Charles Industries CEO to build boatyard
PALM BEACH, Fla. – Joe Charles, the owner and CEO of marine electronics manufacturer Charles Industries, will seek final approval this week to build a $4-million boatyard in Stuart, Fla., that will have dry storage for up to 300 boats, the Palm Beach Post reported in a story yesterday.
Charles plans to open the River Forest Yachting Center on 8.5 acres off the St. Lucie Canal, connected to the canal by a 700-foot-long channel. The facility is aimed at boats from 30 to 50 feet, Charles told the newspaper.
“My wife and I have been looking for a place for years. We finally found one, but we had to do it ourselves,” said Charles.
Plans call for a 45,000-square-foot air-conditioned building for summer storage of large boats, and two smaller buildings for boat storage and maintenance.
River Forest is also selling itself as a storm shelter after September’s twin hurricanes wiped out marinas along the Treasure Coast. Boaters can pay to reserve a dry slip to move their vessels to in case of a hurricane.
“It’s a safe harbor so we can get people out of those (coastal) marinas and get them up the river,” Charles told the Post.
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