The thousands of workboats that ply the waters off the U.S. coasts, on the inland waterways, and in harbors and ports have, obviously, already been built. Each one, consequently, has a date with a repair yard looming in the near future — either by law, by necessity or both.
In this year’s WorkBoat Construction Survey, we listed over 700 new vessels under contract, under construction, or delivered between February 2013 and February 2014. The real number is closer to 1,000. Many of these workboats are the most sophisticated vessels in both design and technology ever built. They’ve gotten a lot of attention, as have the shipyards that built or are building them — and they deserve it.
But the fact is that the repair part of the shipyard business is just as important as the newbuild process. For shipyards that do both, often the repair side of the business is the only one making money.
“Through the entire recession we had no newbuilds,” said Bette Jean Yank, marketing manager, Yank Marine, Tuckahoe, N.J. “We had plenty of work, just no new construction. We got a newbuild contract for an 85' party boat in 2012. It was the first one we’d had in five or six years.” (Yank Marine rolled out the first of two new 110'×31'×5', 400-passenger catamaran ferries for NY Waterway in late August.)
Leevac Shipyards has operated its newbuild yard in Jennings, La., for many years. In 2010, Leevac opened a repair yard in Lake Charles, La., to handle large vessels working primarily in the offshore oil and gas industry because some of its customers encouraged the company to make the move. This past year, Leevac bought one of the old Quality Shipyards properties in Houma, La., again at the request of its customers.
“The customers wanted it,” said Dan Gaiennie of Leevac, “and we’re definitely seeing traction there.”
Beginning on page 36, we take a closer look at what is going on in the repair business. What we found is a group of expert craftsmen who go quietly about their business, a business that helps keep the workboat industry afloat.
The repair side of the workboat business has been steady recently and we expect it to continue to enjoy good times.
