NORTHEAST HARBOR, Maine — In a struggling economy where demand for luxury products such as seven-figure corporate jets, $400,000 sports cars and high-end yachts is flat, Cuyler Morris was feeling “lucky” this weekend as he overlooked a gathering of loyal owners of his family’s pricey, hand-built sailboats.
“We have about 20 boats and over 100 crew and passengers,” Morris Yachts’ president said of the three-day rendezvous, which was scheduled to coincide with the 40th anniversary of a business launched in 1972 by his father Tom at age 32. “That’s about the same participation we had at the 35th anniversary event. Given the state of the world, we feel pretty lucky.”
Morris Yachts used the occasion to announce plans to bring to the luxury boat market an updated and streamlined version of its popular 48-foot, Ocean Series yacht, which is being marketed as the Ocean Series 48 GT, the “GT” designation standing for “Grande Touring.”
“This is a special boat, and the new 48 GT is a grand adventure for us as it marks our revitalization of the whole Ocean Series,” said Morris Yachts CEO Doug Metchick. He told a Saturday gathering of Morris owners and company employees that the project is “taking a proven design and really making it relevant for tomorrow’s buyer.”
Improvements now being engineered, he said, will enhance performance under sail, simplify sail handling and offer a new cockpit layout designed to improve access. Optional amenities will include a pull-out freezer and a compact washer/dryer system. The owner’s stateroom will include a glass, circular shower.
“This is really a new boat,” Metchick said. “The circular shower is a little Star Trek-like, but it’s cool.”
Metchick said he expects the first Ocean Series 48 GT will be ready for sale next year.
The boat is expected to sell for about $1.25 million, although a company official said a product development team is still working on exact specifications and pricing.
Saturday’s “coming out” for the Ocean Series 48 GT was held at the company’s dock in Northeast Harbor in an old, three-story wooden boathouse colorfully decorated with jibs, a mainsail and a red-and-white spinnaker suspended from the ceiling. Amid cocktails and finger food, entertainment at the family-oriented, three-hour affair was provided by the spontaneous antics of the children of Morris employees, including one as young as five months.
Morris bills itself as Maine’s oldest family-owned boat-building company, and it recently forged an alliance with another family-owned Maine business that also prides itself on craftsmanship. Moser furniture company, which sells high-end, hand-crafted furnishings in elegant showrooms in major U.S. cities, is also celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Founder Thomas Moser’s son David is the company’s chief designer and recently began working with Morris Yachts on rethinking luxury sailboat interiors.
David Moser gave a talk to Morris yacht owners over the weekend on the elements of design. A sculpture he created was presented as a trophy to the yacht on hand that was judged by Moser and others to be the most pristine in what amounted to a Morris yacht beauty pageant.
The new alliance between the two companies is being touted as two long-established and successful family-centered companies sharing Thomas Moser’s belief that “Maine-made is the gold standard for fine craftsmanship and material integrity.”
With over 300 boats built to date that are moored in four continents, Morris Yachts and its 100 employees in Trenton, Bass Harbor, Northeast Harbor and Newport, R.I., are hopeful their newest product line will help to ensure continued success despite the rough seas of an uncertain global economy.
How much???
There’s a 2008 Morris 48 for sale on their site that they’re asking $1,290,000.00 for.
This is an article that belongs in a trade magazine or DownEast magazine. I do hope you pay your workers enough to live on. To the number of Maine People struggling to get school clothes for their children, news about these rich yachters, or new yachts, well, keep it in the trade magazines, pls.
I think the article is interesting. I don’t subscribe to trade magazines, it is interesting to see what Maine business is doing. The wealthy yacht owners do leave money here when they purchase or bring their yacht in for service. I believe you will find the people at Morris Yachts earn a good wage, quality workmen do not come cheap, and without quality customers do not come in that business.
My first thought was how nice for the cash-laden ones to know about!! This may be a paid article–an ad. Many newspapers do those these days.
Perhaps you missed the part where it said it was their 40th anniversary or that they employ a lot of people. I personally feel that this is a news worthy event, though I myself cannot afford one of their yachts, it’s nice to hear about a Maine family business that is doing well.
I did not miss any part my Dear, I just feel since 99% of average Maine folks could not think of having one of these, and that 50 % of Maine folks are struggling to get school clothes for their children. I repeat myself for you, I feel this belongs in a trade magazine. They may employ a few, but if you think of the hundreds of jobs lost in the processing plants that used to be on our coast and in our harbors, but, they had to go so these yachters would not get there boat hulls dirty it is not much of a thing to want to see in print.
We’ll have to agree to disagree :) Morris itself employs over 100, not to mention all of the subcontractors they would work with. I personally like hearing about local companies that are doing well. Perhaps the article could have been more geared towards the company rather than specific of the new boat – but them having a new boat is a sign of their success. As far as processing plants go, I do not think the owners of the yachts are to blame, more so our state taxing the heck out of any factory type business, making it not worth while to be in our state. Just a couple of years ago they were trying to put more taxes on Poland Springs’ Company.
It is difficult to really come to grips that Maine has been designated a retirement and recreation state for the well to do, and we are not talking Mainers for the most part, and yes Amanda, (smile) you are getting warm, of course they taxed heavily these plants, because they had to go, famous people have complained of their hull’s becoming oily, the plants had to go, it is a shame, it was done by taxation and quota’s. Most Maine people are going to be displaced also by the leverage of low wages and high taxes. That is why I could not get excited about this weekend ego trip, who do you think those boats are going to go to, it all in the plan, and difficult to not see this, while our leaders dance, and shuffle, they know darn well what is going to take place in Maine. It is part of the plan of the displacement of Maine people and their old way of life.
Perhaps a future purchase for Angus King if he can reach the big cookie jar in November.