USA: Front Street Shipyard and Pilot Boats Enter Production Agreement

Pilot Boats, LLC has purchased the assets of Holby Marine, formally headquartered in Bristol, RI. The molds and tooling have been transported to Maine where production will commence soon. Pilot Boats recently entered a concurrent production agreement with Front Street Shipyard (FSS). FSS will be the builders of the full line of Pilot Boats for the newly created entity, Pilot Boats, LLC.

The boats will be manufactured in Belfast, Maine at the main FSS facility.

The Pilot Boat product line includes three sizes, Pilot 18, Pilot 20 and the Pilot 24, these three sizes will continue to be produced. The Pilot 18 and 20 are now available in a center console configuration. The Pilot 20 and 24 can be purchased as a cuddy cabin layout. The Pilot 20 and 24 have the pedigree of a Mark Ellis design and Mark will continue in an advisory capacity for Pilot Boats. Mark Ellis is a renowned yacht designer of both production and custom boats.

“For the last ten years we sold the RothBilt brand against Holby on a regular basis”, stated Tom Johnson owner of RothBiltBoats. “Holby has a stellar reputation and possessed a nearly identical customer profile to RothBiltBoats. When the Holby opportunity arose, it was one of those unique opportunities to acquire a formative competitor, so I pursued this purchase vigorously. I am very pleased to own two well respected brands and have a partner like Front Street Shipyard to build Pilot Boats.”

Asked how the partnership with Pilot Boats, LLC will fit in with current projects, Front Street Shipyard President JB Turner responded, “The Pilot Boat line will give us another great opportunity to diversify the yard. We feel strongly that having a quality production line in our facility helps to showcase our multifaceted yard.”

Discussion with Tom Johnson reveals that there will be changes to the Pilot models. He explains, “When there is a transition in ownership and production partnerships, there needs to be a review of all the build and design details of each model. We will undertake this review with the designer, Mark Ellis and the builder, FSS to make any changes to the boats to improve their performance or marketability. Essentially taking a very good boat line and making it better.”

While the production will take place in Belfast, Maine, Tom Johnson will be working with John Young from their offices in Yarmouth Port MA on the dealer network and sales and marketing functions. John Young will be spearheading the dealer development effort.

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Press Release, January 24, 2013