MasterCraft purchases Merritt Island plant
MasterCraft Boat Company announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase a boat manufacturing plant located in Merritt Island, Florida. MasterCraft intends to establish a dedicated manufacturing center in this facility to support the long-term growth of its recently introduced Aviara brand.
Aviara, a designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury day boats ranging from 32 to 40-feet in length, began production in July of 2019 in MasterCraft’s Vonore, TN manufacturing facility.
The 38-acre Merritt Island facility provides water access and more than 140,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space.
“The Aviara brand is a critical component of the company’s long-term strategy to deliver our customers and their families the best experience on the water,” said Fred Brightbill, MasterCraft Boat Holdings’ Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. “The purchase of a well-established boat manufacturing plant will allow us to increase overall capacity and productivity for our Aviara brand, while simultaneously providing increased capacity and productivity for our MasterCraft brand.”
The new Aviara manufacturing facility is expected to begin production in early calendar 2021 during the company’s fiscal third quarter. The new plant will support the ramp-up and production of the brand’s high-demand models – the AV32, AV36 and AV40.
“As we plan today for the future growth of all our brands, today’s announcement allows the company to more quickly react to the strong retail demand we have experienced across all our brands,” continued Brightbill. “Having a dedicated Aviara facility of this scale, with access to an experienced boat-building workforce, provides the quickest and most efficient way for the company to add incremental capacity, while providing a very efficient use of capital.”
