It was a love of spending time out on the lake that gave Mikey Bashawaty, who grew up in Plymouth, an idea for a new product.
Bashawaty and his friends often faced the problem of having nowhere to cook or store food when they were out on their boat on weekends in the summer. The solution was simple: Create a grill that floats on the water.
The Float 'N' Grill made its debut during the Detroit Boat Show last month at the Cobo Center.
Bashawaty worked on the idea with Jeremy Quillico, his business partner. After hearing Bashawaty's idea, Quillico jumped into research, including a patent search, and didn't find anything like the Float 'N' Grill.
The Float 'N' Grill is made up of a propane grill that's attached to a device that floats on the water and keeps the grill dry. Bashawaty experimented with a variety of materials, including fiberglass and PVC pipe before he found a plastic that effectively keeps the grill floating.
Inventors and marketers of new products can use brochure printing to explain the benefits of their products and to introduce new concepts to people.
The pair were taking orders for their new grill during the Detroit Boat Show. People can also order the grill through a website, floatngrill.com. The retail price is $279.
If all goes well with the first batch of grills, the two hope to expand into other products, such as a utensil holder and a spice rack.