For some powerboat racers this weekend, the fate of their vessels was in Dean Easley’s hands.

Jayne Hanson/News-Herald Photo Team crew members help to secure Jimmy Winters’ 38-foot 388 Skater “Talk n’ Trash” as it is lowered into the water Sunday by Sky High Crane operator Dean Easley at the Nautical Beachfront Resort.

That’s because Easley operated the crane that hoisted the boats from their trailers to the water for Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Association’s Desert Storm race Sunday.

“We are only doing the big boats,” said Easley, general manager of Havasu-based Sky High Crane and Rigging Inc. and 30-year crane operator.

Of all the boats in town for Desert Storm, Easley said there are 16-18 boats he has helped to crane in. He explained the process as an all-day effort.

“We put them in, they dial a few things in and then we take them out so they can do some mechanical work on the boat — then we put them back in again,” Easley said.

It turns out the crane operator’s nerves are the last thing on his mind.

“After 30 years, I don’t shake easily,” he said. However, dinging the boat is always a concern. “You have got to have some finesse. These guys are trusting you with their livelihood,” Easley said.

But he adds the work is hardly work.

“Just seeing the boats is the best part,” he said. “That just puts a big old grin on your face.”

Easley said he has made some new friends and has hung out with some of the race teams at the end of the day. He added that he makes an extra effort to leave his crane’s cab, run to the end of the dock and wish the racers luck.

“Most top performance boats need to be craned in,” said four-year crane operator Ben Fisher, of Havasu. Fisher assisted Easley from the ground.

“With larger cranes, it is good to have man on the ground,” Fisher said. “There are things that they may see (the operator doesn’t).”

Fisher added the two men communicate through hand signals to guide each of the boats into place. Together, they orchestrate a transfer from boat trailer to water in less than five minutes.

POPRA paid for Sky High Crane and Rigging to provide this service for the Desert Storm events, Easley explained. The crane is stationed near the boat launch ramp at Nautical Beachfront Resort, which is the hub of the event.

The crane’s ball is equipped with POPRA’s digital scale. The scale records the exact weight of each boat being placed in the water. Race officials need to know exactly how much the boat weighs before it enters the water and as it is leaving.

“It is really the only way we can launch anywhere,” said Patti Fields, team manager for Teague Custom Marine Inc. “But, (Easley) is awesome. He is really good at what he does. Sometimes (crane operators) are not very good at what they do. ”

Fields recalled one launch occasion in Key West, Fla., when a crane operator came close to damaging the front end of Teague’s racing boat. The vessel got uncomfortably close to a concrete wall with the suspended Skater.

“If they are backing in and wreck the prop, they are done racing,” Easley said.

Easley said the crane is much faster and much safer than dipping a boat trailer in the water at a launch ramp.

The crane is a 120-ton crane with its boom extended to100-feet in order to accommodate the boats. The crane has been in place since midday Friday, Fisher said.

After the event is complete, it will take about two hours to take the crane down from its elevated platform in order to take it back to the shop where it is stored, Fisher said.

You may contact the reporter at jhanson@havasunews.com.