Composite Research
Composite Research, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned boat manufacturer in Blackshear, Georgia that designs, hand-builds, and distributes all-composite, no-wood center consoles, bay boats, skiffs, and flats boats across the Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder brands via an authorized U.S. dealer network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersBlackshear, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Composite Research does
Composite Research, Inc. (CRI) is a privately held, family-owned marine manufacturer founded in 1994 as Sundance Boats, Inc. and reincorporated under the Composite Research name in 2012. Headquartered in Blackshear, Georgia, on a 10-acre campus with a 90,000 square foot production facility and 80-100 full-time employees, CRI designs, hand-builds, and distributes all-composite, no-wood boats across three sub-brands: Sea Born (center consoles, offshore boats, and bay boats), Sundance (flat-bottom skiffs), and Spyder (flats boats and technical poling skiffs). The company's core technology stack centers on hand-laid bi-axial glass with high-density foam core construction and stepped hull designs on the FX, LX, and SX series, supported by a transferable 10-Year Limited Hull Warranty and factory-integrated features such as through-hull transducer placement on stepped hulls.
CRI's go-to-market is exclusively indirect, with boats sold through an authorized dealer network spanning the Southeast, Northeast, Gulf States, and Central Texas; the factory does not sell direct. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time unit hardware sales at MSRPs ranging from approximately $28,400 (Spyder FX16 Wisp) to higher price points on FX, LX, and SX models, supplemented by warranty transfer administration fees ($300 per transfer), branded merchandise sales via criboatsgear.com, and — beginning with mid-year 2026 models — a new recurring service revenue stream through the Sea Born One telematics and 24/7 monitoring program operated in partnership with Boat Fix. Leadership comprises CEO Wally "Seaborn" Bell Jr., CMO & CTO Sean A. McCoy, and COO Dave Travis, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or stock exchange listing.
Composite Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Composite Research
- Legal name
- Composite Research, Inc.
- Website
- https://criboats.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Composite Research, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned boat manufacturer in Blackshear, Georgia that designs, hand-builds, and distributes all-composite, no-wood center consoles, bay boats, skiffs, and flats boats across the Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder brands via an authorized U.S. dealer network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Composite Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Blackshear
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Composite Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Boat sales through authorized dealer network: Core revenue stream: one-time sales of new Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder boats (center consoles, bay boats, offshore boats, skiffs, flats boats) manufactured in Blackshear, GA and sold through a stable network of independent marine dealers across the Southeast, Northeast, Gulf States, and Central Texas. Factory does not sell direct.
- Warranty transfer administration fees: Transferable 10-Year Limited Hull Warranty carries a $300 transfer fee to one subsequent owner within five years of original delivery.
- Branded merchandise (CRIBoats Gear): E-commerce storefront at criboatsgear.com selling branded apparel/accessories for Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder owners and enthusiasts.
- Sea Born One / Boat Fix telematics option: New "Sea Born One" program (announced Oct 6, 2025 in partnership with Boat Fix) offers a 24/7 monitoring, GPS tracking, and live technical support subscription/service option available on mid-year 2026 models across all CRI brands.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Spyder FX16 Wisp flats boat - entry-level skiff |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Sea Born FX24 Tournament Bay Boat - mid-size bay boat |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Warranty transfer fee (transferable 10-yr hull warranty) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Composite Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Composite Research, Inc. is a marine manufacturer that handcrafts center consoles, bay boats, offshore boats, skiffs, and flats boats across three sub-brand product lines (Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder). Every hull is hand-laid using bi-axial glass with high-density foam core in an all-composite, no-wood construction process at its 90,000 sq ft Blackshear, GA facility, backed by a 10-year limited hull warranty and sold through authorized dealers.
Product overview
Composite Research, Inc. (CRI) is a boat manufacturer organized around three core sub-brand product lines — Sea Born Boats (center consoles, offshore boats, and bay boats), Sundance Boats (flat bottom skiffs), and Spyder Boats (flats boats and technical poling skiffs) — rather than a single unified software-style platform. The company complements these boat brands with the Sea Born One Program, a telematics and 24/7 support service powered by Boat Fix, available on mid-year 2026 models across all three boat brands. Specific product models within the portfolio include the Sea Born LX22 Center Console (LX series), the Sea Born FX24 Tournament Bay (FX series bay boats), and the Spyder FX16 Wisp (compact poling skiff in the Spyder FX series). All boats are hand-laid at CRI's 90,000 square foot production facility in Blackshear, Georgia, using all-composite materials with a 10-year limited hull warranty.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sea Born: Sea Born boats include center consoles, offshore boats, and bay boats marketed through seabornboats.com.
