Scout Boats Expands

Scout Boats has been building award winning sport-fishing boats for over two decades and has earned a reputation for cutting edge design and quality. In May, Scout Boats announced that it is expanding its facility in Dorchester County, South Carolina. This expansion comes years after Scout introduced boats with a reverse-shoebox hull/deck design in order to increase the overall strength of the hull and improve safety. Scout Boats was also one of the first companies to move away from constructing boats out of wood. The companies fishing boats are made with composite stringers and transoms, as well as some of the leading technology in center consoles and boat design.

The Summerville expansion includes adding 30,000-square-feet to their 182,000-square-foot facility in order to build additional composite and component parts for their new boats. Officials say that the expansion will cost roughly $2.5 million and create 300 additional jobs in Dorchester County. This new expansion is indicative of the remarkable comeback the company has made since the 2009 depression when boat manufacturers were scaling down their businesses. The company recently passed its 25th anniversary and is happy to embark on the construction of its new facility in August.

The factory expansion will primarily be used to build composite parts for the newly designed LXF series model and parts for the new 275 and 230 Dorado series. The company will continue to provide sport-fishing, fish ‘n ski, walk-around, as well as bay boats from 17 to 35 feet to seventy-two dealers around the world. The Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, has even applauded the company’s decision to expand their facilities.

The demand for Scout Boats is up across the board, according to CEO Steve Potts, and is significantly higher for boats longer than twenty-seven feet, which have already been sold out for the rest of the year. The expansion of Scout Boats and the demand suggests that there has been some comeback in the boating industry. Although recreational boating was hit hardest during the recession, the industry continues to grow at a modest rate. In addition, South Carolina’s Department of Commerce has an export assistance program, which has helped to connect the company overseas to Mexico, Brazil, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Colombia, and Australia. The global connections have also helped to improve business and increase sales.

The expansion also comes after eight Scout Boats dealers were ranked in Boating Industry Magazine’s Top 100 Dealers Including Top Overall Dealer. The eight dealerships include Hall Marine Group, Legendary Marine, Paris Marine, Parks Marina, Payne Marine, Ltd., Quality Boats of Clearwater, Short’s Marine, and South Shore Marine Service. The Scout Boats sold through each dealership were made from true original hulls produced by an in-house team that worked in partnership with a group of engineers. If you are interested in purchasing a Scout Boat you can visit at www.scoutboats.com or call 843-821-0068.

530 LXF Scout Line Drawing

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