Berkeley Marine Center

What Berkeley Marine Center does

Berkeley Marine Center (Berkeley Marine Center, Inc.) is a family-owned, full-service boat yard and marine center established in 1978 and located at 1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley, California, within the Berkeley Marina. The company operates three interconnected divisions: a boat yard offering hull repairs, bottom paint, engine maintenance, metal fabrication, welding, marine electrical/electronics, rigging, and full electric/diesel/gas repowers; a custom yacht construction division building racing and cruising yachts using vacuum infusion, carbon fiber, and fiberglass composite techniques; and an electric propulsion division that designs and installs complete electric and hybrid propulsion systems. The firm also operates an on-site chandlery retail storefront for marine hardware, paint, and supplies, and accepts DIY boat owners for lay days — an uncommon accommodation in the Bay Area.

The business is owned and managed by Cree Partridge, who acquired the company in the late 1990s after previously co-founding P-Squared Yachts in Southern California. Partridge maintains a long-standing collaboration with naval architect Jim Antrim, and BMC is the official builder of the Antrim 27 production design; notable custom builds include Rapid Transit (Antrim 49 canting keel carbon fiber racer), California Condor (Northern California's first Class 40), and Glass Slipper (2023, 40ft carbon fiber sled subsequently converted to electric propulsion). The electric propulsion division is multi-brand, with dealer relationships spanning Electric Yacht, E-Propulsion, Bellmarine, Victron Energy, PowerUP hydrogen fuel cells, Whisper Power diesel gensets, and Delta-q chargers.

Berkeley Marine Center generates revenue through time-and-materials yard services (haul/launch at $16-$19 per foot, labor at $125-$140/hour), project-based custom yacht construction, electric propulsion hardware sales and installation, chandlery retail, and DIY lay-day fees ($2.50/ft/day escalating). The primary customer base consists of Bay Area sailboat owners, performance racing yacht owners, eco-conscious boaters seeking electric repowers, DIY boat owners, and wooden boat enthusiasts, with the geographic reach concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area and broader West Coast. Distribution is channeled through the physical yard facility and chandlery storefront, with marketing driven primarily by reputation, word-of-mouth, sailing publication coverage (Latitude 38), and content marketing via the company website and social media.

Name

Berkeley Marine Center

Legal name

Berkeley Marine Center, Inc.

Website

https://berkeleymarine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Berkeley Marine Center is a family-owned, full-service boat yard at Berkeley Marina serving Bay Area boaters since 1978 across three divisions: traditional boat yard services, custom carbon fiber yacht construction, and electric propulsion system design and installation, supplemented by a chandlery and DIY lay-day accommodations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boat Yard and Marine Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (3366)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Retrofits, Upgrades & Compliance Conversions (Scrubbers, BWTS, Alternative Fuels, Energy-Saving Devices) (TLAHAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Underwater Hull Inspection, Cleaning & Propeller Services (TLAKAKAJ), Marine Electrical Installation, Commissioning & Field Services (IMAJAJAL), Engine & Mechanical Overhaul (Main/Aux Engines, Pumps, Valves, Compressors) (TLAHAMAD), Marine Outfitting & Interior Refurbishment (TLAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Boat yard services
• Marine repair services
• Custom yacht building
• Electric propulsion systems
• Marine chandlery supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Boat Yard Services: Time and materials based services including haul/launch, bottom paint packages, hull repairs, engine maintenance, metal fabrication, electrical work, and rigging. Customers pay for labor at hourly rates plus materials.
2. Custom Boat Building: Design and construction of custom racing yachts, cruising yachts, and specialty boats. Revenue from complete boat builds and components.
3. Electric Propulsion Repowers: Complete electric propulsion system sales and installation including motors, batteries, fuel cells, and charging equipment.
4. Chandlery Retail Sales: Retail sales of marine hardware, fasteners, connectors, paints, solvents, adhesives, epoxy resins, batteries, zincs, and boat supplies through the on-site chandlery.
5. DIY Lay Days: Fee-based daily dockage for do-it-yourself boat owners working on their own vessels in the boat yard.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Berkeley Marine Center is a full-service boat yard at Berkeley Marina providing hull repairs, bottom paint, engine maintenance, metal fabrication, welding, marine electrical and electronics, rigging, and complete electric, diesel, and gas repowers for boats up to 30 tons and 16 ft beam. It also designs and builds custom racing and cruising yachts using vacuum infusion composite construction, carbon fiber, and fiberglass, and integrates complete electric propulsion systems with lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, and hybrid solutions. An on-site chandlery retail store sells marine hardware, paints, adhesives, epoxy resins, batteries, and zincs.

