell you what you're dealing with and what it's going to take. Engines, fuel burn, what a maintenance schedule should actually look like, what's worth fixing and what's worth walking away from. Not a substitute for your mechanic, but a straight read before you commit time and money.
05
General guidance
Some questions don't fit a category. Buying, selling, upgrading, planning, or just working through a decision you'd rather not make alone. If it touches boats and the water, it's fair game. If I'm not the right person for it, I'll tell you that too.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
IN FLORIDA
Buying a boat in Florida
Florida is where a lot of boats change hands, and plenty of the buyers fly in from somewhere else. I work in Florida year-round, so I can meet you at the sea trial and, when the deal closes, get her where she’s going.
Show season
Boat-show season is when I do most of this work. Bring me your shortlist before you sign anything at the show.
Getting her home
Across the state, over to the Bahamas, up the ICW or all the way to the Great Lakes. I can run her there, or you can ride along and learn her on the way.
Insurance
A bigger boat or a new carrier can come with a check ride or hours with a captain before you run her alone. I can do that on the same boat.
The runs inside the state are on my Florida boat delivery page, the long run north is in the Great Lakes to Florida delivery guide, and the insurance side is on insurance check rides.
TRIP PLANNING
Planning a Great Lakes cruise you’ll run yourself
You finally have the boat, or the time off, for the run you’ve been thinking about for years: around Lake Erie, or north up Lake Huron and beyond. Preparation and planning decide how that trip goes. Travel planning is where I come in. We plan the cruise together, and you run it.
The daily legs
We start with how many hours you want at the wheel, not how many miles you can cover. Then we set each day’s run with room to spare.
The ports
Every stop is a harbor your boat can get into, with the depth, fuel and transient slip you need, and somewhere protected to sit out a blow.
The weather days
We pick your limits ahead of time and build in at least one weather day, so the forecast picks your running days, not the calendar.
In writing
You leave with the route, the legs, a fallback harbor for every day and a float plan to leave with someone ashore.
Know before you go. On a well-planned trip, the running is the easy part.
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works
There's no package to choose and no clock to beat. It starts with a call. Tell me what you're trying to figure out, and we'll go from there: a single conversation if that's all it takes, or ongoing input through a purchase or a trip if that's what's useful. Pricing depends on what you need, so it's quoted once I understand the situation. Get in touch and we'll sort out whether I can help.
Reach Out
Tell us what you're working through and we'll determine whether a consulting engagement is the right fit.
Connect
Captain Tom sits down with you, in person or remotely, to understand your situation in full before offering any direction.
Get Answers
You leave the conversation with clear, honest guidance grounded in decades of hands-on marine industry experience.
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works
There's no package to choose and no clock to beat. It starts with a call. Tell me what you're trying to figure out, and we'll go from there: a single conversation if that's all it takes, or ongoing input through a purchase or a trip if that's what's useful. Pricing depends on what you need, so it's quoted once I understand the situation. Get in touch and we'll sort out whether I can help.
Reach Out
Tell us what you're working through and we'll determine whether a consulting engagement is the right fit.
Connect
Captain Tom sits down with you, in person or remotely, to understand your situation in full before offering any direction.
Get Answers
You leave the conversation with clear, honest guidance grounded in decades of hands-on marine industry experience.
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
Some questions don't fit into a coaching program or a delivery contract. Should I buy this boat or wait for the next one? Is this survey finding a dealbreaker or a negotiating point? Can I actually make that trip in a single season? Those are the conversations I enjoy most — because they're the ones where experience actually matters. I grew up on the water. Six years working in a marina before I had a real job title. 36 years in the automotive and marine supply industry. Thinking like a mechanical engineer about why boats behave the way they do. I've run every mile of water from Lake Erie to Lake Huron, and I've been involved in more boat deals, repowers, surveys, and travel plans than I could list. Bring me your question. I'll give you a straight answer.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
Some questions don't fit into a coaching program or a delivery contract. Should I buy this boat or wait for the next one? Is this survey finding a dealbreaker or a negotiating point? Can I actually make that trip in a single season? Those are the conversations I enjoy most — because they're the ones where experience actually matters. I grew up on the water. Six years working in a marina before I had a real job title. 36 years in the automotive and marine supply industry. Thinking like a mechanical engineer about why boats behave the way they do. I've run every mile of water from Lake Erie to Lake Huron, and I've been involved in more boat deals, repowers, surveys, and travel plans than I could list. Bring me your question. I'll give you a straight answer.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
Some questions don't fit into a coaching program or a delivery contract. Should I buy this boat or wait for the next one? Is this survey finding a dealbreaker or a negotiating point? Can I actually make that trip in a single season? Those are the conversations I enjoy most — because they're the ones where experience actually matters. I grew up on the water. Six years working in a marina before I had a real job title. 36 years in the automotive and marine supply industry. Thinking like a mechanical engineer about why boats behave the way they do. I've run every mile of water from Lake Erie to Lake Huron, and I've been involved in more boat deals, repowers, surveys, and travel plans than I could list. Bring me your question. I'll give you a straight answer.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I bring you in?
