Hodgdon Yachts
Hodgdon Yachts (incorporated as Hodgdon Shipbuilding, LLC and previously known as "Hodgdon Brothers" yard) is a builder of yachts and specialized military vessels, based in East Boothbay, Maine. It is a family-run business that was founded in 1816—reputedly the oldest continuously operating family boatbuilder in the United States. Hodgdon Yachts is noted for building superyachts, both sail and power, using advanced composite materials and construction techniques. It's also noted for its ability to incorporate those advanced materials into traditional designs that employ modern electronic and mechanical marine systems. The company has several divisions—yachts, custom  tenders, yacht interiors, yacht services and military composites with offices in Boothbay, Maine, Newport, Rhode Island and Monaco. History. In 1816, founder, Caleb Hodgdon with brother Tyler, added boatbuilding as "Hodgdon Brothers" in East Boothbay on the Damariscotta River to Caleb's sawmill and gristmill businesses with the construction of a 42-foot "pinky" fishing schooner, "Union", launched in 1818. From 1850 and 1895 the yard built and launched 24 commercial schooners. Caleb turned the business over to sons, C. George and James P. Hodgdon, in 1870. Successive generations of Hodgdons maintained the business, as siblings left and returned from  boatbuilding enterprises, elsewhere in Maine. The business regained vitality during the Korean War, when it built twelve naval patrol boats. A fire destroyed most of the yard's buildings and records in 1954 during this run of producing patrol boats. Within three years, brothers William and Charles, and George I., Sr. died. George I. ("Sonny") Hodgdon, Jr., who was born in 1922 and reputedly started work in the yard at an early age, rebuilt the boat-building sheds and obtained a contract to build the first boat designed by William Tripp Sr., "Katingo". In addition to securing contracts to build  boats for noted designers, including Sparkman & Stephens, John Alden, and L. Francis Herreshoff, he designed and built 24 small vessels, between 1956 and 1969. In 1969, Hodgdon moved to another facility to build lobster boats under the business name of "G.I. Hodgdon, Co." Hodgdon's son, Timothy, joined the business In 1979 and steered the company towards modern materials. He continued after his father died in 1995 and, as business grew, diversified the company into six divisions, specializing in yacht construction, custom tenders, yacht interiors, boatyard services, and composite materials for military customers. He established a variety of locations in  Maine, Rhode Island, and Monaco. In 2016, a sixth-generation Hodgdon family member to participate in the firm, Audrey Hodgdon, was appointed as director of sales and marketing. Notable vessels. The business built most of its notable vessels under the name, "Hodgdon Brothers", through the 1970s and then, with the advent of Timothy Hodgdon and diversification, continued under the corporate banner of "Hodgdon Shipbuilding." Hodgdon Brothers. The vessels built in East Boothbay at the Hodgdon Brothers shipyard were predominantly wood construction and included fishing vessels, an arctic schooner, small naval vessels, and several yachts. Schooners. Hodgdon Brothers yard was building  wooden schooners well into the 20th century, they included: Naval ships. Hodgdon Brothers built wood-hulled naval patrol boats, starting in World War I through the Korean War. Wooden hulls do not activate magnetic detonators on mines or torpedoes. They were, as follows: Yachts. Hodgdon Brothers specialized in building wooden yachts. The 1960s began a transition to fiberglass yachts. Hodgdon Shipbuilding. The company's adoption of composite technology began in 1984 with the order of an 83-foot composite motor yacht, which was launched as "Yorel", and which required a bigger yard building, new boatbuilding technology and a high standard  of craftsmanship. This project marked the change in boatbuilding approach by president-to-be, Timothy Hodgdon, then 29 years old. "Yorel" returned to Hodgdon Yard, renamed as "Kizbul", for a major refit in 2013. The company offers yacht and tender building and repair services under the name, Hodgdon Yachts, and military vessel construction and composite components for vessels under the name, Hodgdon Defense Composites. Yachts. The company's yacht division is known as "Hodgdon Yachts"; notable projects include: Tenders. As a result of building a custom yacht tender—a vessel that ferries passengers from a large vessel to shore—for  Steven Spielberg's super yacht, "Seven Seas", Hodgdon saw a market for such craft and developed two tender sizes in two configurations—open and "limo" (with a roof that raises up)—from . According to the company's specifications, their top speeds are 34 and 36 knots respectively. Electric vessels. In 2022, Hodgdon began building the Vita LION "performance electric day boat," which can carry eight passengers at a 22-knot cruise speed, using two electric motor drives. Vita's yacht was designed in England and is built in Italy. Its 234 kWh lithium batteries can be charged in under an hour , according to company specs. Military vessels. The company's defense products division is known as "Hodgdon Defense Composites". On January 11, 2008 Hodgdon and the U.S. Navy unveiled an experimental version of the Mark V Special Operations Craft, designated the Mk V.1, designed to reduce the number of injuries sustained by sailors and SEALs during the operation of the aluminum version of the vessel. Nicknamed the MAKO, the vessel was developed by a subsidiary of Hodgdon Shipbuilding, in collaboration with the University of Maine's Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center. It features a hull made of layers of carbon fiber , a foam core and an outer layer of Kevlar for additional strength. It was constructed and launched at the Hodgdon Yachts East Boothbay facility. The MAKO is lighter than the current Mk V. The Office of Naval Research funded the prototype “to compare the properties of composite construction with aluminum” versions of the same craft. In 2012, the Hodgdon Defense Composites division received several military contracts to produce rescue boats that resemble personal water craft, small enough to be air-dropped from a C-130 military cargo plane, yet able to penetrate rough surf. The 12-foot vessel is called the  Greenough Advanced Rescue Craft (GARC) and employs a 143-horsepower engine, driving a pump-jet. Such craft reportedly have a range of up to at and can carry four people. The craft was developed for the United States Air Force Special Operations Command.