Boston Whaler Re-opens Former Sea Ray Plant at Palm Coast, Florida

A conversation among Whalers
jimh
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Boston Whaler to Re-open Closed SeaRay Plant

Postby jimh » Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:58 am

The mayor of Palm Coast, Florida, announced recently that the former SeaRay 225,000-square-foot plant located there that has been shut down for about 30-months will soon re-open as a Boston Whaler manufacturing facility. The city of Palm Coast was reported to not have offered any special economic incentives to Brunswick related to the plant reopening, according to the mayor.

When the SeaRay plant shut down, over 400 employes lost their jobs there. The re-opening of the facility as a Boston Whaler plant is expected to result in 300 or more new jobs. Boston Whaler already employs over 1,200 people at its Edgewater, Florida, main manufacturing plant.

Brunswick CEO David Foulkes said:

We are committed to meeting the growing demand of our global customers and have an immediate need to expand capacity in the face of unprecedented retail demand and very low pipelines across all product lines, especially for our fiberglass products. Investing additional capacity in Florida, Mexico and Portugal allows us to quickly increase production and undertake further vertical integration as we continue to grow market share and engage with new boaters.


Aine Denari, Brunswick Boat Group president, said:

Expanding Boston Whaler production by reopening the Palm Coast facility provides immediate access to new capacity for a fraction of the cost of building a brand-new facility.


More information in the Brunswick Press Release dated January 25, 2021.

More about David Foulkes:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=839#p22495

More about Aine Delari:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=839#p35163

With regard to SeaRay, Brunswick announced in 2017 it wanted to sell the SeaRay brand, but finding no takers, in 2018 Brunswick announced it was going to "retain and revitalize" the SeaRay brand, but would discontinue the SeaRay sport yacht and yacht models. The Palm Coast plant made larger SeaRay yachts and was shut down.

Mambo Minnow
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Re: Boston Whaler to Re-open Closed SeaRay Plant

Postby Mambo Minnow » Sat Jan 30, 2021 4:35 pm

I have friends that were laid off when that plant closed. I’m not sure they would want to return.

Jefecinco
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Re: Boston Whaler to Re-open Closed SeaRay Plant

Postby Jefecinco » Sun Jan 31, 2021 10:44 am

Interesting. Our Gulf Shores, AL MarineMax dealership continues to have only one or two Boston Whalers on display. They have at least ten Grady White boats on display. Our local dealer is a small sub-outlet for a much larger store in Pensacola, FL, a few miles away. The website for both stores shows an inventory of fifteen Boston Whalers with some shown as "incoming".

I noticed a change to the "Build a Whaler" feature. It now shows a running total as options are added or deleted. This was first brought to my attention by "Blue Water Pirate" on another boating website. For a couple of small boats I looked at, a 150 Montauk and a 160 Super Sport, they also include a dealer prep charge of $1400.

Mambo, A boat fabrication worker could do a lot worse than work for a builder like Boston Whaler. SeaRay has never enjoyed a stellar reputation since being sold by the founder CR Hunt, if I remember correctly. What builder has been in continuous business as long as Boston Whaler?
Butch

Mambo Minnow
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Re: Boston Whaler to Re-open Closed SeaRay Plant

Postby Mambo Minnow » Fri Mar 05, 2021 5:07 pm

Jefecinco--the history of Boston Whaler has included several ownership changes prior to Brunswick. Reebok and Meridien, to name two, were previous owners not exactly known for their love of recreational boating. Very few Rockland workers made the move to Edgewater. Chuck Bennett was one of the few who did move; he has now retired.

Jefecinco
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Re: Boston Whaler to Re-open Closed SeaRay Plant

Postby Jefecinco » Sat Mar 06, 2021 9:33 am

Yes, I'm aware that Boston Whaler has had more than one owner but as far as I know the business has been in continuous production longer than any other mass production boat builder. Certainly there may have been short interruptions now and again such as when production moved to Florida.
Butch

Masbama
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Boston Whaler Re-opens Former Sea Ray Plant at Palm Coast, Florida

