Over the last decade or two, Blount Boats has delivered steel-hulled ferries and tugboats as well as aluminum-sided catamarans for the offshore wind industry.
Going back even further, the shipyard has delivered offshore supply vessels, dinner cruisers, small cruise ships and vehicle ferries.
Now in its 75th year in operation, the yard’s long history in boatbuilding along Narragansett Bay in Warren, R.I., can be traced to a far simpler craft. According to the yard, company founder Luther H. Blount’s first vessel was a twin-hulled raft built from 55-gallon drums to carry oyster and clam shells across the bay.
“His first commercial boat was a 77-foot steel catamaran which led to a bid he won to construct a fuel oil service vessel using the same catamaran concept based on two cylindrical floats which he dubbed the ‘twin tube,’” the yard said in a news release announcing the 75-year milestone. “His design succeeded and was followed by a progression of larger and more complex monohull vessels.”
Other commercial orders followed, and Blount Boats earned a reputation for building rugged durable vessels known as Taskmasters of the Sea.
These days, Blount Boats can design, build and repair steel and aluminum vessels up to 220 feet long. The yard has kept busy in recent years building crew transfer vessels for the offshore wind industry and tugboats for the N.Y. Power Authority, among other projects.
“As a third-generation business we are proud to keep our family tradition alive and well in this twenty-first century. Our team of highly skilled employees are the backbone of building small ships to fill the needs of our customers,” said Marcia Blount, the yard’s president and chief financial officer. “My sister Julie, who’s the executive vice president-human resources and I are focused on our mission of superior workmanship, innovation and proven reliability to continue Blount Boats as a successful leader in the marine industry.”