Here you go Jack

Not that I am a particular fan of Egg Harbor, but some of the names in the article tell the story. Many of the New Jersey builders have a common genetic line if you will.

History of Egg Harbor Yacht Company, Inc.

In 1946, a group of experienced boat builders, Russell Post, Phil Boyd, Harold Care and C.P. Leek, came together to found Egg Harbor Boat Company. Their original model, a 28 foot wooden sea skiff, was designed and built to the highest standards of the time, catering to the more affluent and experienced boaters.
During the 1950's, C.P. Leek purchased the remainder of the company's stock from his partners and merged Egg Harbor with Pacemaker Yachts. By the 1960's, this combined organization had become one of the largest manufacturers of pleasure boats in the country.
Despite being part of Pacemaker Yachts, Inc., Egg Harbor managed to maintain its own identity. While Pacemaker concentrated on manufacturing products for the mid-priced, high volume end of the market, Egg Harbor steadfastly maintained its focus as a limited quantity builder of high quality cruising and sportfishing yachts. Egg Harbor's reputation grew through the 1960's and 1970's, with offerings that ranged in size from 30 to 48 feet. Both companies converted from wood to fiberglass construction during the 1970's.
When it first became fashionable for conglomerates to acquire boat companies, Fuqua Industries purchased Pacemaker Yachts, Inc. (including Egg Harbor) in 1965. Both companies were subsequently sold to Mission Marine & Associates in 1976.
Both Egg Harbor and Pacemaker were profitable business units under their new ownership, however, Mission Marine was a highly leveraged min-conglomerate. The parent company experienced severe financial difficulties when the prime interest rate soared to 20% during 1979. As a result, Mission Marine was forced into Chapter 11 that year.
In 1980, the assets of Egg Harbor Boat Company were purchased by an investor group that included Phil Boyd, Jr. and Donald Leek (both sons of the original founders), Peter and Walt Johnson, Jr. (second generation owners of Johnson & Towers, Inc.) and Robert Traenkle (a Pennsylvania businessman and boating enthusiast).
Phil Boyd retired as President of Egg Harbor during 1983 and Rudy Lehnert, an Aeronautical Engineer and avid sportfisherman, purchased Boyd's stock and joined the company as Vice President of Engineering. At this time, Traenkle became President and James Mercanto, formerly Vice President of Marketing & Sales, became General Manager.

Through the 1980's, Egg Harbor invested heavily in new product development, refreshing and expanding the breadth of its line from 33 to 60 feet.
With steadily increasing sales and profitability, the owners prepared to sell shares in the company through an initial public offering. This plan, however, was aborted when the stock market experienced a severe adjustment on what became known as Black Monday, during mid-October, 1987. In reaction, Robert Traenkle agreed to purchase all shares of Egg Harbor Yacht Company through a structured transaction initiated in 1988.
Under now consolidated ownership, the company launched an aggressive new product development program. This culminated in the Golden Egg Series, introduced early in the 1990 model year, which featured four new cruising/sportfishing models as well as two new Aft Cabin cruising models.
While these products were well accepted by the market, the timing for this investment proved fatal. The market for new boat sales soon plunged as a result of a general economic recession, a new luxury goods tax and cumulative overbuilding by the entire industry.
In spite of Egg Harbor's successful performance during the 1980's, the company was unable to service the relatively high level of debt it had accumulated as a combined result of the stock purchase and its aggressive investment in new product development.
This situation prompted Traenkle's former partners to repossess the company and voluntarily file for protection under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Code, during January 1990.
Egg Harbor Yacht Company, Inc.. emerged from its Chapter 11 proceedings in March, 1992, when the courts approved the company's re-organization plan. The ownership of Egg Harbor then consisted of Donald Leek, Peter and Walt Johnson, Jr. and Rudy Lehnert, who managed the company as president with the help of Robert Hazard the general manager during that transitional period.
In November 1997 Egg Harbor ceased operations. A group called Marine Acquisitions had acquired the company 18 months prior for all debt and no equity. The level of debt turned out to be so high the company couldn't continue operations -- even though it had orders for more than 18 boats.
Almost two years after the date of closure, a South Jersey plastic surgeon, real estate developer and entrepreneur, Dr. Ira M. Trocki, purchased the assets of Egg Harbor Yachts. Trocki, also a boater and fisherman in his spare time, bought a new 58 foot Egg Harbor and loved the boat so much he decided to buy the company. Dr. Trocki immediately went to work assembling a veteran team of yacht building professionals. Robert J. Weidhaas as Chief Operating Officer, William Walling as Production Manager and Robert A. Hazard as Director of Sales & Marketing. Trocki immediately revamped the factory, installing new heating and air conditioning, new roof, commercial garage doors, new manufacturing equipment and the list goes on and on spending over $10 million. The company operates debt free and with his hands on approach and ownership style, Trocki is committed to building the finest sportyachts in the industry. "I am used to creating fine lines and perfection in my practice, it is only natural for me to carry that perfection over to our yacht building techniques", Trocki continues. Within a year Dr. Trocki purchased other boat builders, Revenge Yachts and Predator Custom Yachts, and immediately moved the companies to Egg Harbor City, NJ for the ease of combined manufacturing.
Egg Harbor Yachts is producing 35,37,42 and 52 foot sportyachts with 49 and 65 foot models in the near future.

