Watkins Yachts and Marine was an American

boat builder This is a list of boat builders, for which there is a Wikipedia article. Motorboats (<50 feet)

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...

. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

s. The company was founded by the four Watkins brothers, Redford, Richard, Robert and Gary in 1973 and ceased operations while a division of the McLaughlin Body Company in 1989.

History

The company was founded by the four Watkins brothers in 1973 in a small rented facility, with the first sailboat, the Watkins 23 introduced that same following year. The 23 was a modified version of the

Helsen 22 The Helsen 22 is an American Trailer sailer, trailerable sailboat that was designed by Johannes "Jopie" Helsen as a Cruising (maritime), cruiser and first built in 1971. The design was later developed into the Watkins 23. The Apollo 21 (sailbo ...

, produced with permission of the designer and owner of

Helsen Yachts Universal Marine was an American boat builder based in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', pages 45, 110 and ...

, Johannes Helsen. In 1977 the design was modified with a fiberglass interior and headliner and was re-designated as the Watkins 23 XL. The brothers assumed company responsibilities: Redford Watkins was in charge of advertising, Richard Watkins production, Robert Watkins purchasing and Gary Watkins handled sales. The company was launched right after the Arab oil embargo and the resulting

1973 oil crisis The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...

and sailboats sold well in the economic conditions of the time, providing quick success for the fledgling company. The

Watkins 17 The Watkins 17, also referred to as the W17, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by the Watkins brothers and first built in 1975. Production The design was built by Watkins Yachts in Clearwater, Florida, United States from ...

was introduced in 1975 as a one-design racer. Most of the boats built went to a single sailing club.

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Walter Scott was enlisted to assist with the Watkins 27 design in 1977. The boat became a quick commercial success, with 514 copies of the design built, making it the company's best seller. It competed in the same market as the

Catalina 27 The Catalina 27 is an American sailboat designed by Frank V. Butler and Robert Finch. The design became one of the most popular sailing keelboats of all time and was built from 1971 to 1991. Production The boat was built by Catalina Yachts i ...

. In 1981 a

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version was made available as the Watkins 27P, although only seven were built. The company had been producing fewer than 50 boats per years, but the simultaneous building of three different models by 1977 required larger facilities and the company purchased an existing building that was renovated and improved for boat production. Separate areas were established for a

shop and final assembly. In 1978, 160 Watkins 27s alone were sold. By 1979 the company had more than 20 dealers. In the late 1970s the industry suffered from two effects, high interest rates and market saturation of a product that did not wear out. The brothers decided to sell the company to a new investor from

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in August 1979, having built almost 600 boats over the six years since the company founding. The company was merged with boat building company, Auroraglas which had been bought by the same investor. The former owner of Auroraglas, Al Larson then became president of Watkins Yachts. The company bought the molds and tooling for the

Columbia Yachts Columbia Yachts is a US manufacturer of sailboats, with offices and production facilities in Southern California. History Richard “Dick” Valdes and Maurice V. Threinen founded Glass Laminates, a fiberglass contract company, in 1958. Amo ...

and Coronado series of designs after that company went out of business. The Watkins 36,

Watkins 32 The Watkins 32 is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr as a cruiser and first built in 1982.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 250-251. Houghton Mifflin Company ...

and Watkins 25 were all modified from Columbia designs. The company acquired the rights to the

Portman 36 The Portman 36 is an American sailboat that was first built in 1978. Development and production The silent partner in Auroraglas purchased the rights to the center-cockpit Coronado 35/ Columbia 36 design from Columbia Yachts and the tooling ...

and modified it to become the

Watkins 36C The Watkins 36C, also known as the W36C, is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr and the Watkins brothers. It was first built in 1981. The Watkins 36C is a center-cockpit development of the aft-cockpit Watkins 36. ...

with a center cockpit and the Watkins 36AC with an aft cockpit. The new company needed new management with the departure of the Watkins brothers and Larson hired Dennis Robbins as the production manager. Larson had known Robbins from his time at Endeavour Yachts. He also hired an experienced fiberglass shop supervisor whom Robbins had worked with at

Irwin Yachts Irwin Yacht and Marine Corporation, often just called Irwin Yachts, was an American boat builder based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats and became one of the largest produ ...

. Larson assumed the sales and design duties. The smaller boats were phased out, including the 17 and 23XL models. Only one 17 and four 23s were completed under the new management. In 1982 the investor sold his share of the company to Larson and the

was introduced, replacing the 36 in the line. In 1983 the Watkins 23 was introduced, derived from the

Columbia T-23 The Columbia T-23, or Columbia T23, is an American sailboat that was designed by Australian Alan Payne and first built in 1973. The "T" designation indicates that the boat is designed to be trailerable.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Sm ...

. In 1984 the 27 was replaced with the Watkins 29, which was a modification of the 27 design. The

was modified in 1984 with a

reverse transom A transom is the vertical reinforcement which strengthens the stern of a boat. This flat termination of the stern is typically above the waterline. The term was used as far back as Middle English in the 1300s, having come from Latin ''transvers ...

and redesigned interior to become the

Watkins 33 The Watkins 33, also marketed as the Seawolf 33, is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr and Watkins Yachts as a cruiser and first built in 1984. The Watkins 33 is a development of the Watkins 32, with a reverse tran ...

. The Watkins 36 ceased production. In 1986 the company was purchased by the McLaughlin Body Company and the sailboat line was renamed ''Seawolf''. The company changed its emphasis to power boats and sailboat production dropped to only one or two per month. In 1988 the Watkins 29 received a reverse transom similar to the 33 as was renamed the Watkins 30. Production of the Watkins branded boats ending in November 1989, with a total of 1491 boats built. The company was wound up by its parent company, with the power boat line sold to a

Grand Cayman Island Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of Little Cayman and 90 miles (1 ...

company in about 1991 and the remaining sailboat line sold to a local businessman who was not able to restart production. Some of the sailboat tooling was sold, the Watkins 25 tooling was sold to Compaq Yachts and it was modified to become the Compac 25. Much of the remaining molds were scrapped and the building was sold to a plumbing supply contractor. The McLaughlin Body Company remains in business, but no longer produces watercraft.

Boats

Summary of boats built by Watkins Yachts, by year: * Watkins 23 - 1973 *

- 1975 * Watkins 27 - 1977 * Watkins 23 XL - 1977 *

- 1979 * Watkins 27P - 1981 * Watkins 36 - 1981 *

- 1981 *

- 1982 * Watkins 29 - 1984 * Seawolf 33 - 1984 *

- 1984 * Watkins 25 - 1985 * Watkins 30 - 1987

References

External links

{{Watkins Yachts Watkins Yachts

History

Boats

See also

References

External links