Postby Masbama » Sun May 23, 2021 4:08 pm

[An article on the website FLAGLERLIVE.COM discusses the May 21, 2021 ceremonial re-opening of the former SeaRay plant in Palm Cost, Florida, to be a new Boston Whaler production facility. See:

https://flaglerlive.com/163613/boston-whaler-reopens-plant/

[In the article your attention is directed to this paragraph which refers to Nick Stickler, the president of Boston Whaler:]

Stickler cautions that boating remains a cyclical industry, and that won’t change. But what Boston Whaler is changing at the plant is bringing in more vertical integration, such as upholstery work and other component parts of the manufacturing process that previously were done by other suppliers. “Even if we have to bring down boat production, we can produce all of our own parts and make sure we keep the factory running, even if it is a bit of a reduced rate,” he said. On the other hand, if demand ramps up enough, the Flagler-Palm Coast plant could “consume 600 people-plus.”

jimh
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Re: Boston Whaler Re-opens Former Sea Ray Plant at Palm Coast, Florida

Postby jimh » Mon May 24, 2021 9:02 am

The Brunswick corporation press release follows:

    Brunswick Corporation Officially Reopens Flagler County Plant to Expand Boston Whaler Production

    PALM COAST, Fla. – May 21, 2021 – Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) and Boston Whaler today held a groundbreaking ceremony ahead of the reopening of its 225,000 square foot Flagler County manufacturing facility to expand production due to record demand for Boston Whaler’s award-winning line of fiberglass boats. The expansion will increase production by 40 percent and bring more than 400 jobs to the local economy over the next 18 to 24 months.

    The event was hosted by Dave Foulkes, Brunswick CEO; Aine Denari, President of Brunswick Boat Group; and Nick Stickler, President of Boston Whaler. Joining the Brunswick leadership team were local dignitaries, employees, and community leaders, all of whom are looking forward to welcoming Brunswick back to Flagler County.

    “This manufacturing expansion represents an exciting step for Brunswick and Boston Whaler as we look for immediate opportunities to meet the global demand for our award-winning products and work to replenish historically low inventory pipelines,” said Nick Stickler, Boston Whaler president. “We are equally excited to bring hundreds of new jobs to Flagler County in support of the growing economy and work together with the community to deliver exceptional consumer experiences for one of the industry’s most iconic brands.”

    “On behalf of the City of Palm Coast, I am proud to welcome Brunswick and Boston Whaler to our community,” said Palm Coast Councilman Nick Klufas. “This project restores a much-missed sector of our local community and Boston Whaler's commitment to providing high-quality and rewarding careers which opens up hundreds of new job opportunities locally. Along with the job growth, Boston Whaler's vision to continued strong economic growth and success in our schools and our community makes them an ideal community partner.”

    Since 2014, Boston Whaler has invested more than $60-million manufacturing a full line of award-winning new products in addition to expanding manufacturing capacity by 75 percent during that time at its current 550,000 square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing center in Edgewater, Florida. In 2019 Brunswick also opened the 45,000 square foot fiberglass boat technology center in Edgewater, home to the industry’s premier boat product development, engineering, and design teams.

    The first boats will come off the production line at the Boston Whaler Flagler Operations facility in the second half of 2021.

    As a nod to Boston Whaler’s brand heritage, established in 1958 and known for their unsinkable boats, the manufacturing facility will be located at 1958 Unsinkable Street, Flagler Beach, FL 32126.

    About Boston Whaler

    For more than 60 years, Boston Whaler has been building superior quality unsinkable runabouts, cruisers and center console boats. Founded in 1958 and currently headquartered in Edgewater, FL, the company’s unique foam-cored construction process contributes not only unsurpassed flotation, but also superior ride characteristics and durability. The current product line ranges from 13–42 feet and is distributed around the world by a network of exceptional dealers. For more information about The Unsinkable Legend, please visit www.bostonwhaler.com. Boston Whaler is owned by Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), the leading marine manufacturer in the world.

    About Brunswick

    Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporation’s leading consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages; Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics; Advanced Systems Group, which includes industry-leading brands like MotorGuide, Attwood, Mastervolt, Blue Sea Systems, CZone, and ASG Connect system integrators; Land ’N’ Sea, BLA, Payne’s Marine, Kellogg Marine, and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Heyday, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern boats; Boating Services Network, Freedom Boat Club and Boat Class. For more information, visit brunswick.com.

    Released May 21, 2021