In 2007, Cruise RO’s founder, Rich Boren, was outfitting his 1978 Pearson 365 Ketch SV THIRD DAY, for an extended cruise with his wife and two children.  Rich built his own watermaker and throughout his family cruise it was one of the most reliable in the fleet, thanks to its simple, efficient design and the use of high-quality components. Word travels fast through the cruiser’s coconut telegraph, and soon, both current cruisers and cruisers in planning began contacting Rich for help with their watermakers and asking Rich to build them a watermaker for their boats.

So from an anchorage in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico and internet café in Bahia de Los Angeles, Cruise RO was born.  As a cruiser himself, Rich quickly made a name for himself in the Marine Industry as a stand-out for customer service and his company became one of the leading manufacturers of piston pump “SeaMaker” brand watermakers.  An early adopter of the “work from anywhere” concept, Rich enjoyed doing the Customer Support and Service from wherever their boat was anchored and later from one of his offices in La Paz, Mexico, Morro Bay or Bakersfield, California or even his family’s house in Lucca, Italy.  Armed with a laptop and phone, Rich has taken the concept of customer service to the next level, reflecting the cruisers need for support when THEY need it, vs just the corporate template of 9-5/Monday-Friday.

SeaMaker brand piston pump watermakers are best suited for boats with generators, being able to handle the large power draws of 1200W to 1500W (90A to 130A @ 12v DC).  As solar and battery technology improved and became more efficient, Rich started searching for a more efficient watermaker, one that could realistically run off the ship’s battery bank and meet his reliability expectations.  This search led Rich to partner with Schenker Watermakers, becoming their USA and Mexico Distributor.  Based in Naples, Italy, Schenker has been making energy efficient watermakers since 1998 and has a long history for making quality watermakers.  Schenker’s Energy Recovery high pressure pump is able to make water for up to 75% less power per gallon over the traditional piston pump style watermakers, giving cruisers without a ships generator the ability to “Go Cruising…Not Camping” with plenty of water powered by their battery bank and Solar!

Today, Rich and his wife Lori split their time between living in La Paz, Mexico, or Bakersfield, California or aboard their boat SV THIRD DAY in Morro Bay, California with an occasional stay at their family house in Lucca, Italy.  So when you call Rich 7 Days a Week for Sales or Support, ask him where he is working from today, he might just be eating lunch at one of his favorite street Taco Carts!

Rich cruised with Lori and the kids in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico

“A Sunset in Bay of Los Angeles, aboard SV THIRD DAY 1978 Hudson Force 50 Ketch-2010 “