20 on '20: Maine's boatbuilding industry pushes for diversified revenue

File Photo / Ted Axelrod JB Turner, president and general manager of Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, says customers continue to plan big projects, but he’s seeing a pullback among lobster fishermen.

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By Peter Van Allen

JB Turner is president and general manager of Front Street Shipyard in Belfast. Front Street builds, retrofits, restores, maintains and stores boats — from smaller recreational craft to commercial vessels to “superyachts.” It continues to grow on the Belfast waterfront.

Turner, a Connecticut native who has a broad range of experience at larger boatbuilders and boatyards, says Maine continues to attract customers based on its reputation — particularly among owners of boats in the 20- to 60-foot range.

“Maine is still considered one of the world leaders for quality in the world of boatbuilding, only rivaled by the Dutch and they do it on a much bigger scale,” Turner says. “And that thinking and belief system transcends into all aspects of the boating world. Often that is what makes it ‘worth it’ for people to make the trek to Maine to have work done.”

He sees continued growth in boatbuilding, service and repair.

“We certainly see people already planning big projects for 2020 and feel that will continue as the economy churns along,” he says.

Front Street is working on a new 42-foot boat for the Navy “with more potential projects of that ilk coming this summer,” Turner says. It is also developing its composite technology used in construction of passenger ferries. Front Street has developed a relationship with the Norwegian company Brodrene AA, which builds high-speed ferries that have become popular in the Asian market.

“They have been building carbon-fiber fast ferries throughout Europe and now into China for 20 years. We have partnered with them to bring that technology and design into America and while it has been slow to be accepted, we feel we are closing in on the first order,” Turner says.

On the down side, concerns over the future of the lobster industry may have had an impact on orders, “so the lobstering community seems to be pausing or slowing on new builds but it does still continue — just not at the breakneck pace of 2017-19,” Turner says.

On the hiring front, the Belfast firm will likely hire workers for composite, mechanical and carpentry departments.

“The labor market for good, skilled workers is tight,” Turner says. “One incentive that we have on our side is that the work is often more challenging in the boating world. System integration is more complex on boats than in, say housing. Carpenters [in boatbuilding] never get to work in a world that is plumb or square — everything is a compound problem. So, we find that we are able to attract people which like to be challenged and that brings good people.”