Sad News

[G. Schollmeier]

:(
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2008/10/06/daily30.html
I didn't work there but I live near by.
Gary

[MiddleAgesMan]

I drove by the Huckins yard in Jacksonville yesterday and was surprised to see the help wanted sign in front. They are hiring marine carpenters and other crafts.

[mmd]

Huckins have had various "help-wanted" ads in Professional Boatbuilder continuously for the past many months, perhaps even over a year. Right now they are looking for a marine mechanic.

[TimH]

At least we still have Bayliner :)

[TR]

Many projects have been canceled this past week...

I believe Brunswick owns Bayliner, SeaRay, Meridian, Hatteras, etc. They have closed some plants permanently, others are "mothballed". No need for any more boats when the ones in the showroom are still sitting. When they resume production it will be in China or India.

[James McMullen]

I live here in Washington, and I'm upset about the economy too, but honestly, how is it sad news that fewer giant, wasteful, marina hogging, unseaworthy, fiberglass luxury powerboats are being churned out? That's not the kind of boats I'm eager to see people buying right and left. The future of boating for the general public belongs to more fuel efficient and resource conscious designs. Those fuel guzzling Meridian yachts are as obsolete and out of touch with the current reality as the Ford Excursion or the Hummer is for cars.

[Paul Girouard]

I live here in Washington, and I'm upset about the economy too, but honestly, how is it sad news that fewer giant, wasteful, marina hogging, unseaworthy, fiberglass luxury powerboats are being churned out? That's not the kind of boats I'm eager to see people buying right and left. The future of boating for the general public belongs to more fuel efficient and resource conscious designs. Those fuel guzzling Meridian yachts are as obsolete and out of touch with the current reality as the Ford Excursion or the Hummer is for cars.




I think Gary's concerns are more about the 800 people than the plastic boats.

I wonder how many tax dollars, the state was counting on, are now lost?

[Lew Barrett]

Old news, but also gone is Meridian's distribution partner, Olympic Boat Center. I agree with both of you. The loss of jobs is treagic, especially if one of the jobs lost is yours. On the other hand, the boats appealed to the lowest common denominator. Also building up there is Nordic Tug. They build a more sensible line. To JM's point, I wonder how they will fare through this?

I've been saying this for years, but if you compare the old semi-displacement designs to the more common planing styles, the old boats make a great deal of sense. But, they are wetter rides, roll more as a rule, and have less space per unit of length and obviously, less speed. Maybe when/if this all reverses, we'll see a renaissance in boat designs. In the meantime, it's sad if you lost your job, and clearly at this time, a big boat is more a luxury than ever.

[Bob Cleek]

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Too bad about the guys who have to go looking for new jobs, but skilled craftsmen are always in demand, so they should be alright.

This has been the history of production boat building. Every time a recession hits, there is just no way they can maintain the huge capital outlay involved in production line runs of high ticket boats. Meanwhile, the little shade-tree boatyard that can expand and contract with the economy continues to survive, if not thrive. Small one off traditional builders are also able to diversify if need be, doing all manner of woodworking besides building boats and can also turn to repair work when new construction demand slows. The small yard or shop can expand or contract the size of its boats in an instant as the markets demand. No huge assembly lines to rebuild when a new model comes on line, either.

"The slow horse for the long ride." still rings true.

[Paul Girouard]

Also building up there is Nordic Tug. They build a more sensible line. To JM's point, I wonder how they will fare through this?




Nordic's is in Burlington, there also Northern Marine in Anacortes ( big 75 ' and up ) and another big boat builder in La Conner, Imperial or something like that.

I haven't heard how they are doing, they both build bigger , maybe better :confused: , higher end/ $$$ boats.

I built this galley for them ,

http://www.northernmarine.com/gallery/prev-zeus-5.jpg


Worked on this boat as well ,

http://www.northernmarine.com/gallery/prev-zopilote-1.jpg


http://www.northernmarine.com/gallery/prev-zopilote-5.jpg


I wonder if those photo's will stay up , I snagged them from NM site.

[G. Schollmeier]

James, I agree with you about the boats and I think their demise is an early step in the renaissance that many of us hope for. 3 years ago I went through a comparable job loss. I’m just now getting back on my feet. If there is a renaissance for boat building in this area it will come slowly and may not help the 800 plus people wondering about their future.

[capt jake]

Nice looking work, Paul. :)

[rbgarr]

Local layoffs here too: Hinckley, Lyman-Morse, Hodgdon Yachts and Wayfarer Marine (large service yard in Camden)

[TR]

skilled craftsmen are always in demand, so they should be alright.


Unfortunately this is not true in a marketplace where boats are priced by the foot and most buyers wouldn't know craftsmanship if it came up and bit them on the ass. Their dollars can buy a much bigger boat built in China, and so they do.

Hodgdon Yachts (as a group of craftsmen & women) are the finest wooden boat builders in the world. What are they doing right now? Scratching for boat projects and specializing in kitchen cabinets...

It's not enough that the super wealthy support craftsmanship, joe sixpack has got to recognize and support it too, in the form of his local "shade tree" boatbuilder. I do all I can to support the Silva Bay Shipyard School, where the instructors teach craftsmanship above all else. We turn out 6-10 new craftspeople each year, none of them get jobs building new wooden boats. Dozens of big collages turn out classes of 30-40 people who can run a chop saw and call themselves carpenters.

Nordic Tug has been struggling to stay in the US and employ locals, this latest downturn may spell their move offshore. All those boatbuilders are going to work where......