What Gladding Hearn does

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation is a family-owned commercial shipyard founded in 1955 by George Duclos with Pret Gladding and Richard Hearn, headquartered on a 7-acre site on the deepwater Taunton River in Somerset, Massachusetts. The company designs and builds custom steel and aluminum commercial vessels, with more than 446 vessels delivered over 70+ years and a workforce of 80–100 employees (capacity up to 100). Its seven core product categories are pilot boats, tug boats, passenger vessels (catamaran and mono-hull ferries, water taxis, whale watchers), patrol boats, fire boats, research vessels, and offshore wind crew transfer vessels (CTVs).

Manufacturing leverages in-house naval architecture and engineering, plasma cutting, 3-D modeling, and a proprietary Zone Outfit Logic Technology (ZOLT) for module-based construction. The yard was the first in the United States to apply Volvo Penta's IPS drives commercially, and holds long-running design partnerships with Ray Hunt Design (since 1978) for industry-standard deep-V pilot boat hulls and with Incat Crowther (since the mid-1980s) for high-speed catamaran ferries. Product sub-brands include the Chesapeake, Baltimore, Charleston, Galveston, St. John's, and Resilient pilot boat classes; Catamaran Ferries (84–154 feet); Mono-Hull Ferries (85–165 feet); Tug Boats (25–80 feet, up to 60-ton bollard pull); Patrol Boats (30–75 feet, up to 41 knots); NFPA 1925-compliant Fire Boats (1,000–20,000 gpm); Research Vessels (50–60 feet, up to 2,000 NM range); and Offshore Wind Vessels (12–45m CTVs).

The business operates on a direct-to-customer B2B model, with each vessel built to specification under negotiated contracts for enterprise and government clients including U.S. maritime pilot associations, ferry operators, port authorities, municipal police departments, the U.S. Navy, the Colombian Navy, oceanographic institutions, and offshore wind operators. Approximately 90% of business comes from repeat customers, and revenue is generated from both new construction and refit/repair services. Geographic reach spans the U.S. Northeast, Southeast, Gulf Coast, and Great Lakes, with additional customers in the Caribbean and Bermuda. Vessels are delivered directly from the Somerset shipyard, with no intermediary distribution channels.

Name

Gladding Hearn

Legal name

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation

Website

https://gladding-hearn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding is a family-owned Massachusetts shipyard founded in 1955 that designs and builds custom steel and aluminum commercial vessels — including pilot boats, ferries, tugs, patrol boats, research vessels, and offshore wind CTVs — for enterprise and government maritime clients across the U.S., Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerset

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Vessel Construction: Design and build custom steel and aluminum commercial vessels to customer specifications. Revenue generated from vessel construction contracts including pilot boats, ferries, tug boats, patrol boats, fire boats, research vessels, and crew transfer vessels. Both new construction and refit/repair services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation is a family-owned shipyard founded in 1955 that designs and builds custom steel and aluminum commercial vessels, including pilot boats, passenger ferries, tug boats, patrol boats, fire boats, research vessels, and offshore wind crew transfer vessels. The company also performs refit and repair services to extend vessel service life. It sells direct to maritime operators, pilot associations, government agencies, ferry companies, and research institutions.

Product overview

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation is a family-owned shipyard building steel and aluminum commercial vessels since 1955. The product portfolio centers on seven core vessel categories: Pilot Boats (their flagship product with over 100 built, including Baltimore, Charleston, Chesapeake, Galveston, St. John's, and Resilient classes), Tug Boats, Passenger Vessels (catamaran ferries, water taxis, whale watchers, mono-hull ferries), Patrol Boats, Fire Boats, Research Vessels, and Offshore Wind Vessels (Crew Transfer Vessels). The company operates as a licensee of Incat Crowther for catamaran designs and builds vessels with Ray Hunt Design deep-V hulls for pilot boats. Their 70+ years of experience spans over 446 vessels built, with nearly 90% business from repeat customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chesapeake Class: 53-foot all-aluminum high-speed pilot boat with deep-V hull by Ray Hunt Design
• Baltimore Class
• Charleston Class
• Galveston Class
• Resilient Class
• St. John's Class
• Pilot-Response Boat
• Tug Boats
• Catamaran Ferries
• Mono-Hull Ferries
• Catamaran Water Taxi
• Catamaran Whale Watcher
• Coastal & Offshore Patrol Boat
• Harbor Patrol Boat
• Fire Boats
• Research Vessels
• Offshore Wind Vessels

