San Diego boat repair and construction facility Marine Group Boat Works has installed a new 100-ton lift that can haul and move vessels to and from the water, the company announced July 3.
Adding the 100-ton Variable Width Marine Travelift with a Tier 4 engine allows the company to serve a broader range of vessels without taking up too much room, the company said.
“This is really about safely and efficiently maximizing space, especially with one of our busiest seasons upon us,” Marine Group Operations Director Eric Lundeen explained.
“This new lift basically adds square footage to the facility without physically expanding the current yard. In other words, we’re able to block 18 vessels in a space that used to only fit 12 simply because the machine contracts to the vessels’ actual width,” he said.
The travelift, which was made possible with the help of a grant from the federal Maritime Administration, is designed to accommodate 25-foot to 100-foot vessels and can expand and contract while lifting full loads and maneuvering at a 360-degree angle, the company said.
MGBW has previously benefited from the Small Shipyard Grant Program, which helps U.S. shipyards provide training and bolster efficiency.
“We’ve used the (grant) to certify dozens of welders, purchase equipment that allowed us to do work in-house which reduced the time customers used to have to wait to outsource the work and upgraded equipment to improve the turnaround times on certain tasks for customers,” Marine Group President Todd Roberts said. “The MARAD grant is the single best grant program truly dedicated to giving back to small businesses within the maritime industry.”
