Gunboat Co., a maker of high-end sailboats, plans to invest more than $1.8 million to set up shop in Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park.

 

A grant of $213,000 from the One North Carolina Fund helped seal the deal, which is expected to eventually create 71 jobs, Gov. Beverly Perdue said in an announcement Thursday.

Gunboat produces catamaran yachts that incorporate technology from round-the-world racing sailboats and feature luxurious interiors, the governor’s statement said.

It is a sister company of Gunboat International in Rhode Island.

Salaries will vary, but the average annual wage is expected to be $27,093, plus benefits. The Dare County average annual wage is $24,128.

“After more than a decade of producing overseas in lower labor cost markets, we are bringing manufacturing home to the United States,” Peter Johnstone, CEO of Gunboat, said in the statement. “Productivity and quality control are essential to our success. We spent months evaluating locations in various states along the Eastern seaboard. North Carolina stood clear above the rest.”

 

“Together we identified ideal locations, and labor markets,” Johnstone added. “Wanchese’s long tradition of building the world’s finest sportfish yachts gave us great confidence.”

 

Bob Peele, director of the Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park, said Gunboat would move into one of two buildings vacated by Davis Yachts. The 30,000-square-foot facility will employ about 30 people its first year.

If it grows to the expected payroll of around 70 it will one the park’s largest if not the largest boat builder, Peele said. Three other boat-building companies are permanently located in the park.

“This is really a great thing for this community,” he said.

Company officials are already looking at what needs to be done with the building. Gunboat is expected to move in after a lease is drawn up Feb. 7, Peele said.

One NC Fund grants are contingent on local matches. Dare County spokeswoman Dorothy Killingsworth said the match will be in the form of in-kind services under the project to extend water lines to Wanchese.

The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify.

 

“We are extremely happy that an established boat company like Gunboat is coming to Dare County,” said state Sen. Stan White of Nags Head. “The creation of 71 jobs is a godsend to our area and Wanchese that has been hit hard by the recession. Gunboat produces high-end sailing catamarans that represent a new market niche for Dare County and the region.”

“Our past investments in education have once again paid off,” said state Rep. Tim Spear of Creswell. “Our schools and job training programs have built the kind of educated, skilled workforce that specialty manufacturers are looking for. Today’s announcement is another example of why those investments must continue.”

For more about Gunboat, go to www.gunboat.com.