AUGUSTA — Kenway Corp. and two other Maine companies have purchased a closed seafood plant in Belfast to create a boatyard capable of producing an array of marine products, including yachts.
Kenway, Rockport Marine and Brooklin Boat Yard have purchased the Stinson Seafood Co. property on the Belfast waterfront, Kenway owner Kenneth Priest said.
The 3.2-acre parcel will be the site of a boatyard catering to vessels larger than 100 feet long. The large, flat parcel adjacent to deep water allows barges, ships and large yachts to tie up close to shore, Priest said.
Kenway is a nationally known fabricator of fiberglass and composite products for marine, pulp, paper, power and other industries. The company also operates Maritime Marine, which manufactures motorboats.
Kenway employs 75 people in Augusta, Priest said. That payroll should grow to 60 within five years, he said.
Rockport Marine and Brooklin Boat Yard both build and restore yachts.
The former sardine cannery was purchased by a developer, Belfast Bridge LLC, in 2005. But the developer’s plans for turning the buildings into condominiums, retail space and a marina ended in 2007, apparently due to financial constraints. The property has been abandoned since.
Priest declined to say how much he and his partner paid for the property.
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