Manufacturing Facility

New Zealand: A Leader in Boat Design and Production

With its diverse marine environments, from protected harbors to rugged ocean waters, New Zealand has made an exceptional impact on the global market. By focusing on the design and build of recreational products, New Zealand marine companies emphasize the use of materials that can withstand a diverse range of conditions, have a long lifespan, and can be used year-round. The kiwi boatbuilding expertise and equipment hardware capabilities have grown out of a thriving and ever-expanding recreational marine culture.

Godfrey Marine Breaks Ground on Expanded Manufacturing Facility

Godfrey Marine, manufacturer of Godfrey pontoon boats and Hurricane deck boats, innovator in versatile deck boat designs, announced it has expanded its manufacturing facility in Elkhart, Indiana. Members of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce joined in the celebration on May 10 with ceremonial shovels to break ground.The new facilities include a 27,000 square foot warehouse and an automation wing. The warehouse will enable 30% growth in production, while the automation wing creates space to add innovative technology for pontoon tube production.

PROFILE: Boat-Building Icon Leon Slikkers Retires from Tiara Yachts

In a career that began with building wooden runabouts, Slikkers pioneered sport, sail and pleasure boats..Leon Slikkers, a marine industry pioneer, whose career building boats dates back to the 1940s, is retiring from Tiara Yachts, the company announced. An industry trendsetter who bucked conventional wisdom when it came to building boats out of fiberglass instead of wood, Slikkers, now 93, founded S2 Yachts in 1974. The company initially focused on trailerable sailboats, but…

New CEO Takes the Helm at RMK Merrill-Stevens Shipyard

Industry veteran William Clewes has been appointed CEO of Miami yacht repair yard RMK Merrill-Stevens, charged with leading Florida's oldest shipyard through a period or redevelopment, reopening and beyond.“I am excited about building a team and a new facility to bring the RMK Merrill-Stevens facility back to its former glory and beyond,” said Clewes in January after accepting the position. Clewes will lead the North and South yards, which straddle the Miami River, the ongoing redevelopment of both…

Interview: Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO, KVH

Connectivity is the backbone of modern maritime operations as ships and boats at sea increasingly become connected. We recently met with Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO, KVH, to discuss the evolution of communication in the maritime sector and so much more, as KVH is diverse and engaged in a number of markets -- including autonomy for 10 years with work on about 30 different  platforms for self-driving vehicles.To start, give us a “State of KVH” today.We started originally in the leisure market…

Hythe Shipyard Opens in Southampton

Fairline Yachts announced the opening of Hythe Shipyard at its new manufacturing facility on the south coast of England. Originally designed and built by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s, the slipway at Hythe was used to launch landing craft that were manufactured at the site. Fast forward half a century and this impressive piece of mechanical engineering has been given new purpose as the only slipway of its kind on Southampton Water.Hythe Shipyard facilities accommodate vessels of up to 950 tonnes and 11.5 meters in beam…

Hargrave Yachts seeks investor

Michael Joyce, 75, whose family trust owns the Hargrave company, will move Hargrave Custom Yachts into a standalone corporation in 2019. Seeking capital to grow the company, Joyce seeks a financial partner to supply secured lines of credit for a half-interest in Hargrave Custom Yachts.“The investor needs a secured credit line minimum of $27 million,” said Mike Joyce. “About $50 million would take the company to the next level.”Joyce plans to retire upon teaming with a new financial partner…

MasterCraft to Acquire Crest Marine

MCBC Holdings, the parent entity of MasterCraft Boat Company, and NauticStar announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Crest Marine, a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-quality pontoon boats in the United States, for approximately $80 million.MasterCraft also expects that approximately $10 million net present value of future net tax benefits will accrue to the combined company. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar 2018, subject to customary closing conditions…

Star Brite Acquires Snappy Marine

Star brite, a subsidiary of Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc, has announced the acquisition of Snappy Marine, Inc., a distributor of teak care products for the marine industry. Strong consumer confidence continues to drive sales of recreational boats, which in turn is resulting in an increase in demand for boat care products, including the consistently strong teak care segment. By acquiring Snappy, a well-recognized brand with an established U.S. and International following, Star brite immediately…

FUSION Rolls Out the Panel-Stereo

FUSION has launched a plug and play one solution marine entertainment system – the Panel-Stereo. Purpose-built for performance in both the RV and marine environment, the Panel-Stereo is an ultimate all-in-one audio entertainment solution. Combining all the elements required for excellent audio reproduction - Class D amplification, Fusion Digital Signal Processing (DSP), dual 3-inch speakers, a passive base radiator all inside a single tuned enclosure. Offering AM/FM, USB, AUX and Bluetooth streaming source options…

The Trophy Boat Brand Returns

Honda Marine, a division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and H2O Sports Manufacturing, LLC announced a new agreement to revive the iconic Trophy brand boat to be powered exclusively by Honda Marine engines. Honda Marine is a marketer of a complete range of outboard marine 4-stroke engines. H2O Sports Manufacturing is a boat builder of high quality Clearwater Sport Fishing Boats, Cape Craft Sport Fishing Boats and Outcast Skiffs. According to the terms of the new agreement, H2O Sports Manufacturing will produce a full new lineup of Trophy skiffs to be powered by Honda Marine engines.

FUSION Debuts Compact Marine Stereo

FUSION Entertainment announced today the release of a new compact and cost effective series, the MS-RA70 and MS-RA70N. Featuring a sleek front face finish with a shallow-mount case design, the new FUSION audio system delivers clear and dynamic sound reproduction in a marinized, space-saving chassis for flexible installation options, the manufacturer said. Engineered to seamlessly replace any standard DIN-sized car stereo, the low-profile MS-RA70 design allows for integration without the need to redesign the dash space. Cost-effective and easy-to-use, the MS-RA70 offers a powerful entertainment solution for boats with a busy helm.

Gulf Craft to Invest $100m in Dubai Shipyard

Dubai Maritime City (DMC), a maritime cluster in Dubai, today announced an agreement with Gulf Craft to invest in a free hold plot located within the marine district of DMC, on an area of approximately 900,000 square feet. According to DMC, Gulf Craft plans to make a $100 million investment in developing this facility over the next five years. It will include a state-of-the-art shipyard to manufacture high-end luxury yachts as well as a service center incorporating cutting-edge, highly specialized technology for the yacht industry.

OceanLED Introduces New Leadership

OceanLED, the global leader in LED marine lighting technology, announced today that its U.K.-based manufacturing facility will be back to full capacity commencing Wednesday, just ten days after announcing its restructuring. Derek Duffill, OceanLED CEO said, “We’ve worked tirelessly for the past two weeks and are pleased to announce that we have successfully re-engaged our supply chain.” Duffill continued, “Our entire production team will be working overtime beginning Wednesday in order to ship all outstanding orders to our world-wide network of resellers. Derek joined OceanLED in January.

Boston Whaler Expands

Boston Whaler has formally announced a major facilities expansion project underway at its headquarters in Edgewater, Fla. With an under-roof addition of more than 58,000 total square feet, the expansion will serve to significantly increase Whaler’s manufacturing capabilities and expand capacity at a time when the company is enjoying strong growth. The project also will result in the addition of at least 46 full-time jobs. “This expansion gives us the capability to continue to grow our portfolio,” said Boston Whaler President Huw Bower.

OceanLED Sells Subsidiary, Restructures

For the past four years, the directors of OceanLED Limited, a U.K.-based manufacturing facility, have been developing two distinct business divisions, the marine underwater lighting business, OceanLED, and a separate commercial non-marine lighting division, trading as Lietcorp. The reality of building these two businesses has been significant management distraction and financial stress, the company said. The parent company, OceanLED Ltd., was placed into administration on Friday, March 14 in order to facilitate a management buy-out of both companies. OceanLED USA LLC is not affected.

SeaDek Purchases New Manufacturing Facility

SeaDek Marine Products announced that the company will relocate its production operations, currently located in Rockledge, Fla., to a 72,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the same city. The move comes after years of growth and expansion that necessitated multiple off-site facilities to meet the growing need for machine space and material storage. The move will bring all operations under one roof and allow room for expansion in the years to come. The move will also allow SeaDek to continue to bring good manufacturing and technology jobs to the Brevard County area.