Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Rich.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Tom. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
New England Boatworks Inc. (NEB) started as a result of the 3 owners experience working together for other boat builders and marina operators. They found themselves in an unfamiliar position when the Owner of the Yard they were working in announced that he had sold the yard to developers and that we would be moving. It soon became apparent that he was not serious about relocating and that the business was closing. So the three Owners of NEB pooled their joint resources and started New England Boatworks.
NEB struggled in early years finding a suitable location that would supplement their skills, knowledge and workforce. In 1991, we got our first big break when the operators of the East Passage Yachting Center approached us with the idea of renting the service portion of the facility from them. This turned out to be a win-win for both the Marina operators/owners as well as NEB. During this period NEB was able to expand its workforce as its boat building and service offerings grew.
Then in 1995/1996 the Owners of East Passage Yachting center decided to sell the marina. NEB was fortunate to be able to purchase the marina, which provided our second big break.
About the same time, or slightly before the purchase of the property, a local yachting enthusiast came to NEB and contracted with NEB to build a large custom Yacht.
Delivering this Yacht on time and on budget helped launch NEB into the custom yacht building business we are today.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Business is never a smooth road. Some of the major bumps have been:
Getting and maintaining a skilled workforce.
Keeping up with regulations including environmental.
Surviving a major fire in 2009.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with New England Boatworks – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We seem to be best known for our custom boat building and as a high-end service business.
We have developed into a well-known high-end composite boat builder building both sailing and power yachts.
While we are well known for our composite work, we are still active and often called upon to build aluminum yachts. Our ability to be flexible along with our multi-talented workforce have allowed us to stay busy over the years.
We have expanded beyond yachts and often work on non-marine projects to keep our work force busy. One of our more notable architectural projects was the construction of the 911 Memorial “Postcards” on Staten Island.
Unlike a lot of other boat builders, we have a full-service marina with deep water and dockage. Our shops are more versatile than most and we can do almost all types of work in-house.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are permitting to install larger hauling facilities. Yachts have grown considerably over the years. Our haul out facilities as well as our shops are limiting us, as the boats keep getting bigger.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1 Lagoon Rd.,
Portsmouth, RI 02871 - Website: www.NEBoatworks.com
- Phone: 401-683-4000
- Email: info@NEBoatworks.com
Image Credit:
Billy Black & New England Boatworks
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