September 2016 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 5. Brewer's Acquires Strout's Point Wharf Company
SOUTH FREEPORT – Secrets within the marine industry on the coast of Maine are extremely, if not impossible, to keep secret. During the winter we heard that Strout’s Point Wharf Company in South Freeport was on the market. However, since that time we heard nothing more until the fi rst week in August when well-founded rumours broke that Brewer’s South Freeport Marine had purchased their neighbor. When John Brewer, head of Brewer’s
South Freeport Marine, was asked about the sale, he confi rmed that yes, they had purchased the yard. He added, “A year ago the rumour mill was going that Strout’s Point may be going up for sale. I heard it from a couple of diff erent employees. We kind of mulled it over last summer and then forgot about it until the fall. In November we heard a little bit more that Ted [Wengren] was ready to sell. So I called Ted just to fi nd out if it was really true and if so would he consider selling it to us. For all I knew he may not want to sell it to us. Ted was quite confi dent in saying of all the people that were inquiring about the yard he thought it would make more sense selling it to us. We have gotten along together harmoniously for 25 years so he said I am all ears let’s start to chat. We started to chat in December, went through all the due diligences we needed to do and ended up closing on August 1.” John added that over the years he has
been impressed with what Ted and the crew of Strout’s Point has done. He said, “They have done a really nice job building that yard over the years. It is really pretty and I didn’t want to change the appearance of the yard or the quality of work that happens there. Ted is near and dear to all of the employees over there and Cym Hughes has done a wonderful job for 20 years running it. It was pretty important to Ted not to upset the apple cart. I didn’t want to take over and make a whole lot of changes either. If Cym and the employees are on board we wanted to do a seamless transition. We will leave it as Strout’s Point Wharf Company, we want Cym to continue running it, and we want to keep all of the employees there. We were
nervous about their wooden boat clientele as I wouldn’t want those customers to be worried that their yard just got gobbled up by a big group and they have lost the intimacy with that yard. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen. That works with our plans.” There will be some very minor changes.
One that John pointed out will be the ramp to the docks. He explained, “It is really short and steep so we are going to put a new ramp in that services their fl oats better. One thing that we are going to try and do a better job at is welcoming transients to the Harraseeket River and South Freeport. With the two yards I think we can do that. Strout’s has 15 moorings and we have 15 moorings. I would also like to reintroduced the courtesy van. L.L. Bean used to have a shuttle, which used to take people from Beans to the waterfront and that was really popular back in the 90s. Then around 2000 they stopped that service so now with Strout’s and us together as a team we will reintroduce that next year. We will try it for the second half of June, July and August and see how it goes but I think it would be a nice thing to provide.” Brewer’s South Freeport Marine has
already sent work over to Strout’s Point. “We have got hull #1 of the Hampton Pulsifer, which we have owned for 25 years. We have neglected it so when this opportunity with Strout’s came about it was a great opportuni- ty for us to restore her and have Strout’s do it. They are already rebuilding it and in 2017 we are going to have WALRUS out there for both Strout’s and us and recommission the launch service.” This was a unique opportunity for
Brewer’s and an understandable acquisition. Usually they purchase yards that have been neglected for years and in dire need of an entire facelift. They normally come in and instantly clean up the yard and buildings, then add crushed stone and fl owers. John said he did not need to do that here as the yard and buildings are in good shape. He said, “We are going to try to preserve the appearance and the quality of work over there. Other people could have come in and taken it over and possibly changed it and we
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For more information: (207) 223-8846 don’t.” Strout’s Point consists of an offi ce
building. which houses a mechanic shop; a repair facility with workshop; and indoor storage building with work bays, a dock house, 110 boat slips all on an acre and a half of land. The Brewer’s yard consists of heated
indoor storage, several work bays with a 60 x 30 spray booth, with a heated fl oor and exhaust system, varnish room, and mechan- ic and rigging shop, dock offi ce, transient facilities, and 110 boat slips. On site they
A view of the dock house at Strout's Point Wharf Co., now owned by their neightbor Brewers South Freeport Marine.
also have North Sails on the premises for sail repair. They have six mechanics on staff and this year they had one of them work weekends, which has worked incredibly well. They haul about 300 boats a year and of these they store over 200 all on 3 acres of land.
Had the news stayed secret no one
would have noticed any changes and thus would not have known the ownership of Strout’s Point was diff erent. Both are pre- mier marine facilities on the coast of Maine and they will continue to be so.
Bring your boat to New England’s most capable yacht yard for the care she deserves. Repairs, refi ts, storage and dockage available for vessels up to 200 feet and 480 tons.
Belfast,Maine 207-930-3740
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