Southeastern North Carolina is an excellent location for boatbuilding and marine companies. The region has a proud history of craftsmanship in boat construction and possesses a skilled workforce in this industry sector. The region’s natural proximity to the Atlantic coast, and the many beaches, waterways, intra-coastal waterway, lakes, and rivers provide a ready market and a great location for construction and testing. North Carolina’s Industry Boating Services organization provides technical assistance and helps companies match up to potential suppliers and customers.
NC’s Southeast is home to:
13 of the state’s 100 boat building companies
265 of the state’s 1290 suppliers to the industry
72 of 444 marinas
105 of 502 boat sales outlets
9 of 42 haulout boatyards
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, approximately 705,000 boats were sold in
the US in 2008. NC ranked 5th in the value of boats, motors and accessories sold with $504 million out of $11.2 billion. However, we rank only 11th in number of boat registrations with 376 thousand out of 12.9 million. This difference reflects the state’s predominance in large offshore boat building and sales.
NC’s Community College system provides significant support to the boat building industry. The system’s
Small Business and Technology Development Center provides focused services to the Marine Trades with two specialists and significant resources located on the website www.ncwaterways.com. The Boating Industry Services include: supplier identification, regulatory compliance assistance, job market resources, location assistance, business counseling, management education, technology commercialization, export financing assistance, market and research services, customized employee training, an industry newsletter and a focused industry website.
Cape Fear Community College – within NC’s Southeastern Region, this community college in Wilmington,
provides the specialty training and curriculum for the boat building and marine trades industry. They provide both diploma and certificate awards for two specific areas of the industry.
Marine Technology - designed to prepare individuals to use and maintain sophisticated equipment such as electronic navigation devices, physical and chemical measuring instruments, sampling devices, and data acquisition and reduction systems aboard ocean-going and smaller vessels.
Boat building – prepares individuals for employment in the boat manufacturing and repair industry by teaching skilled craftspeople to create complex shapes out of a wide variety of materials and perform mechanical repairs.
Significant companies in the Region:
Bennett Brothers Yachts - yachts
Cape Fear Yachts - yachts
Caison Yachts - yachts
Onslow Bay Boatworks and Marine Products – recreational boats
Sea Mark Boats – recreational boats
Carolina Boat Co – wooden boats
Evolution Kayaks - kayaks
Gore Marine Fabrication – custom metal fabrication
Lee’s Tackle – wholesale fishing and boating accessories
Sturdy Marine – marine electronic controls
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NORTH CAROLINA'S SOUTHEAST
The Regional Economic Development Marketing Organization
For Southeastern North Carolina
707 West Broad Street, P.O. Box 2556, Elizabethtown,
NC 28337
Phone: 800-787-1333 Fax: 910-862-1482 |
