What Brooklin Boat Yard does

Brooklin Boat Yard is a custom wooden yacht builder and full-service marine yard founded in 1960 by Joel White and located on Eggemoggin Reach in Brooklin, Maine. The company designs, builds, refits, restores, stores, and brokers wooden yachts and powerboats, ranging from small prams to vessels over 90 feet. Its core technology combines traditional Maine craftsmanship with modern wood-composite methods, including cold-molded hull construction, wood-carbon hybrid builds, an in-house-invented hot water heated blanket for post-curing thermo-setting resins, and 3D printing for design prototyping.

The company operates through five revenue streams: custom yacht construction (one-time project revenue, quote-based), refit and restoration services (billed at hourly rates of $65-$125), seasonal winter storage (subscription-based at $11-$16 per square foot), yacht brokerage (transaction fees), and branded merchandise. Customers are primarily high-net-worth private yacht owners, repeat commissioning clients, racing yacht owners, and historic vessel preservationists. Distribution is exclusively direct: clients work with BBY's in-house design office and project managers from concept through delivery, supported by word-of-mouth referrals, the company website, and coverage in WoodenBoat Magazine.

Since 2023 the firm has operated as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) following Steve White's transition out of the presidency; Brian Larkin, with the company since 1987, now leads as President alongside a management team that includes a CFO, COO, VP of New Construction, Chief Designer, and Service Manager. The firm employs 70+ craftsmen, stores 130 yachts, and is investing in a new 7,520 sq ft service and technology facility funded by a 2026 $1.5M Maine Technology Institute grant.

Name

Brooklin Boat Yard

Legal name

Brooklin Boat Yard

Website

https://brooklinboatyard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Brooklin Boat Yard designs, builds, refits, restores, stores, and brokers custom wooden yachts in Brooklin, Maine. Founded in 1960, the 70-employee ESOP firm serves high-net-worth yacht owners with cold-molded construction and full-service marine care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Yacht Building

NAICS

Boat Building (336612), Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Ship and Boat Building (3366)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Yacht Building & One-Off Projects (IMAJAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yacht Refurbishment, Refit & Modernization (Leisure Craft) (IMAJAEAN), Day Cruiser, Bowrider & Runabout Manufacturing (IMAJAEAI)

Keywords

• Custom yacht building
• Boat restoration services
• Marine refit services
• Winter boat storage
• Wood-composite construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklin

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Yacht Construction: Design and build of custom wooden yachts, sailing vessels, and powerboats. Revenue from complete vessel construction projects ranging from daysailers to 90+ foot yachts.
2. Refit & Restoration Services: Refitting and restoration services including systems upgrades, structural repairs, cosmetic work. Billed at hourly rates ranging from $83-$125/hour depending on service type.
3. Yacht Storage: Winter storage services for boats including heated/unheated inside storage, mast storage, dinghy storage. Storage rates based on square footage (LOD x beam).
4. Yacht Brokerage: Brokerage division for buying and selling pre-owned yachts.
5. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, and nautical items through online storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brooklin Boat Yard designs, builds, and services custom wooden and wood-composite yachts for individual owners, ranging from small daysailers to 90+ foot sailing and power vessels. In addition to new construction, the yard provides full refit and historic restoration services, seasonal indoor storage, in-house naval architecture, and a brokerage arm for pre-owned yachts.

Product overview

Brooklin Boat Yard is a custom wooden yacht builder offering a comprehensive suite of boatbuilding and marine services. The core offering is custom wooden yacht building, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern wood-composite and carbon fiber construction techniques. The company provides integrated services including yacht refit, restoration, storage, and a full-service design office for naval architecture. Additional offerings include brokerage services and branded merchandise. The product portfolio spans from new construction (sailboats and powerboats ranging from daysailers to 90+ foot yachts) to restoration and refit services, all supported by comprehensive storage facilities and marine equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Joel White Designs: A design archive of hand-drawn plans by founder Joel White, featuring boat designs from 1960-1995 including Nutshell Prams, Shellback Dinghies, Center Harbor 31, and numerous custom yacht designs.

