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14 School St.
P.O. Box 505
East Boothbay, Maine
USA 04544
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F: 207-633-4668
info@hodgdonyachts.com
News
Tech-Savvy Hodgdon Yachts Wins Navy Contract
May, 2005
East Boothbay, Maine-Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay, ME, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research to build the prototype for an improved high-speed Special Operations craft using state-of-the-art composites.
Hodgdon's selection underscores the luxury yachtbuilder's reputation for innovative construction. And it could be a first step toward what many here hope will become a growth industry in the Pine Tree State: the manufacture of composite vessels for a variety of markets.
In 2004, the Navy offered Hodgdon a $1 million contract to design the 82-foot Special Operations boat, called the Mk V.1, in partnership with the University of Maine Advanced Engineered Wood Composite Laboratory, Donald Blount & Associates, and Eric Greene Associates. The joint effort led to a contract to tackle construction of the prototype, beginning this fall.
The new vessel, which will replace the existing model, will have the range, speed, stealth, and sea-keeping characteristics needed to transport Navy SEALS in trouble spots around the globe. It will be Hodgdon's first build for the military since the Korean War. But it will draw heavily on the company's experience in developing high-performance hulls for another class of ocean-going vessels-superyachts.
Other Maine-based organizations will play supporting roles in the development of the Mk V.1. Among them will be the University of Maine; Harbor Technologies, Inc., in Brunswick, ME; and Applied Thermal Science in Sanford, ME. Development and testing are underway in a building specially renovated to accommodate the prototype hull.
President Tim Hodgdon said the build could result in 25 new jobs at the shop.