McGrath Yachts, Inc (Alameda, CA)

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Meet The McGrath Yachts Crew

Ed McGrath
Owner / Broker

The McGrath family has been working on the San Francisco Bay since the 1860’s. Ed followed this tradition, working his way through college as a longshoreman and as a deckhand on the ferryboats. He also has experience as a cargo surveyor. After a successful career in corporate sales, Ed returned to his first love, the bay and boats. For the past dozen years he has sold some of the finer boats on The Bay. He is particularly proud to have been instrumental in the establishment of one of the first trawler schools on the San Francisco Bay. He feels that the more knowledgeable and comfortable you are at the helm, the more enjoyment you will find in boating on the Bay and beyond. Ed has also developed and hosted San Francisco Bay Trawler Show, which has evolved into "Bay Fest", for many years. What he loves most, though, is matching the right boat with the right owner. The whole process of learning the buyer’s needs and desires, getting answers to questions and concerns, guiding the buyer through making a choice and, finally, helping a dream come true, is very fulfilling for Ed. His satisfaction truly comes from knowing his client is cruising away satisfied.

Pat Skaates
Sales

Pat was born and raised in San Francisco and has lived in Marin County for the past 26 years where he raised his children. He has been on and around the water since childhood when he swam for his high school and surfed the local coastal beaches. As a youth, Pat’s father had the foresight to involve Pat and his brother, George, in the Boy Scouts. Then in their teens, they joined the Sea Scouts, based out of San Francisco Aquatic Park, where they were crewed the Sea Scout Ship Hurricane, a 68-foot old wooden, single diesel trawler that provided many summer voyages throughout the Bay and Delta, as well as coastal trips.

Waterskiing in the Bay and Delta has been a passion. Pat competed in slalom waterskiing at the national tournament level. Pat has had “the bug” for boat ownership, ever since buying a ski boat at age 18. By 23 years of age, he owned his third boat, a flat-bottom Sanger race boat. When Pat started his family, the race boat had to go. Then it was time for the family runabout boats – Ski Nautiques, tournament style ski boats, which Pat and his family enjoyed for many years. Later, there was the 28-foot Grady White fishing boat on which Pat fished our coastal waters from Half Moon Bay to Bodega and 60 miles out, as well as fishing the Bay and Delta. Pat’s current boat is part of his life-long dream. A beautiful 53-foot Defever POC, purchased in Southern California and cruised by Pat up the coast last year to her new home port in Marin County.

Because of Pat’s many years of boating experience, 2 years in the Merchant Marine Core, plus his 30 years in the trades as a licensed contractor, he has the experience & expertise to be a valuable asset to any buyer or seller of a quality boat or yacht. Pat is especially well suited and equipped to represent and advise first-time boat buyers.

Pat has been very helpful to so many of our clients as they prepare their boats for either selling or cruising. He has extensive knowledge and experience with boats of all shapes and sizes, including cruising and fishing boats, express fast cruisers, and he has fast become our very own TRAWLER specialist. Pat will spend the necessary time with his clients to help make their dreams a reality with the right boat for their budget. For Pat’s selling clients, he effectively and quickly guides them though the process of preparing their boat for the market, from repairs to staging, to maximize its potential. Pat knows and understands yacht maintenance, working with vendors, etc.

Pat’s personal comments: I love working here at McGrath Yachts. I get to work with a team of professionals that in this day and age still recognize and practice honesty, integrity, and customer satisfaction. I’m glad to be part of the McGrath Yachts Crew.

Joe Biondo
Sales

Joe was born in San Jose and has lived in the Bay Area his whole life. He has been enthusiastic about boats since a child, learning to sail in 1992 and earning American Sailing Association certifications. Joe made up for lost time, having been on the water almost constantly the first several years afterward. He has sailed many places in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. He has handled a number of sail and power vessels of different sail plan, hull type and manufacturer.

Joe spent 25 successful years as a mortgage banker and broker and also has an in-depth background and connections in marine lending. Besides a wealth of financial knowledge, he has learned technical aspects of boat design, construction techniques, sail configuration, and proper maintenance. Joe brings an analytical process to listing a vessel in gathering all the data he can about a particular model, setting a price and creating an effective marketing strategy. With Joe’s connections to surveyors, insurers, technicians and other service providers, he can handle many different needs for his clients. He listens and asks the right questions to better serve them. With his attention to detail, he searches out the right choice of vessel for a buyer and guides the client through the process of making a selection and closing the purchase on the vessel to take them where they want to go.

Joe owns a Mariner Yachts 38’ ketch that was built in New Hampshire. She is in Bristol condition, and he knows how to maintain a vessel so it shows maximum appeal. When not working with sales clients to sell their boat quickly or a buyer in finding their dream purchase, he can be found on his ketch sailing San Francisco or San Pablo Bay or doing a coastal cruise.

Chuck von Schalscha
Sales

Chuck was born and raised in Marin County. He has been on the water since he was 5 years old in many different style of boats. As he grew up, so did his boats, starting with a small row boat to the current racer/cruiser Olson 40. Because of his love of sailing, he spent time in the mid 80's teaching sailing. He has intensive racing experience, including single-handed, short-handed and fully crewed races both in San Francisco Bay and on the ocean. He did the Single-Handed Transpac to Hawaii in 1988 in his Olson 30 and spent many years racing with the Single-Handed Sailing Society. He and his wife have chartered the seas of the Caribbean a number of times and spent a winter and spring cruising Mexico in addition to doing many coastal runs from San Francisco to Southern California. He loves to prepare boats for blue water racing/sailing and because of his many years as a computer consultant, brings a high-tech element to marine electronics including marine navigation, e-mail and weather forecasting. True to his love for the water, he gets his exercise rowing an open water racing shell on the San Francisco Bay.

Because of his in-depth knowledge of sail boat design, boat configuration and attention to detail in preparation, Chuck loves to match his client’s needs with the right type of service and boat. Chuck takes the time to discuss a client’s needs for comfort, safety, and usage in order to find just the right boat. He has worked with both cruising and racing sailors , experienced and rookies, and makes the boat transition experience enjoyable and rewarding! As he knows from experience, when all parties are happy it’s a good deal.

Pam McGrath
Business / Operations

"The heart and soul of McGrath Yachts is its fantastic crew who truly care about clients' needs", says Pam. Her vision for this company began with a dream back in 2002. Today she is living that dream, happily doing whatever it takes to help the sales staff deliver the great customer service they desire to give each and every client.

Pam grew up in Michigan where she enjoyed the too-short summers on local lakes. She started boating very young, first in a little row boat, then in power boats as everyone in the family water skied. The Pacific Coast offers a different kind of boating which she enjoys as often as she can. Learning to operate a 36 foot trawler was a grand adventure. She's ready for the next step anytime!