One of the owners of SeaVee Boats said it is weeks away from receiving the necessary building permits from Miami-Dade County to start construction of its new facility. Ariel Pared, one of three partners who bought the brand in 1994, told MiamiTodayNews.com that the new 220,000-square-foot facility in Medley will consolidate its five facilities around Miami. The county’s Industrial Development Authority has fully financed the project.
“We originally bought our current facility thinking it would be large enough. But the economy is doing well, so the business is doing well,” Pared told the website. “We’ve outgrown the facility. We’re bursting at the seams right now.”
SeaVee is currently able to build 165 boats per year, but the new facility will increase production to 250 boats per year within three years. Pared says the larger footprint will allow it to also build bigger boats, including a new 50-ft. flagship. “South Florida has been booming. People are looking for bigger, faster and more advanced boats and technologies,” Pared said. “Big boats are selling like never before.”
The builder currently has 200 boats on order, with larger models backlogged up to 18 months.
TA Builders, which will construct the new facility, estimates that construction could take 10 months. All the land is cleared and foundation permits were approved recently.
SeaVee now employs 220 people and hopes to employ 325 to 350 total once it moves to the new site. It started with seven employees in 1994. “The most skilled workforce in boat manufacturing is in South Florida,” Pared told the website. “Not the most affordable, but we feel that because of the type of product we make – boutique and high-end boats – we’re able to spend more to build a better product.”
