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Made In Washington: Westport Shipyard Builds High-end Luxury Yachts |
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Written On: January/February 2005 |
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Written By: by Ron Dalby |
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Westport Shipyard, at the southern edge of the Gray’s Harbor entrance, builds more luxury motor yachts than any other manufacturer in North America.
As much as possible, these are “turnkey yachts,” according to Larry Nelson, vice president of administration for the shipyard. “About all the owner needs to bring on board is a toothbrush and maybe a swimming suit.”
In reality, there are a few other details to take care of, like hiring a crew, but Nelson’s message is clear: When an owner steps aboard a Westport yacht for the first time, the boat is ready to go — even the bed linens are included.
Westport builds yachts in four lengths: 98 feet, 112 feet, 130 feet and 164 feet. And they build according to a production schedule based solely on what the facilities and staff can handle. It’s a formula that works well. Virtually all of the yachts are sold before completion and for shipyard workers there is steady, year-round employment.
“We’ve never had to lay anyone off,” Nelson said. Currently the shipyard employs about 700 people, a figure that includes salesmen in Florida and Seattle, workers in the Westport yard and the new facility in Hoquiam. He figures that by this time next year the figure will be closer to 800 employees.
The most exciting new project is the 50-meter yacht — the 164-footer. The first two are under construction at Hoquiam, both begun essentially on spec. Negotiations for the sale of both were underway at press time. Nelson expects to launch the first of these about a year from now.
What do you get when you buy a Westport Yacht? The standard 130-footer has five staterooms sleeping a total of 10 people plus berths for eight crew members. Each stateroom has a private bath. There are six ice machines, entertainment centers in each stateroom, a couple of wet bars, a hot tub, and a 20-foot dinghy for running ashore, along with a davit to put it into the water.
At 12 knots the boat can cruise more than 3,400 nautical miles, though it’s designed to cruise at 24 knots, fast for a yacht of this size. Top speed is about 29 knots (33 mph). You could cruise from Seattle to Hawaii on a single fill-up, 9,900 gallons of diesel.
Two massive generators provide plenty of electrical power, and you need never worry about running out of fresh water. A pair of onboard distilleries produces about 2,400 gallons of freshwater a day from seawater.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait forever if you decide to buy. Most custom-built yachts require two, three or even four years to complete. Usually the buyer of a Westport yacht can take possession within a year, largely due to standardized construction.
“The custom-built yachts don’t always run that well, either,” Nelson said. “But because ours are based on proven designs and constantly improved, we know they will perform well.”
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