 

Good one BIGGEST. Dad docks his boat at viking yachts, then winter's it up at jersey cape/cavileer. Right next door is where my swimming pool was made, I believe it was the old pacemaker factory, but I'm not sure. Also when I got out of school in early 80's I remember putting in an application over near atco somewhere, but don't remember the name of the builder, help me on that one.

 

I worked for Viking Yachts for seven years as a cabinet maker. I started there shorty after they lifted the that tax that sank a few builders. Boy they where busy we would work 60 to 65 hours a week. I enjoyed my time working there. Sometime I wish I never left but I am happy as hell where I am at now.

 

I own a bullet boat made up in north jersey in the mid to late 80's.

 

Good one BIGGEST. Dad docks his boat at viking yachts, then winter's it up at jersey cape/cavileer. Right next door is where my swimming pool was made, I believe it was the old pacemaker factory, but I'm not sure. Also when I got out of school in early 80's I remember putting in an application over near atco somewhere, but don't remember the name of the builder, help me on that one.

JERSEY WASN'T THAT CLOSE TO ACTO THE ONE YOUR PROBABLY THINKING ABOUT WAS IN BERLIN--HAVING A SENIOR BRAIN FART I'LL POST IT WHEN IT POPS BACK IN.

 

Is it Seidleman??

 

Post...Dunkirk

 

Pacemaker was off of Cushman Ave in Berlin. I remember going in and looking at the boats being built. Then Sidelman yachts bough the building. Its still there but I don't know if anyone is using it.

 

Pacemaker was off of Cushman Ave in Berlin. I remember going in and looking at the boats being built. Then Sidelman yachts bough the building. Its still there but I don't know if anyone is using it.

TOPAZ IS LISTED THERE.

 

Blasts from the past

Grew up watching the Jersey's being built.First the 28' wood boat(they could do some painting back then ).Then the 31' glass boat.Watched the 40' come to life(from it being drawn on a cocktail napkin To doing a good deal of fishing on them).Fred McCarthy who built them has to be one of the smartest men I've ever met.He also built the SeaMac"s before the Jerseys.
My Pop had a 37' Post that I had more fun on than should be allowed,plus we caught a lot of fish on that boat.
Got a lot of memories of the differant builders back in the day.Russ Homan was photographer that shot most of all the brochures for the local builders.My pop would go on the shoots and fill me in on the new boats when I was a kid.,Viking,Post,Egg Harbors,Pacemaker,Jersey are all some mighty fine boats with some awsome history and some smart men behind them all.
And J&T was there to make then go faster

 

Anybody remember Ulrickson or Zobel?

 

Anybody remember Ulrickson or Zobel?

WASN'T ZOBEL THE ONE WITH THE BIG BOW??

 

jersey boats

How about Henry Luhrs, Hubert Johnson, Bayhead skiffs, Hans Pedersen, Kulas,Colonial was in Millville. The list could go on and on.

 

Olsen,Zubeck,Silverton we have boat builders in the north too. Keep them coming.

 

Catered a Christmas party for Viking's Manager of Engineering last night if that counts. You've got to love a scale hull model filled with ice and converted into a wet bar

 

Sica Skiff......not sure where they were made....but there were quite a few of them in forked river,when I was growing up in the 60's.......

 

How about Yank's in Tuckahoe, mostly repairs now I think, but I believe they built boats years ago...

wasn't a Troth build in NJ?

 

Troths were built near South Toms River.

The old blue boats from Oyster Creek in Leeds Point were all local built boats. The Melody II and Valiant II were built by REMARC Boat works (Pete Cramer and sons) in 1958 in Tuckerton. The Sea Hawk and Drake II were Modern Boat Works boats on the Nacote Creek in Port Republic. The TRITON in Tuckerton was built by Milt Heinrichs & Capt. Ed Shriner Jr. in West Creek.
We cant forget the Maine Coasters and Henriques built in Bayville.

 

I had a King Skiff. it was a 32' lapstake job built on the Shrewsbury river in 1960. I believe King was owned by ex-Pederson employees?

 

Anybody remember Ulrickson

We had an Ulrichson. I believe it was a 1967 or 68, FG hull and wood superstructure. Single 318 Chrysler. It was a 28' flybridge express model.

 

Henriques and Topaz are two more.

