BRUNSWICK

East Boothbay boat builders Washburn and Doughty hope to score a grant to move part of their operations to Brunswick Landing, developing a large manufacturing space and adding 15 new jobs.

In March, the Brunswick Town Council approved a letter of intent to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development to apply for an Economic Development Program grant on behalf of Washburn and Doughty.

The builders, who have been in business since 1977, have outgrown their facility in East Boothbay and seek to move their steel cutting, panel stiffening and part of their structural model construction to Building 86 at Brunswick Landing — the former Navy ground support building.

Moving some production to Brunswick would be a bit of a homecoming for the boat builders as their first build in 1977 was in rented space at Palmer Well Drilling on Maine Street.

Bruce Washburn said the two started their business as part timers.

“We’d work a couple nights a week and working all days on Saturdays. We were building a 70-foot dragger then — it was our hull number one,” Washburn said. The company is now revving up production on hull 120.

Although they put out a number of tugs, Washburn says their portfolio covers just about anything that floats.

“We’ve built a lot of fishing boats when we started. We built some ferry boats, cruise boats, three-car ferries for the state of Maine. If you research boats — one expedition yacht, a couple of windjammer schooners — pretty much, you name it, we’ve built it,” Washburn said.

Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Steve Levesque said Washburn and Doughty are still in the process of performing their due diligence on whether the project will work for them and, so far, there’s a letter of intent but no lease has been signed.

Levesque said much of Washburn and Doughty’s movement on the deal is wrapped in the timing of the grant to help fund some of their improvements.

“It would be great if they could be here. We think it’s a great fit for the building — it’s our biggest industrial building. Having an industrial use helps grow jobs in Midcoast Maine,” Levesque said.

Currently, Washburn said, the company subcontracts out some off-site production. Moving part of their operation to Brunswick Landing would give them better control.

Improvements would include the installation of four additional overhead cranes, adding to the existing 10-ton crane. Also, a gas delivery system would need to be constructed to supply propylene, argon and oxygen for cutting equipment. Ventilation, insulation and relocation of the existing perimeter fencing would also be required.

Total costs for the project are estimated at just over $1 million with $200,000 in owner equity, $434,000 in bank financing and $400,000 from the grant.

The new project would open up jobs for five welders, seven shipfitters, one burn table operator, one material handler and one commercial driver. Each position has an estimated average salary with benefits equal to $27 an hour.

These positions are anticipated to be filled by Aug. 1.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com

W&D plan

• WASHBURN AND Doughty, who have been in business since 1977, have outgrown their facility in East Boothbay and seek to move their steel cutting, panel stiffening and part of their structural model construction to Building 86 at Brunswick Landing — the former Navy ground support building.