Eight Sailors from Naval Air Station Patuxent River and four from Joint Base Anacostia Bolling (JBAB) earned their official Honda outboard motor certification following a week of classroom instruction and practical hands-on engine repair, July 18-22.

A Honda Marine factory-certified instructor from the Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) taught the 400-hour Comprehensive Service Course, held at the Boat House Maintenance Facility, Building 312.

"Port Ops as an enterprise uses Honda engines; and these Sailors transition in and out so often, they don't always have the skills necessary to keep up the engines," explained Dave Wick, installation program director for Port Operations. "I saw a need and contacted region about this class."

Wick successfully sold the idea, arranged for funding, and coordinated with MMI to have the instructor come to Pax River and teach the Sailors. Teams of three individuals worked on four boats throughout the course, including two from JBAB that were not in working condition.

Two of the Sailors who earned their certification were Boatswain's Mates 2nd Class Bryan Dingess and Justin Plank. Both agreed the class was beneficial.

"We had to tear apart the outboard motor almost to the block, where the cylinders are, and redo everything," Plank explained. "We had repair parts and new parts, and we got both of those JBAB boats up and running. We thought we had been doing things correctly, but the instructor showed us easier ways of doing things, which will save time and money."

Active-duty service members don't usually work on boats in most port operations facilities in the U.S., but Pax River's Port Ops is different.

"We have the facility and tools to work on our own things; it's a luxury we have here at Pax River," Dingess said. "And now that we have our certification on the engines, it makes us more versatile and more efficient within our own shop."

Culminating the week with a written exam, all 12 participants earned their certification and, as Wick noted, are "all able to confidently work on the engines now."

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