Jupiter Marine is riding crest of banner year
5/25/2004 7:18:24 PM by Ken Millman
If the success of one local high-end boat building company is any an indication of a national trend, the year 2004 is going to be a banner year for the recreation industry. Jupiter Marine builds semi-custom sportfishing boats in the 27-to-31-foot range, and business has been very good for the Fort Lauderdale company. "I think we're experiencing excellent growth," said company president Carl Herndon.
"We're having right now the best year in our history - volume- and revenuewise. 2004 is going to be up in all categories compared to previous years." Herndon, 65, is a man who speaks from experience, more than 30 years worth in boatbuilding, and he sees good days ahead for the industry. "We're not unique. The entire recreation industry follows the same trends," he said.
"There were some tough times in 2001 and 2002 that were tight for us and the industry, but we're on the rebound." Herndon was the founder and former CEO of Blackfin Yachts, as well as the past president of Bertram Yachts. He retired in 1997 but soon found himself bored without a challenge. He bought Jupiter Marine in 1998 and relocated it from the coastal city in northern Palm Beach County to the facility that was formerly occupied by Blackfin Yachts in Fort Lauderdale.
"I think I'm one of the few people in the world who enjoys his job," Herndon said. "I like the smell of fiberglass and designing new boats." He also retained all the people who worked for him at Blackfin. Today, he has 70 employees, and most have been with him more than 10 years. His lamination supervisor, Ricardo Lopez, has been with him 27 years; pre-assembly supervisor, Orlando Betencort, 25 years; electrical supervisor Ovidio "Ovi' Casal, 15 years; and chief engineer Tim Chalfont, 15 years with the company. Jupiter Marine produces about 100 boats a year or about two per week. From start to finish, it takes 20 days to produce a boat. Basically, there are five stations a boat must pass through (lamination, pre-assembly, joining, mechanical and electrical, and completion), spending four days at each station. "In the overall industry we're a very small company. Some companies build 100 boats a month" Herndon said. "But, because we're very small, we can spend a lot of time on quality and attention to detail." That's what makes Jupiter Marine boats unique, says Herndon. He compares their high-end standard to luxury cars for having the highest resale value in the industry. "AJupiter boat isn't for everyone.
I like to think that we build the BMW of boats," he said. "Every Jupiter is individually built to meet the exacting demands and specifications of the sportsman who demands the very best." Herndon, himself, approves all the materials that go into his boats, including the Yamaha engines which they use exclusively. They only use the best equipment and material available for the particular boat models they make, he said. "We will not compromise the integrity or safety of the boat by leaving it up to a numbers person," he said.
"We've had tremendous success with the Yahama products. We virtually do not have problems." Herndon feels the future of sportfisherman-type boats is in outboard technology. He says the outboard companies have learned some good lessons from the automotive industry with fuel-efficient four-stroke technology. Gone - or going - are the days of the rough-running, smoke-producing two-stroke engines, he says.
Although there are many tangible factors that make his boats unique, such as the "posihull" design that gives the stern lift and that they are built to the highest standards of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Herndon says it really comes down to one thing: "The biggest thing that makes our boats unique is the people that make the boats are boaters," he said. "I'm a boater and everyone who works for me is a boater." Jupiter Marine has a dealer network with demographics that extend up the Atlantic seaboard and most of the Gulf Coast. Jupiter will be among the boat manufacturers represented at the Palm Beach Boat Show, which runs March 25-28.
Ken Millman is the editor of Wave South Florida. He can be contacted at Editor@wavesf.com.