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Close to the Water by Bruce Bateau
HOW SMALL BOAT BUSINESSES WEATHERED THE COVID-19 STORM I confess to being a typical American in my shopping habits: I go to the store or browse the web, find what I want and buy it. The pandemic changed that dynamic. Remember toilet paper shortages? That critical item was followed by a shortage of flour, breakfast cereal, and other staples. No longer could I be confident that I’d be able to purchase what I wanted, when I wanted. A year into the pandemic, I’ve gotten used to shortages and slowdowns. But how have these conditions been affecting the boat business? As consumer desires have shifted to solo or pod activities, like outdoor sports, I’ve heard that bigger boat sales have been healthy; 48º NORTH
but what about sales of little boats and their accessories? Wondering if their accessibility might drive demand, I spoke with several regional vendors to find out if a rising tide really does lift all boats. “At first I thought, ‘We’re shutting down’,” Falk Bock told me. Instead, his building team at Gig Harbor Boat Works find themselves in full production mode: booked six months out since October 2020, they don’t see an end in sight. While sales have been steady, Bock hasn’t increased production. His team continues to construct three boats every two weeks, shipping them as far as Texas, Calgary, and New Zealand. “How do you go out and play, if you can’t hang out with other people?” Bock
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asked rhetorically. “You get a boat.” Gig Harbor’s line of small fiberglass boats has long been known for their tenders. But Bock reports that recent interest in self-contained voyaging craft like their fiberglass SCAMP with sails and oars has spurred a spike in sales. Bock was clear about his audience. “We’re not competing against paddleboards.” At Duckworks Boatbuilders Supply in Port Townsend, Josh Colvin has also seen an increase in business. “It came as a surprise initially,” he said. “But we actually saw a spike, so sales are up. Apparently, if you’re forced to keep social distance, boat building and projects are not a bad way to spend the time.” Early in 2020, Colvin noticed an increase in M AY 2 0 2 1
