Howard Hagar, general manager of Black Horse Yachts in South Harpswell, is pleased with the 33-foot and new 29-foot power yachts the company builds. Six years ago, J. Stark Thompson bought the company after he had purchased a yacht from the former owner. Today there are five employees, and a naval architect, Geoffrey Dickes, designs the power boats.
The location, in a rural setting, has its drawbacks, however. Hagar has to import his skilled boatbuilders from around the state. Hagar finds it challenging to entice capable workers to relocate to the Midcoast peninsula. Furthermore, he has to train some of them to use the newer, lightweight materials.
Two large sheds constitute the boatbuilding space; there is also enough room for purchased boats to be stored off-season. The former Navy fuel depot abuts Hagar’s property. Harpswell owns the depot, and Hagar hopes that the town will develop a working waterfront there. In the meantime, Dolphin Marina in Potts Harbor launches the boats into Casco Bay waters for sea trials.
The two boat sizes, 29 feet and 33 feet, suggest a Maine lobsterboat design but with important changes. A 480-horsepower engine and a planing hull result in a cruising speed of between 22 and 24 knots.
Finishing details, deck seating and luxurious sleeping quarters distinguish these yachts. Thompson says, “our goal remains to build the highest quality, semi-custom boats in our market segment.”
High-tech methods dominate the building process. Fiberglass is the basic building component, and a vacuum infusion process is used to laminate the fiberglass with resin. Urethane foam is pressed in between the fiber glass laminates, increasing the strength of the boat. All these factors contribute to the boat’s ultimate light weight and maneuverability.
Morris Yachts in Trenton lays up the 33-foot powerboat in hull and deck molds. Then the two parts of the boat are returned to Black Horse, where the employees finish details, install the engine, attach a swimming platform, create a below deck living space and paint it. The finished product commands a $350,000 price.
Hagar wants to expand the two building sheds in Harpswell so that his crew can increase the number of completed boats.
Black Horse Yachts has been a founding member of Maine Built Boats (WWF March 06), the nonprofit organization that promotes state-built boats and boatbuilding schools. Hagar himself attended the Boat School in Eastport in the 1970s.