Product overview

Berkeley Marine Center is a full-service boat yard and marine center offering three interconnected divisions: The Boat Yard (maintenance, repair, and repower services), Custom Yacht Construction (building custom racing and cruising yachts using advanced composite techniques), and Electric Propulsion Systems (design and installation of complete electric and hybrid propulsion systems). The boat yard handles hull repairs, bottom paint, engine work, metal fabrication, electrical/electronics, and offers comprehensive bottom packages. The construction division builds custom yachts including the Antrim 27 (which BMC is official builder for), Class 40 racing yachts, and custom designs like Rapid Transit and Glass Slipper. The electric propulsion division integrates components from Electric Yacht, E-Propulsion, Bellmarine, Victron Energy, PowerUP, and Whisper Power into complete systems including motors, lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, and generators. The Chandlery retail store provides marine hardware, paints, and supplies. The company serves Bay Area boaters since 1978 and welcomes do-it-yourself boat owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,000 boats successfully hauled and serviced
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Electric YachtscoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for Electric Yacht electric motor systems for boat propulsion. Part of BMC's comprehensive electric propulsion offerings.
• E-PropulsioncoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for E-Propulsion electric motor systems and outboards including Spirit, Navy, and X-Series lines.
• BellmarinecoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for Bellmarine electric motor systems as part of BMC's electric propulsion product line.
• Victron EnergycoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for Victron Energy products including smart chargers and energy management systems.
• PowerUP TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for PowerUP Hydrogen Fuel Cells (1kWH and 3kWH generators) and related products.
• Whisper PowercoreTechnology or IntegrationDealer for Whisper Power diesel genset units (4.3KWH to 32KWH) as range extenders or backup power for hybrid systems.
• Jim Antrim (Naval Architect)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time collaboration with naval architect Jim Antrim. Official builder of Antrim 27. Multiple custom designs built at BMC including Rapid Transit, California Condor, Glass Slipper. Jim Antrim serves as designer and has been involved in racing victories.
• Pineapple SailsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSail maker referenced in boat building projects for local Berkeley Marine Center builds.
• Spaulding Marine CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMC accepts apprentices from Spaulding's Boatworks 101 Apprenticeship program. Employee Peter joined BMC through this program.
• Schaefer MarineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarine hardware manufacturer featured in BMC's helpful links section.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brewer Yacht Yard: Multi-location full-service boatyard chain on the US East Coast combining maintenance, storage, and brokerage. Comparable service catalog and customer type as BMC, but with multi-site scale and a broader yacht broker overlay.
• Newport Shipyard: Large Newport, Rhode Island boatyard servicing both recreational and superyacht segments with haulouts, refit, and storage. Comparable full-service yard model and high-net-worth customer base; larger scale and broader service envelope than BMC.
• Hinckley Yachts: Long-established East Coast builder of custom sailing yachts and motorboats with broader scale and a national service network. Comparable custom construction capability and brand prestige, with materially larger volume and geographic footprint than BMC.

Others

• Hall Spars & Marine: Carbon fiber mast and spar manufacturer serving high-performance and racing yacht programs. Adjacent rather than competitive to BMC - relevant because both serve the same racing yacht owner segment and BMC builds carbon spars in-house as part of its custom racing yacht work.
• Torqeedo: Leading electric marine propulsion OEM (outboards and inboards). Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor - BMC is a dealer/installer of competing and complementary electric motor brands, so Torqeedo's market growth directly benefits BMC's repower division.

Direct peers

• Spaulding Marine Center: Sausalito-based full-service boatyard directly comparable to BMC: offers haul/launch, marine repairs, chandlery, and apprenticeship program. Referenced in BMC's own data as an apprenticeship pipeline partner, confirming shared service mix and Bay Area customer overlap.
• KKMI Sausalito: Full-service Sausalito boatyard offering haulouts, repairs, custom fabrication, and marine storage within the San Francisco Bay market. Competes directly with BMC for sailboat owner maintenance work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/DMFlhr_Rn5l
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blaze-enterprises

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 Berkeley Marine Center