Boat builder buoys American pursuit of luxurious leisure
Published Monday October 13th, 2008
CAMPOBELLO ISLAND - The key to Stephen Newman's success is in blending time-tested tradition with present-day luxury.
Newman's ability to strike harmony between the two has helped his company, S.E. Newman & Son Inc., tap into a niche market that would make other boat builders envious.
The New Brunswick craftsman constructs luxury weekend cruisers that blend traditional design from the fishery with modern power and amenities.
It's a combination that is highly valued by his wealthy customers - mostly American - who pay between $250,000 and $600,000 for one of Newman's carefully constructed vessels.
And he does it all on Campobello Island, the small but picturesque fishing and tourism community off the Maine coast in the Bay of Fundy.
"Basically we're taking the Maine lobster boat hull and converting it into sport fishing and pleasure boats," says the fifth-generation islander, standing in his large shop in Head Harbour Passage. "They're a good seaworthy boat. They can go out and get caught in big seas and they're still pretty comfortable."
It's those qualities that have Newman, 45, shipping boats all along the east coast, from the New England states to New Jersey, Georgia and Florida.
He just recently shipped the first of a new design - a Newman/Northern Bay 36 - down to Shelter Island, N.Y.
Named the "Buddy B," it was equipped with a 720-horsepower diesel engine - which could propel it up to 32 knots, or 60 kilometres per hour.
Newman's creations, which take between six and 18 months to construct, are custom-built and fully equipped with plenty of perks - such as air conditioning, a slew of electronics, auto-pilot, bow thrusters and sleeping berths.
The fibreglass vessels, which range from 12-foot tenders to 38-foot cruisers, are often trimmed with exotic woods, like mahogany, teak and cherry.
As the "Buddy B" was pulled from the water and shipped south, four other boats sat in the nearby workshop in various stages of construction. And orders are coming in steadily.
Newman, a long-time house builder and tourism operator, started the company in 2001 - after a back injury put him largely out of the housing game.
He turned his attention to a life-long love of boat building, and has since seen his company assemble 30 of his own creations.
The company is housed in an old fertilizer plant, which was covered with graffiti and strewn with burned-out cars and rubbish before Newman fixed it up.
"Now you wouldn't recognize the place," said Newman, whose 23-year-old son, Jacob, works in the shop as a welder.
The nearby marina, used for year-round boat storage and repair, was converted from an old aquaculture site.
Newman built the entire operation from scratch, with no direct government funding. But it has been difficult financing the outfit on his own, and success has brought growing pains. The downturn in the U.S. economy hasn't paid any favours either.
So he's now looking to both the federal and provincial governments for a funding boost to help expand.
With a little help, he reckons, the company could expand from its current 12 employees up to 30 or 40.
That new labour could help Newman move into building even bigger vessels, like 40- and 50-footers in the million-dollar range.
Local Conservative politician Tony Huntjens says the company has proven itself with a quality product and a large potential market, making it a sound and beneficial investment for government.
"This should be at the top of the list of government funding, as far as I'm concerned," said the Charlotte-Campobello MLA. "This is a natural business that can make a further go of it."
Huntjens said local companies should be bolstered, particularly considering a recent downturn in Campobello's aquaculture industry, which resulted in notable job losses.
"It's a matter of the government stepping in and helping him get some working capital so he can take on his expansion," said Huntjens.
"This business can pick up those aquaculture workers and put them to work."
Newman says a cash-infusion will mean more workers, increased sales and bigger and better boats rolling out of his seaside shop.
"I've put everything I've got into this business," he said.
"I want to keep it going strong."
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