Harken, Inc. is an international manufacturer specializing in performance sailing hardware, headquartered in

Pewaukee Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 15,914 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The name of the city of Pewaukee comes from that of the name of the village, the ori ...

, Wisconsin, United States. The company was founded in a 60-foot trailer in 1967 by brothers Peter Harken and Olaf Harken. Originally, the brothers manufactured

sailboats 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 ...

under the name

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

and kept the hardware business separate so they could sell to competing boatbuilders.

Gary Comer Gary Campbell Comer (December 10, 1927 – October 4, 2006) was the founder of mail order clothing retailer Lands' End.Dennis Hevesi"Gary C. Comer, 78, Founder of Lands’ End, Dies,"''New York Times'', October 6, 2006. Early life Born on the S ...

, founder of

Lands' End Lands' End, Inc., headquartered in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, is a retailer of clothing, baggage, and furniture. In fiscal 2023, 63.2% of its revenue was from online retail orders in the U.S., 7.7% of revenue was international orders, 18.3% of re ...

clothing company, advised and helped them distribute their first blocks by placing them in the Lands' End catalogue. In 1986, Vanguard Sailboats was spun off to Stephen Clark in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

so that the brothers could focus on hardware. Harken hardware has been a dominant force in the racing segment for many years, making its

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

and

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

debuts in 1976 and 1977, respectively. Harken's primary manufacturing plants are the Pewaukee headquarters and the Italian office in Limido Comasco,

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

. Harken has sales and service offices in USA (

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

), France, Japan,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Harken equipment may be found on racing boats as small as the 7-foot

Optimist (dinghy) The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by young people up to the age of 15. The Optimist is one of the two most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered with the c ...

to mega yachts and ocean racers.

References

"Harken Named Company of the Decade."
boats.com; December 10, 2000. * Decker, Eric. "Harken's Innovation Created International Market for Sailing Gear." Small Business Times; June 23, 2006. * Sailing World Hall of Fame, Sailing World Magazine. April 24, 2002
Sailing World Magazine

"Ernst & Young 2008 Entrepreneurs of the Year."
Twin Cities Business; August 2008.

The Milwaukee Journal; August 12, 2007. * Rovito, Rich

The Business Journal of Milwaukee; June 30, 2006. * "Honor roll of U.S. exporters." Business America; March 12, 1990.
"Honor roll of U.S. exporters – President's "E" Award."
Business America; April 5, 1993.
"Saving Sailing."
Sailing Anarchy; September 16, 2009. * Bednarek, David
"Sailing Around the World: Harken wins National Award for its Success with Exports."
The Milwaukee Journal; August 16, 1993. * Maloney, Lawrence. "Sailing into the Future." Design News; June 17, 1991. * Cole, Tim
"No Sitting Duck."
Popular Mechanics; August 1990.
"Concept Yacht."
Popular Mechanics; August 1986. * Quandt, Matt
Local Library Gets an Observatory.
Astronomy.com Blog; May 22, 2009. {{Coord, 43.0506478, -88.2439048, display=title Sailing equipment manufacturers American boat builders Companies based in Wisconsin Waukesha County, Wisconsin