Full Schedule for Tres Martin’s Performance Boat School

ByJason Johnson

If Tres Martin and Brad Schoenwald could clone themselves, now might be a good time. The knowledgeable instructors behind Tres Martin’s Performance Boat School have a busy couple of months ahead, including confirmed classes in Clear Lake, Texas (April 3-4), Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. (April 9-10), Lake Cumberland, Ky. (April 30-May 1), and Grand Rapids, Mich. (May 14-15). And let’s not forget about a couple of trips to Lake Havasu City, Ariz., before and during the Desert Storm Poker Run (April 9-10 and April 23-25).

Tres Martin's Performance Boat School provides on-water instruction as well as classroom knowledge.
Tres Martin’s Performance Boat School provides on-water instruction as well as classroom knowledge.

“I have a class in Miami coming up this weekend and I just did a couple of sessions in Fort Lauderdale,” Schoenwald said in an interview on Wednesday afternoon. “Boats seem to be selling—new and used—so there are a lot of people picking up some good deals and then coming to school. We have to be very fluid with our schedule because when someone buys a boat and wants to take the course we need to be able to respond in a timely manner and coordinate arrangements with everyone involved.”

Schoenwald said the schedule is a bit busier than normal, but that courses, which vary from Performance Boating for Beginners to the Ultimate Performance Boat Course, are held year round. Keeping their schedule fluid allows them to be updating it only weeks in advance if necessary.

“We’ve been modifying the course curriculum a little—we’re always reviewing it—and have been picking up more cruisers and center-console-type boats,” Schoenwald said. “Other boats, like cruisers and runabouts, are just as important as the high-performance stuff. Boaters need to feel comfortable and confident in the boat they’re driving, and that’s why we’re here.

“This really is a cool gig, but we take it very seriously,” he added. “There is a tremendous responsibility in what we do. And it’s not all about boat operation. A lot of the classroom stuff is about human factor, or human performance technology, such as how the brain and body respond in certain situations. There’s also a little about social responsibility, which comes with owning a boat.”

For the latest class updates check out the website calendar or search for the course thread on OffshoreOnly.com.