- Sundance Boats
- Spyder Boats
Products and services
- Sea Born Boats
- Sundance Boats
- Spyder Boats
- Sea Born One Program (powered by Boat Fix)
- Spyder FX16 Wisp Flats Boat
- Sea Born LX22 Center Console
- Sea Born FX24 Tournament Bay Boat Mid-sized bay boat model in the Sea Born FX series, featuring a "Frigid Rigid" style molded cooler, three fish boxes, full-sized rear-cushioned folding jump seats, Bluetooth-enabled stereo, USB power port, larger cockpit with stainless steel steering wheel, glove box for phone/gadget storage, and rod storage with coaming cover boards. Available in Ice Blue, Platinum, Sea Foam, and Pale Lady Yellow in two configurations (Alpha & Bravo) with Yamaha, Suzuki, or Mercury power options. MSRP starting around $35,000.
Companies that use Composite Research
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Composite Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Composite Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Composite Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EdgeWater Boats: EdgeWater builds center consoles, bay boats, and dual consoles in a similar size and price band to Sea Born LX and FX series, competing for the same family-and-angler buyer.
- Tidewater Boats: Tidewater is a high-volume bay boat and center console builder overlapping with Sea Born's LX and FX offerings, with a broader dealer network in the same Southeast and Gulf geographies CRI serves.
- Pathfinder Boats: Pathfinder is a well-known bay boat and skiff manufacturer serving the same inshore and near-shore fishing customer base that CRI targets with Sundance and Sea Born FX models.
- SeaVee Boats: SeaVee manufactures offshore and bay boats in comparable lengths and configurations to Sea Born SX/FX models, targeting serious saltwater anglers in the same coastal US markets.
- Contender Boats: Contender builds offshore and bay boats comparable in size and price to Sea Born SX and FX models, competing for the same near-shore and offshore fishing segments in the Southeast US.
- Hewes Boats: Hewes specializes in technical poling skiffs and flats boats — closely matching the Spyder FX16/FX17/FX19 product family and competing for the same shallow-water fly-fishing and sight-casting buyers.
- Yellowfin Yachts: Yellowfin builds premium offshore and bay boats that overlap with the upper end of the Sea Born lineup, particularly the SX series, targeting serious saltwater anglers in similar coastal markets.
- Maverick Boat Company: Maverick builds flats boats, bay boats, and center consoles targeting inshore anglers with a comparable product mix to Sea Born and Spyder, making it a direct competitor in the poling-skiff and bay-boat segments where CRI competes.
Broad incumbents
- Grady-White Boats: Grady-White is a long-established premium center console and dual console builder with broader product breadth, stronger national dealer network, and deeper R&D resources than CRI — a larger incumbent in the same coastal fishing/family-boat category.
- Boston Whaler: Boston Whaler is a large, established recreational boat manufacturer (owned by Brunswick) producing center consoles and bay boats across a much wider price and size range than CRI, serving as a broader incumbent competitor.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Composite Research social profiles
Digital presenceComposite Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Composite Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Composite Research subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Composite Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Composite Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Composite Research
What does Composite Research do?
Composite Research, Inc. is a marine manufacturer that handcrafts center consoles, bay boats, offshore boats, skiffs, and flats boats across three sub-brand product lines (Sea Born, Sundance, and Spyder). Every hull is hand-laid using bi-axial glass with high-density foam core in an all-composite, no-wood construction process at its 90,000 sq ft Blackshear, GA facility, backed by a 10-year limited hull warranty and sold through authorized dealers.
Is Composite Research a public or private company?
Composite Research is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Composite Research founded?
Composite Research was founded in 1994. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Composite Research based?
Composite Research is headquartered in Blackshear, United States, in the North America region.
How does Composite Research make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Boat sales through authorized dealer network is the primary driver. The others are warranty transfer administration fees, branded merchandise (CRIBoats Gear) and sea Born One / Boat Fix telematics option.
Who are Composite Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EdgeWater Boats, Tidewater Boats, Pathfinder Boats, SeaVee Boats, Contender Boats, Hewes Boats, Yellowfin Yachts and Maverick Boat Company. Broad incumbents are Grady-White Boats and Boston Whaler.
Does Composite Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Composite Research.