For boat builders, big is best

MANITOWOC, Wis. — David Ross slips off his loafers and climbs aboard the giant boat floating on the Manitowoc River.
Shoes can scuff the deep red onyx flooring on the Mirgab V, a 144-foot yacht built by his company, Burger Boat, for a family from Kuwait. All workers must remove their shoes — those making final tweaks on a glass elevator, or ensuring the lighted treads on a three-story bronze stairway stay bright, and others hooking up DVD and stereo systems to a projection screen.