Boater’s World Manufacturing Group is to invest more than $6 million in upgrades to the NauticStar facility in Beaufort County, US to enable production to be increased.
The facility, formerly used by Fountain powerboats, spans 212,000 square feet, and will serve as the company’s flagship manufacturing operation.
The announcement follows the acquisition of NauticStar and the North Carolina facility by Boater’s World Manufacturing Group earlier in August 2026, a move that marks the group’s entry into boat manufacturing.
Boater’s World Manufacturing Group is a division of US-based marine distributor Outdoor Network.
The investment and upgrades are set to create 179 new jobs.
Marine community
“Our growth over the last 27 years has always been driven by a simple focus on doing right by our customers, and building boats of our own has always been one of our goals to better serve the marine community,” explained Martin Polo, CEO of Outdoor Network.
“Taking the helm as a manufacturer of the NauticStar marine line allows us to combine decades of marine retail experience with genuine craft building.
“We are grateful for North Carolina’s partnership and excited to make Beaufort County our manufacturing home.”
NauticStar moved to the plant in 2025 to consolidate its production under its previous owner, Iconic Marine Group.
At the time, the relocation was said to benefit NauticStar with enhanced production efficiencies, access to cutting-edge technology and shared facilities with the Fountain, Baja and Donzi brands.
NauticStar builds a range of bay boats, deck boats and offshore fishing boats including several hybrid models.
