Living For Sail · video

What this video covers

GROCO (Gross Mechanical Labs), a marine hardware manufacturer operating out of Maryland since 1918, gives Jon from the boat *Antidote* a factory tour led by VP Dan.2:05 The company makes seacocks, strainers, valves, and fittings — all 100% American-made for its core product lines, with raw castings sourced from a Pennsylvania foundry the company has used for 80 years and a recently acquired New Jersey foundry added to meet post-COVID demand.14:04

Dan traces GROCO's history from early automobile tail lights and snowball-machine patents through World War II, when the company supplied duplex strainers for Higgins landing craft at Normandy and oil coolers for tanks.5:13 The duplex strainer design — allowing crews to switch filter chambers and clear sand without stopping engines — is credited with saving lives during beach landings.5:43

The tour covers the full production floor: a 1921 multi-spindle drill press still capable of running today, 1990s CNC lathes, 2016 twin-spindle twin-turret lathes with robotic loading arms that lifted daily strainer-head output from 40 to 220 pieces, and a horizontal mill that completes a five-operation duplex strainer in 45 minutes versus the six weeks required through sequential older machines.19:45 Every fitting, regardless of batch size, receives 100% hands-on inspection and pressure testing before shipping.10:45

Boats in this video

More from Living For Sail

This Was Inside The Boat!? — Should I Put It Back?Sept 2026BACK to Work on ANTIDOTE! - How I Used 3D Printing to Fix My BoatAug 2026⛵️ I Tried Boiling Water Out of My Boat... It Actually Worked - sort of?!Jul 2026⛵️ This DIY Sailboat Repair Has To Work... Right?Jun 2026

From Living For Sail — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.

The Sailing Directory Newsletter

One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.