Gig Harbor Boat Works

What Gig Harbor Boat Works does

Gig Harbor Boat Works is a privately held, custom boat manufacturer founded in 1986 by Dave Robertson and based in a single workshop in Gig Harbor, Washington. The company designs, hand-builds, and ships ten models of small craft — ranging from the 8-foot Nisqually tender to the 17-foot Salish Voyager and Jersey Skiff — for recreational rowers, sailors, yacht owners seeking tenders, and expedition users. Each hull is laid up individually by hand in gelcoat fiberglass, drawing on hull forms refined from traditional working boats (Whitehall, Jersey Skiff, Melonseed, Lobster Boat), with optional Ultralite layups, sliding seats, sail rigs, and motor provisions configurable per model.

Production runs on a build-to-order model: customers select base models and options through an online 'Build & Price' configurator and then transact directly with the workshop via phone and email, paying a 25% reservation deposit, a 25% progress installment, and the balance before completion. Pricing spans $8,495 to $35,995 per boat, with shipping quoted separately and a possible materials surcharge. All revenue is one-time direct-to-consumer sales to individuals; there are no dealers, resellers, or institutional channels.

The company operates with 1-10 employees and no external funding. In 2016, founder Dave Robertson transferred ownership to a local Washington family that continues the same handcrafted, one-at-a-time production philosophy. Boats are delivered nationwide to all 50 U.S. states; the company does not serve international markets or commercial/B2B customers. Marketing is limited to the company website, customer-voyage stories, and historical presence at the Seattle Boat Show.

Name

Gig Harbor Boat Works

Legal name

Gig Harbor Boat Works

Website

https://ghboats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gig Harbor Boat Works is a privately held, custom boat manufacturer founded in 1986 in Gig Harbor, Washington, hand-building ten models of small rowing and sailing craft (8 to 17 feet) one at a time and selling direct-to-consumer nationwide to individual recreational boaters, yacht owners, and expedition users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Small Boat Manufacturing (Rowboats and Sailboats)

NAICS

Boat Building (336612)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Yacht Tenders & Auxiliary Leisure Craft Manufacturing (IMAJAEAO)

Keywords

• Custom small boat building
• Handcrafted rowing boats
• Traditional sailing dinghies
• Fiberglass yacht tenders
• Expedition rowing sailboats

Headquarters

HQ city

Gig Harbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Boat Sales: 100% of revenue from custom-built handcrafted small boats sold directly to customers. Customers configure boats through the Build & Price system with various options and accessories. Payment structure: 25% deposit to reserve place in build queue, additional 25% installment approximately 30 days before construction, final balance due within 30 days of construction start or upon project completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gig Harbor Boat Works designs and hand-builds custom small boats (8 to 17 feet) for rowing, sailing, and use as yacht tenders, using hand-laid fiberglass with traditional hull shapes. Each boat is built to order one at a time in Gig Harbor, Washington, configured by the customer online, and delivered nationwide with multi-propulsion options (oar, sail, small motor).