Products and services

• Custom Wooden Yacht Building Full design-and-build service for custom wooden and wood-composite sailing yachts and powerboats, ranging from small daysailers to 90+ foot vessels. Combines traditional Maine craftsmanship with modern techniques including cold-molded construction, wood-carbon hybrid laminates, and 3D-printed design prototyping. Built specifically for individual yacht owners commissioning a new vessel.
• Yacht Refit Services Comprehensive refitting service covering mechanical, rigging, electrical, and cosmetic work to optimize yacht performance and extend vessel lifespan. Billed at hourly rates by trade. Targeted at existing yacht owners, including non-local clients who entrust ongoing care to BBY.
• Wooden Boat Restoration Restoration service bringing historic wooden vessels back to original or better-than-original condition while preserving historical integrity, including complete deck, cabin, and structural work. Serves owners of classic and historic yachts, including designs by Sparkman & Stephens, John Alden, William Hand, and Joel White.
• Yacht Design and Naval Architecture In-house design office offering concept design, naval architecture, structural engineering, interior design, and production design, including 3D modeling and CNC cut file development. Sells design services to external clients and produces shop-ready plans for BBY construction projects.
• Yacht Brokerage Brokerage service for buying and selling pre-owned yachts, operated through a dedicated brokerage division. Earns transaction fees on brokered sales.
• Winter Yacht Storage Covered winter boat storage for client yachts with heated and non-heated indoor options, plus mast, dinghy, and equipment handling. Charged per square foot (boat LOD x beam) for the October 15 to May 15 winter season, with summer storage at 25% of winter rates. Storage capacity has grown from 16 boats in 1978 to 130 today.
• Brooklin Boat Yard Branded Merchandise Direct-to-consumer e-commerce store offering Brooklin Boat Yard branded apparel (trucker caps, t-shirts, sweatshirts, vests, beanies, sun shirts), accessories (tumblers), and nautical items including Eggemoggin Reach Regatta course maps. Ships flat-rate USPS within the US.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded 1960, 65+ years continuous operation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Northwest School of Wooden BoatbuildingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2024BBY partnered with the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Townsend, Washington for the 'Twins Project' - a student educational project building both a traditional boat and a modern wood-composite version side-by-side. BBY's Oliver Lardner is part of the student group and will return to BBY after completing his program.
• Wheeler YachtscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBBY builds Wheeler 55 and Wheeler 38 (Legend) power yachts for Wheeler Yacht Company, recreations of historic Wheeler designs using modern cold-molded construction. First Wheeler 38 (Legend) launched in 2021.
• Botin PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationSpanish naval architecture firm designing high-performance racing yachts built by BBY. Projects include Toroa (2017), Outlier (2019), and Jax (2023). Botin Partners designs combined with BBY's wood-composite construction expertise.
• Frank GehrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-renowned architect collaborated on styling and design of Foggy (2015), a 74-foot daysailer designed by German Frers with Gehry's distinctive architectural influence including lattice-styled ports.
• WoodenBoat MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoel White served as design review editor for WoodenBoat Magazine. Magazine moved to Brooklin in 1970s, contributing to wooden boat renaissance. BBY featured extensively in magazine coverage.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Rockport Marine:

Direct peers

• Spirit Yachts: Spirit Yachts is a UK-based builder of bespoke modern classic wooden yachts using cold-molded construction. Direct peer in product (wooden custom yachts) and in serving HNW clients seeking traditional aesthetics with modern performance.
• Royal Huisman: Royal Huisman is a Dutch custom yacht builder specializing in one-off superyachts (sail and motor). Highly comparable: both are small, high-craft custom yards building one-off yachts for HNW clients, relying on a master-craftsman workforce and premium pricing.
• Vitters Shipyard: Vitters is a Dutch custom sailing superyacht builder producing one-off high-performance yachts. Comparable in scale, product category, and customer base to BBY, with a similarly small annual build count and HNW focus.
• Front Street Shipyard: Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Maine is a full-service boatyard offering new construction, refit, storage, and service for yachts. Comparable offering to Brooklin Boat Yard, especially the storage and refit business, and competes for the same Maine-based HNW owners.
• Hodgdon Yachts: Hodgdon Yachts is a Maine-based custom yacht builder (sail and motor) with a long heritage in cold-molded and composite construction. Closest geographic and craft peer to Brooklin Boat Yard, often competing for the same East Coast HNW clients.

Broad incumbents

• Lürssen Yachts: Lürssen is one of the world's leading superyacht builders, building fully custom motor yachts at much larger scale. Comparable only in the custom-superyacht category but at a much higher price point and volume, and with a much broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Hinckley Yachts: Hinckley Yachts is a Maine-based luxury yacht builder known for Picnic Boats and jetboats, with full service and storage. Adjacent peer: shares the Maine luxury yacht market and service/storage customer base, but builds production composite boats rather than custom wood yachts.

Emerging players

• Goetz Custom Boats: Goetz Custom Boats is a Rhode Island builder of high-performance composite sailing yachts. Comparable in modern composite construction techniques and racing-yacht segment (Botin/Frers-style designs) that BBY also services.

Others

• Wheeler Yacht Company: Wheeler Yacht Company commissions Brooklin Boat Yard to build its Wheeler 55 and Wheeler 38 (Legend) power yachts. Closely tied as a brand/customer relationship; included as a channel partner and indirect peer for the power-yacht recreation segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brooklinboatyard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooklin-boat-yard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Brooklin Boat Yard