La Conner – Hard Drive Marine, a builder of custom aluminum boats formerly based in Bellingham, has relocated to the Port of Skagit’s La Conner Marina.
The company’s new home is a 6,000-square-foot marine services facility at 539 N. 3rd Street, Suite A, with 25,000-square-foot outdoor storage area. Company owner Tom Day said he made the move because there is a great manufacturing environment in Skagit County and room to grow.
Highlighting the line of Hard Drive Marine products is the LC series landing craft. Other products include commercial fishing boats, public service vessels and island cruisers. The company, which has built about 40 boats since forming in 2007, will employ seven to 10 people in La Conner, Day said.
“We build a very special line of vessels, designed as working service boats that eliminate the need for docking and ferrying on rugged, remote coastlines,” the Hard Drive web site states. “These boats build houses, they deliver machinery, they ferry people, they shuttle cargo. And on the weekend, they are the boat that allows us to spend more of the day on that favorite, water-access-only beach.”
Each Hard Drive boat is built by hand to meet the specific needs of the owner. For instance, a recent project is a Bristol Bay boat that will be fishing the 2015 season. The FV Armada measures 32 feet by 15 feet complete and is powered by a Scania 13-litre, 750-horsepower engine coupled to a 611 24-inch Traktor jet.
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About the Port of Skagit: Guided by the mission “Good Jobs for Our Community,” the Port of Skagit owns and operates three key facilities: the Skagit Regional Airport, the Bayview Business Park and the La Conner Marina. Combined, these three facilities are home to 83 businesses that employ nearly 1,200 people.
The Hard Drive Marine web site is http://harddrivemarine.com/
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