Product overview

Gig Harbor Boat Works is a custom boat builder offering ten handcrafted fiberglass rowing and sailing boats ranging from 8 to 17 feet, built to order in Gig Harbor, Washington since 1986. The product lineup includes expedition boats (Salish Voyager, Jersey Skiff), coastal craft (Melonseed), working boats (Lobster Boat), classic harbor boats (Whitehall, Captain's Gig), microcruisers (Scamp), versatile dinghies (Point Defiance, Navigator), and tenders (Nisqually). Most models offer multiple configurations for rowing, sailing, and motor use, with options for add-on accessories and customization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Salish Voyager (17 ft) 17-foot expedition-grade long-distance rowing and sailing boat with optional 100 ft² balanced lug sail, self-bailing floor, and enclosed side compartments for dry storage. Built for individuals tackling open-water crossings. Starting from $21,495 USD.
• Jersey Skiff (17 ft) 17-foot classic open-water rowing and sailing boat available in open rowboat, rowboat with expedition deck, or full sloop rig configurations. Designed for beach-launched rescue and salvage work through heavy surf. Starting from $21,995 USD.
• Melonseed (16.5 ft) 16.5-foot coastal sailing/rowing skiff descended from traditional waterfowl hunting skiffs, with standard sliding seat and three configurations (pure rowboat, expedition rowboat, or sailboat with 90 ft² balanced lug rig). Starting from $15,995 USD.
• Lobster Boat (15 ft) 15-foot multi-purpose working hull that can be rowed, sailed (optional 100 ft² lug rig), or motored (up to 10 HP), with covered bow storage and a flat bottom for beach launches. Starting from $23,995 USD.
• Whitehall (14 ft) 14-foot classic harbor pulling boat with lapstrake styling, sliding seat for single or tandem rowing, optional sloop rig with roller furling genoa, and Ultralite version at 125 lbs. Starting from $13,995 USD.
• Scamp (12 ft) 12-foot pocket microcruiser with 100 ft² lug rig, self-bailing cockpit, and decked cuddy cabin, designed for coastal adventure camping. Available only as a full sailing package, with options for camping cover, bimini, electric motor, and compass. Starting from $35,995 USD.
• Point Defiance (12 ft) 12-foot versatile rowing and sailing dinghy with removable center seat, optional sloop rig (57 ft² main + 28 ft² jib), roller furling, and navigation lights, suitable for car-topping and family use. Starting from $12,995 USD.
• Navigator (10 ft) 10-foot versatile cruising tender with optional cat rig sail configuration, light enough to car-top and launch solo, functioning as a yacht tender or daysailer. Starting from $9,995 USD.
• Captain's Gig (9.5 ft) 9.5-foot heritage rowing tender with classic lapstrake styling in fiberglass, wine glass transom, and optional cat rig or high-performance sail package. Starting from $11,495 USD.
• Nisqually (8 ft) 8-foot smallest tender/rowboat in the fleet, light enough to lift onto a yacht deck, with optional Ultralite hull (62 lb vs 72 lb), sail rig, and various upgrades. Starting from $8,495 USD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ships to all 50 U.S. states, demonstrating nationwide reach from a single workshop location

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brooklin Boat Yard: Maine-based custom wooden boat builder producing small craft and yachts. Comparable in hand-built craft philosophy, custom-to-order model, and direct relationships with customers for premium traditional vessels.
• Swallow Boats: UK builder of small sailing and rowing craft including the BayRaider and Raider series. Comparable in traditional small-craft focus, multiple-propulsion configurations, and direct-to-customer custom build model.
• Chesapeake Light Craft: Specializes in small boat plans, kits, and finished craft including rowing/sailing dinghies. Comparable in product category (small recreational craft) though with a kit-based distribution model that diverges from GHBW's finished-boat-only approach.
• Whitehall Rowboats & Sailboats: Direct peer building Whitehall-style rowing boats and small sailing craft, including an overlap with GHBW's Whitehall model. Same heritage-inspired positioning and direct-to-consumer sales motion in the same small-craft category.
• Devlin Designing Boat Builders: Washington State custom small-craft builder offering rowboats, sailing dinghies, and stitch-and-glue designs. Strong geographic and product overlap with GHBW, both serving the Pacific Northwest recreational boating community.
• Adirondack Guide-Boat Company: Custom handcrafted rowing boats based on traditional Adirondack guide-boat designs. Directly comparable business model: traditional small craft, custom built to order, premium pricing, recreational/expedition customer base.
• Goat Island Boats: Australian builder of handcrafted traditional rowing and sailing small craft from clinker and fiberglass construction. Direct analog in niche, craft philosophy, and customer profile (recreational and expedition users).
• Hvalsøe Boats: Danish builder of handcrafted small rowing and sailing craft emphasizing Scandinavian design heritage. Comparable in craft-focused positioning, premium pricing, and small-batch custom production for recreational and expedition customers.

Broad incumbents

• Chris-Craft Boats: Established American recreational boat manufacturer offering a wide range of runabouts and small powerboats. Overlaps in the recreational small-craft category but operates at far greater scale with mass-market positioning rather than GHBW's custom heritage niche.
• Hinckley Yachts: Premium American yacht builder with deep craft heritage and ownership of Picnic Boats and other small craft. Overlaps in heritage craftsmanship positioning and premium recreational boater customer base, but operates at much larger scale across the full yacht spectrum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gh_boatshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Gig Harbor Boat Works