Products and services

• Pilot Boats High-performance aluminum pilot boats in multiple classes (Baltimore, Charleston, Chesapeake, Galveston, St. John's, Resilient, Pilot-Response) ranging from 35 to 75 feet. All feature Ray Hunt Design deep-V hulls known for soft dry rides, steady tracking, and maneuverability. Built for maritime pilot associations for harbor and offshore pilot transfer operations.
• Tug Boats Heavy-duty steel and aluminum tug boats and barges ranging from 25 to 80 feet with bollard pull from 2.6 to 60 tons. Built for harbor ship-handling, dredging support, and commercial tug operations.
• Passenger Vessels Steel and aluminum passenger vessels including catamaran ferries (84-154 feet, up to 39 knots, up to 393 passengers), water taxis (41-72 feet, 40-149 passengers), whale watchers (98-122 feet, 30-35 knots), and mono-hull ferries (85-165 feet, up to 600 passengers). Includes Incat Crowther-licensed designs.
• Patrol Boats Coastal, offshore, and harbor patrol boats for police departments, port authorities, and government agencies. Range from 30 to 75 feet with speeds up to 41 knots. Some equipped with non-lethal weapons, FLIR cameras, and NBC filtration systems.
• Fire Boats Shoal-draft fire boats meeting NFPA 1925 standard with pumping capacities from 1,000 to 20,000 gpm. Multipurpose fire and rescue vessels that can be operated by as few as two firefighters, built for municipal fire departments and port emergency services.
• Research Vessels Fast, versatile coastal research vessels with shallow-V planing hulls ranging from 50 to 60 feet, accommodating multiple laboratories and equipment. Speeds of 22+ knots and ranges up to 2,000 NM. Built for oceanographic research institutions and universities.
• Offshore Wind Vessels (Crew Transfer Vessels) Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) for offshore wind farm operations ranging from 12m to 45m in length. All-aluminum catamarans designed by Incat Crowther for safe transfer of offshore workers and cargo in up to 1.75m seas.
• Patriot Leader Crew Transfer Vessel 88.5-foot all-aluminum high-speed catamaran CTV with four Scania DI16 engines (788 Bhp each) driving Hamilton HM521 waterjets. Top speed 29 knots, transports 24 offshore workers and 10 tonnes of deck cargo for offshore wind projects.
• Yankee Freedom IV Passenger Ferry 112.5-foot, 300-passenger high-speed catamaran designed by Incat Crowther for Key West to Dry Tortugas service. Powered by twin MTU 12V-4000M65R engines, Humphree active interceptor ride control, top speed over 28 knots.
• Chesapeake Class Pilot Boat 53-foot all-aluminum pilot boat with Ray Hunt Design deep-V hull. Most popular class with over 30 built. Powered by twin Volvo Penta or Caterpillar engines, speeds 24-27 knots.
• Baltimore Class Pilot Boat 48.5-foot harbor-optimized pilot boat with squared-off fendered bow for safe pilot transfers at docks and moored ships. Top speed 30 knots, faster than larger offshore boats.
• Catamaran Ferries High-speed passenger catamarans from 84 to 154 feet, powered by waterjets or conventional propellers. Speeds up to 39 knots, capacities to 393 passengers.
• Mono-Hull Ferries Steel mono-hull passenger ferries ranging from 85 to 165 feet with capacities up to 600 passengers. Top speeds to 13 knots.
• Refit and Repair Services Comprehensive refit, repowering, and repair services for commercial vessels, including repowering with new engines, gyro stabilizer installation, steering system upgrades, and passenger accommodation refurbishment. Services extend vessel service life by 10-15+ years and are performed alongside new construction operations.

Named customers18 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Incat CrowthercoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1987Licensee of Incat Crowther since the mid-1980s. Gladding-Hearn became the second shipyard in the United States to build high-speed catamarans from Incat Crowther designs that performed as promised. Has built more than 40 high-speed passenger catamarans from Incat Crowther designs, including the lion's share on the East Coast and Great Lakes.
• Ray Hunt Design (formerly C. Raymond Hunt Associates)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1978Long-standing partnership since 1978 leading to the first deep-V pilot boat hull, which cut commuting times in half and became the industry standard. All Gladding-Hearn pilot boats feature Ray Hunt Design deep-V hulls.
• U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD)minorOthers$949,899 Small Shipyard Grant awarded to Gladding-Hearn for facility modernization, including bi-fold shop doors and 35-ton self-propelled vessel trailer.
• Massachusetts Clean Energy CenterminorOthers$360,800 grant awarded for building a sheltered plate storage yard to efficiently store metal plating on racks under cover.
• Propulsion Data ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and project management partner for complex refit projects, working alongside Gladding-Hearn on projects like the Bermuda ferry refit.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• All American Marine: Washington-state builder of aluminum commercial vessels including high-speed catamaran passenger ferries and offshore wind crew transfer vessels — directly comparable to Gladding-Hearn's Incat Crowther-licensed catamaran and Patriot Leader CTV product lines.
• Derecktor Shipyards: East Coast US shipyard building custom aluminum commercial vessels including pilot boats, patrol boats, and passenger ferries — directly overlapping Gladding-Hearn's core product portfolio and serving similar maritime, government, and commercial customers.
• Metal Shark Boats: Louisiana-based aluminum shipbuilder producing commercial workboats, patrol vessels, and offshore wind CTVs — a direct competitor to Gladding-Hearn in the CTV and aluminum patrol/pilot boat segments with comparable build methods and customer types.
• Eastern Shipbuilding Group: Florida-based commercial shipyard building steel and aluminum vessels including patrol boats, tugs, and offshore support vessels — comparable in scale and customer mix to Gladding-Hearn, competing for similar US government and commercial marine contracts.
• Conrad Shipyard: Louisiana-based shipbuilder producing commercial and government vessels including patrol boats and tugs, with a comparable custom-build model and similar US maritime/government customer base as Gladding-Hearn.
• Washburn & Doughty: Maine-based shipyard building tugs, dredge support vessels, and commercial workboats — directly comparable to Gladding-Hearn's tug/dredge tender product line and overlapping US East Coast commercial marine customer base.
• Armstrong Marine: Pacific Northwest builder of custom aluminum commercial vessels including pilot boats, patrol boats, and research vessels — comparable in size and product mix to Gladding-Hearn, particularly in the aluminum pilot and patrol boat segments.
• Birdon America: US shipbuilder producing commercial and military vessels including patrol, workboats, and barges — comparable to Gladding-Hearn's commercial/government vessel business with similar federal and commercial customer mix.
• Master Boat Builders: Alabama-based shipyard building and repairing commercial vessels including tugs, offshore supply boats, and barges — a similarly sized direct competitor in the US Gulf Coast commercial marine market with overlapping customer types.

Broad incumbents

• Bollinger Shipyards: Large Louisiana-based shipyard building a broad portfolio of commercial, government, and military vessels including patrol boats, tugs, and offshore support — a much larger incumbent that competes with Gladding-Hearn for government contracts but operates at substantially greater scale and capability breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gladding Hearn