The Story
From Upstate New York to the Sarasota Waterfront
My name is Austin Hirsch, Owner and Captain of Wheelhouse Marine Care. I grew up in a small, land-locked town in Upstate New York, but the water was always calling. Family vacations revolved around chasing a salty shore, and the dream of making that lifestyle permanent drove everything that followed.
In early 2018, when opportunity and timing finally aligned, I moved to Sarasota and never looked back. I landed at a high-volume local marina starting as a dockhand, and from that first season on the docks, I was completely hooked.
Over the following years I worked my way through nearly every role the marina had: dockhand, forklift operator, day-to-day operations, and eventually marina operations manager. That progression gave me something most marine service providers simply don't have: the ability to understand and solve problems at every level of vessel care, from a loose dock line to a failed shore power connection.
I also transitioned into luxury boat sales, handling high-end lines and managing 6- to 7-figure transactions while maintaining the impeccable customer expectations that come with that market. That experience gave me a deep understanding of what boat owners truly value: their investment, their time, and the trust they place in the people who touch their vessels.
After four years of immersion in the marine industry, I launched Wheelhouse Marine Care, a company built on dedication, genuine expertise, and a love for boats that goes well beyond the job. Every vessel we work on gets treated like my own.
