Andy Tyska, president of Rhode Island-based Bristol Marine, has acquired Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.
The shipyard is located at the head of Boothbay Harbor and joins Bristol Marine’s two boat yards in Bristol, Rhode Island, and Somerset, Massachusetts.
Boothbay Harbor Shipyard was founded in the late 1800s and since then has accommodated a wide range of vessels – including tall ships and superyachts, tugboats and Navy vessels, sailing yachts and workboats.
Shipyard operations will continue under the leadership of Eric Graves, and facility improvements will be carried out to make the yard more accessible to boat owners and yachts visiting the region.
“The acquisition of Boothbay Harbor Shipyard will further increase our capacity and diversify the level of service we can offer along the East Coast through Bristol Marine,” said Andy.
“Under Eric’s leadership, the shipyard has undertaken some of the greatest repair and restoration projects in New England — and I know that Eric, together with the yard’s talented shipwrights and skilled workers, will build on that past success and effect improvements that will make their skills and services more available to today’s boaters.”
The acquisition of Boothbay Harbor Shipyard will further increase our capacity and diversify the level of service we can offer.
Andy Tyska
Boothbay Harbor Shipyard offers a range of marine-related repairs and services for all vessel types.
Ongoing projects at the yard include the restoration of the schooner Ernestina Morrissey, the official vessel of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which has a sparred length of 156ft, and the 171ft, three-masted tall ship Friendship of Salem, owned by the U.S. National Park Service.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with Andy and Bristol Marine to define the next period in the long legacy of operations at what we will call ‘The Shipyard in Boothbay Harbor’,” said vice president Eric Graves. “We have a talented team and have built the reputation as one of the many great and capable yards in Maine that care for and restore vessels of all types.”
Bristol Marine was founded by Andy in 1998.
The company employs nearly 50 tradesmen and tradeswomen at two waterfront locations in Bristol (R.I.) and Somerset (Mass.).
The company has also acquired and improved commercial real estate in the Bristol area, much of which has become home to around 30 marine-related businesses that employ over 300 individuals.