As early as you can. Before the offer, I can tell you what to ask and whether she's worth a sea trial. At the sea trial, I run my own test alongside the surveyor's. After the survey, we sort the findings. If you only bring me in once, make it the sea trial.
Do you work with my broker and surveyor?
Yes. The broker sets up the sea trial, the surveyor checks her condition, and I'm there for you. I stay out of the surveyor's way, tell them anything I saw at the cold start, and go through their report with you afterward.
Do you offer consulting if I'm buying a boat in another state?
Yes. A lot of pre-purchase consulting happens over the phone and by reviewing photos, listings, and survey reports. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person.
Can you run the boat home after I buy her?
Yes. I can deliver her to her new slip, whether that's across town or all the way to the Great Lakes, or stay aboard while you learn her on the way. If your insurer wants time with a captain before you run her alone, those hours can count, with your carrier's OK.
Is this the same as a marine survey?
No. A surveyor produces a formal report for insurance and financing. I help you understand what that report means and what to do about it, and I help with the judgment calls a survey doesn't cover, like whether the boat fits how you actually plan to use it. The two work well together.
Can you help me plan a Great Lakes trip I'll run myself?
That's exactly what travel planning consulting is for. We build the route, the daily distances, the stops, and the contingencies, and you run it. If you'd rather have a captain aboard for part of it, that's a different conversation we can have.
What does consulting cost?
It depends on what you need, so it's quoted after a short call. Some questions take one conversation. Others run through an entire purchase or voyage.
How do I get started?
Schedule a call. Tell me what you're working on, and we'll figure out the rest.
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I bring you in?
As early as you can. Before the offer, I can tell you what to ask and whether she's worth a sea trial. At the sea trial, I run my own test alongside the surveyor's. After the survey, we sort the findings. If you only bring me in once, make it the sea trial.
Do you work with my broker and surveyor?
Yes. The broker sets up the sea trial, the surveyor checks her condition, and I'm there for you. I stay out of the surveyor's way, tell them anything I saw at the cold start, and go through their report with you afterward.
Do you offer consulting if I'm buying a boat in another state?
Yes. A lot of pre-purchase consulting happens over the phone and by reviewing photos, listings, and survey reports. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person.
Can you run the boat home after I buy her?
Yes. I can deliver her to her new slip, whether that's across town or all the way to the Great Lakes, or stay aboard while you learn her on the way. If your insurer wants time with a captain before you run her alone, those hours can count, with your carrier's OK.
Is this the same as a marine survey?
No. A surveyor produces a formal report for insurance and financing. I help you understand what that report means and what to do about it, and I help with the judgment calls a survey doesn't cover, like whether the boat fits how you actually plan to use it. The two work well together.
Can you help me plan a Great Lakes trip I'll run myself?
That's exactly what travel planning consulting is for. We build the route, the daily distances, the stops, and the contingencies, and you run it. If you'd rather have a captain aboard for part of it, that's a different conversation we can have.
What does consulting cost?
It depends on what you need, so it's quoted after a short call. Some questions take one conversation. Others run through an entire purchase or voyage.
How do I get started?
Schedule a call. Tell me what you're working on, and we'll figure out the rest.
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I bring you in?
As early as you can. Before the offer, I can tell you what to ask and whether she's worth a sea trial. At the sea trial, I run my own test alongside the surveyor's. After the survey, we sort the findings. If you only bring me in once, make it the sea trial.
Do you work with my broker and surveyor?
Yes. The broker sets up the sea trial, the surveyor checks her condition, and I'm there for you. I stay out of the surveyor's way, tell them anything I saw at the cold start, and go through their report with you afterward.
Do you offer consulting if I'm buying a boat in another state?
Yes. A lot of pre-purchase consulting happens over the phone and by reviewing photos, listings, and survey reports. In Michigan and Florida, I can usually be there in person.
Can you run the boat home after I buy her?
Yes. I can deliver her to her new slip, whether that's across town or all the way to the Great Lakes, or stay aboard while you learn her on the way. If your insurer wants time with a captain before you run her alone, those hours can count, with your carrier's OK.
Is this the same as a marine survey?
No. A surveyor produces a formal report for insurance and financing. I help you understand what that report means and what to do about it, and I help with the judgment calls a survey doesn't cover, like whether the boat fits how you actually plan to use it. The two work well together.
Can you help me plan a Great Lakes trip I'll run myself?
That's exactly what travel planning consulting is for. We build the route, the daily distances, the stops, and the contingencies, and you run it. If you'd rather have a captain aboard for part of it, that's a different conversation we can have.
What does consulting cost?
It depends on what you need, so it's quoted after a short call. Some questions take one conversation. Others run through an entire purchase or voyage.
How do I get started?
Schedule a call. Tell me what you're working on, and we'll figure out the rest.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Looking at a boat?
Send me the listing, or tell me what you're trying to figure out. There's no script, just an experienced captain who's glad to help you think it through.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Looking at a boat?
Send me the listing, or tell me what you're trying to figure out. There's no script, just an experienced captain who's glad to help you think it through.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Looking at a boat?
Send me the listing, or tell me what you're trying to figure out. There's no script, just an experienced captain who's glad to help you think it through.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I’m on the water, I’ll call you back same day.
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved