PORTLAND YACHT SERVICE’S
BOATBUILDERS SHOW MAINE’S BOATBUILDING INDUSTRY
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, MAINE - 15, 16 and 17 March 2013 THE MAINE
John’s Bay Boat Company launched this wooden lobster boat last fall for a fi sherman from Stonington. She has less beam and in sea trials saved two gallons an hour.
Back in the late 1800s the question was ‘what is the health of the State of Maine’s shipbuilding industry?’ It was a trying time, but it had been in decline from the height of the clipper ship era in the 1850s and would end by the 1900s. There were a number of reasons for the demise, but a general state- ment could be they did not stay up with technology and they were not competitively priced. A segment of the industry that did continue was the boatbuilders and since the early 1900s this industry has grown. Today it is one of the state’s premier industries and should continue to grow. A measuring stick of the economy is the stock market, which crashed in 2008. A num- ber of people who are respected economists stated that it would take about fi ve years for the economy to come back and that it would not reach the 16,000 points it had enjoyed before the crash. Over the past two years we have seen signs of recovery, however, over the last couple of weeks the stock market has climbed up over 14,000 and all things eco- nomic-related are pointing to a much better outlook. The boat shows over the last couple of years have also found people interested in buying and those have translated into sales for some. The fi rst to see an upswing from the boat shows was Back Cove Yachts in Rockland, The Hinckley Company in Man- set and Sabre Yachts in South Casco. Others soon had orders too, but none would have a big backlog.
Due to the downturn in the economy, many of the boatbuilders have either added or switched completely over to do storage and repair to survive. Richard Stanley of
Great Harbor Boat Works said that he could not survive as his father Ralph did on new construction and storage and repair. He was forced to move his shop off the waterfront due to the high taxes and do just storage and repair. He still hopes to build a new boat and presently there is someone interested in doing just that.
I was asked what the market was for commercial boats, i.e. lobster boat and my reply was it is limited at best. There are some lobster boats under construction, but most are being fi nished off by the owner or a backyard builder. This is usually done in an effort to save money, but often times it ends up costing more because one needs to be knowledgeable about the new materials now used. The other side for the lobster boat builder is the pleasure market and that has been good for some. S.W. Boatworks of Lamoine, builder of the Calvin Beal, Libby and Young Brothers models and Holland Boat Shop in Belfast have a descent back- log.
The wooden boat builder has slowly disappeared, with just a few left on a coast. One that has six wooden boats to build is John’s Bay Boat Company in South Bristol. They have been a favorite of a number of lobstermen for over 25 years. They have on order four lobster boats, but they also have two they are building as pleasure boats. The commercial lobster boat probably will never be built in the numbers they were over the last 25 years. Most of the wooden boats have been replaced by a fi berglass model and they do not go away. So long as the hull is in good shape the owner can
completely rebuild it. Since they are usually simple with no interior and only systems for hauling traps, it is not a great expense. One yard that has made news all over the world has been Front Street Shipyard in Belfast. In less than two years this yard has become one of the premier yacht yards in the United States and continues to grow. The partners of this yard saw that there was a vacancy in doing work on the larger yachts, however never did they think it was going to take off as it has. This year they announced that they have ordered a new 440 metric ton boat hoist and will add another 24,000 square foot building. Most of the yards in Maine feel that this has brought the State a lot of positive notoriety to the boatbuilders and repairers and that means more business will follow.
For the shipbuilder, technology and costs were why they fell on hard times. For the most part the Maine boatbuilders have stayed up with the technology and are priced right. If there is a down-sound it would be in marketing. For years they did not need to market themselves as all their customers, mostly commercial fi shermen, walked in knowing what they wanted and put down their money. With the commercial market down, and no reason for it to come back to a great degree, builders of the Maine lobster boat hull have found the pleasure market a savior. However, to reach these customers it is all about marketing. You need at least web-presence, but should also be at several boat shows and on social media. More than twelve years ago a group of Maine boatbuilders formed Maine Built
Boats, which is an organization aimed at marketing the boatbuilders and repairers of the state. This all volunteer group has a website that displays its members. They also attend a number of boat shows, host an annual conference and will be publishing a brochure of their members. This group is doing all they can to help their members and without question they are succeeding. When looking at the future of the boat- building and repair industry it is one of the bright spots in the State and will remain so for quite some time.
CONTENTS
Seminar Schedule Exhibitor Location Floor Plan
Exhibitor List
Prock Marine Repairs KATAHDIN
Boat School Builds Dinghy Designed by Student
R. E. Thomas Marine 3
4-5 6-7
8-17 18 Profi le: Vinnnie Cavanaugh 19
21 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24