California Sailboat Maker Moving to Florida - Who?

[charliep]

A recent article from a Florida newspaper talked about a California Sailboat manufacturer moving to Florida, but refused to name the company. Some clues:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/...ng-factory-in/

Make 22' Sailboat
Make 350 boats per year
Export 100 boats per year
Started in 1980

That rules out MacGregor. Who else could it be?

[keysdisease]

Santa Cruz came to Green Cove Springs right before the recession, closed about 18 month ago,

Catalina is already in Florida. Hobie was making boats way earlier than the 80"s.

Maybe after a few refreshing beverages a possible suspect will come to me

Steve

[charliep]

Any other ideas?

[keysdisease]

Even though they have been making boats since before the 80's, MacGregor fits the profile pretty good. The 80's thing might just be to throw people off who it is.

Not many sailboat manufacturers in CA that make 350 a year, and the trailer thing really points to MacGregor pretty strongly.



Steve

[charliep]

From the article:

The company plans to manufacture 22-foot sailboats and trailers at the new factory. The company has been manufacturing sailboats since the 1980s.

MacGregor started making boats in 1966 and hasn't made a 22 foot sailboat since 1982. From MacGregor's website:

Most of our competitors build many types of boats of varying sizes, and their skills are spread too widely, preventing them from really optimizing the design and production of any one model. We do no custom work. We build only the configuration shown in this brochure. Basically, we do just one thing, and we do it well.

I don't think MacGregor is going to start making a smaller boat anytime soon. From their website they are right now focusing on building the MacGregor '70.

So I really don't think it could be MacGregor. Any other ideas?

Also, I think 350 is a number they would LIKE to make, not the number they are making right now. Right now perhaps they make 200 per year??

[Surfszup]

Maybe the 80's is when the 22foot model started production for the mystery company?
Even looking through west coast boat adds for 22 foot boats only illustrates a few names.

[charliep]

Reading the article again:

The company plans to manufacture 22-foot sailboats and trailers at the new factory. The company has been manufacturing sailboats since the 1980s.

That doesn't mean they are making a 22 foot boat right now - the "plan" to make one, so it might be a new product they are launching.

"The company currently ships 100 boats and trailers internationally each year."

This means they probably make more than 100 boats per year because they are shipping over 100 boats overseas, above and beyond what they sell in the USA every year.