 

"The Ulrichsen Boat Company was started by my father, Andrew Ulrichsen, about 1947 in Keyport, NJ, originally constructing Jersey Sea Skiffs for commerical fishermen and later for sport fishermen. In the late 40s or early 50s the boats were first shown at the New York Boat Show which then was in Grand Central Palace. His business, after the boat show, expanded greatly. He was also asked by Henry Luhrs to construct some hulls which were to be finished by the Luhrs Company and later to provide a design and patterns so that the Luhrs boats could be constructed in Morgan, NJ. Both companies flourished into the late 50s when a recession severely curtailed demand. The Ulrichsen facility in Keyport, NJ was a series of buildings not allowing for a production line. In the late 50s, Henry Luhrs came to my father and suggested that both lines of boats be redesigned and sent to the Chicago Trade Show in hopes of expanding their dealership and increase sales. In return, for my father's designs he was offered a new facility in Marlboro, NJ where a production line could be set up. Mr. Luhrs' intent was to make both companies profitable, enterinto the fiberglass market, and ultimately sell both companies. This was accomplished in the early 60s when the companies were sold to the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad which later became the Bangor, Punta, Allegra Sugar Company and then ultimately -Bagor Punta. During that period Ulrichsen boats built wooden sea skiffs from 25 feet to 37 feet. The first entry into fiberglass boats was made by Luhrs when they acquired molds from a Virginia company - I do not remember the name. The first one was 29 feet with a fiberglass hull and a wood super structure and later at 32 foot model was introduced. To the best of my recollection, the first all fiberglass boat was a 29 foot, marketed as an Alura. Both boat companies ceased operations in 1969. Henry Luhrs had two sons, John and Warren, who left the Marlboro operation and purchased a small New Jersey wooden boat company named Silverton. They hired a man by the name of Jack Fields to redesign the Silverton boats in fiberglass. Warren, the younger brother, went on to start Hunter, a sailboat company in Florida and then later started a trawler line called Mainship. At some point they purchased the Luhrs name back from the holding company and, to this day, continue to produce Silverton, Luhrs, and Mainship. I left the boat company when it closed down and ultimately started custom home building in Moorestown, NJ, where I reside today.
If you have any questions, please email me. Eric Ulrichsen"

 

Ocean Yacht History

From Ocean's website:

In 1977 Jack Leek launched Ocean Yachts with the company's first boat — a 40' sportfisherman to which our 25th anniversary New Generation 40 Super Sport paid tribute. But Jack was not the first Leek to build boats in New Jersey. In fact, Leeks have been building and launching them in the historic Mullica River since 1721.
Ocean's heritage reaches as far back as the original American colonies. Leek-manufactured vessels helped develop our coastal and river trade, create a rich fishing industry, battle pirates and privateers, intercept rum runners during Prohibition and German U-boats in World War II. We can justly say that the Leek family's involvement in the American maritime industry is as old as the industry itself.
C. P. Leek, for example, pioneered the U.S. pleasure craft industry in the 1920s. Later in the century, his Pacemaker line became the most sought-after production power boats on the market. C. P. was the father of Ocean Yachts’ founder Jack and the grandfather of our current President, John E. Leek III. C. P.’s sons and grandsons would produce some of the world's finest luxury sportfishing and cruising yachts.
Today’s Ocean Yachts may have little in common with those early Leek vessels, or even with C. P.’s revolutionary Pacemakers. But they express — in fiberglass instead of wood — the same spirited determination to produce the highest quality yachts in the world.
It is this resolve that has made Ocean Yachts the world's largest producer of quality-built Super Sports, Sport Fish, and Odyssey models in the 40' to 73' class. Our yachts are valued by thousands of owners — running in all the world's great seas — for their unbeatable combination of performance, speed, power, luxury, styling and durability. Boats that appeal to serious sportfishermen and devoted pleasure cruisers, alike.

 

Anybody watch Port O'Call just ran a great 2 part show on the Leeks(Ocean) and Mid Atlantic Tourney . Pretty cool show .

 

Viking Yachts History


Same info for Viking.

On April 1, 2007, the Viking Yacht Company celebrated 43 years in business building luxury performance sportfishing and cruising yachts. Started by brothers Bob and Bill Healey in 1964 when they bought Peterson-Viking Builders, a small, struggling New Jersey builder of 37-foot, wooden sportfishing boats, Viking Yachts has grown to become a world leader in semi-custom fiberglass yacht production with over 4,000 Vikings delivered.

The full text is too long to paste here. Check the website for the full story as well as a nice timeline.

http://www.vikingyachts.com/main/history.asp

Interesting fact regarding both Ocean and Viking, both companies are still family owned and operated and have had the same owners the entire time. No bankruptcies, buyouts or sale of the brands and molds. A nice factor considering the current market conditions.

 

I seem to remember Thompson boats built somewhere around Point Pleasant. I was just a kid about 10 years old. Wooden lapstrake boat.

 

Anybody remember Ulrickson or Zobel?

Zoble sea fox was a clinker build skiff build in Seabright, N.J. in the late 1940's and 1950. Thay were the best bass boat of their time.