Johnson’s Boat plans move, indoor facility

Rhode Islanders keep their cars inside, build storage sheds to keep their garden tools protected from the harsh weather and have even been known to put carousels indoors. So why not mimic the concept for boats? Jim Shriner thinks a market exists for just that.
The owner of Johnson’s Boat Yard is preparing to start a $4.5 million project to move his yard from Wickford to Quonset Point, in North Kingstown, rechristen it Mill Creek Marine Inc. and build a storage facility capable of housing 72 boats inside on a system of four-level racks. When a customer wants to take the boat out, the boatyard staff will use a forklift to bring the boat to the water. Staff will fill up the gas tank, pump the sewage and stock the cooler. Think of it as a valet service for boats.
The so-called dry-stack facility would be the first of its kind in Rhode Island, said Shriner, who hopes to complete construction by the spring. And it will be designed in a way that allows Shriner, if business booms, to add on modular units capable of storing another 24 boats. All told, Shriner holds permits to store up to 168 boats inside an 11,000-square-foot facility.
Shriner said keeping the boat inside while not in use, as opposed to in a traditional marina slip, will help reduce wear and tear on the boat and eliminate the need to pull the boat from the water during times of storms or during the winter.
“For the weekend boater in particular it’s a much better solution,” Shriner said.
A profitable one too, he believes. Shriner estimates a boater keeping his boat in a slip pays about $210 a foot, including fees and maintenance associated with the boat sitting in the water for months of the year. Shriner plans to charge $185 a foot for storage and unlimited launching. He said even with maintenance costs, the annual cost of housing a boat would be cheaper at his yard than at a marina.
The new facility will sit near Allen Harbor on land that the U.S. Navy once used to train bulldozer operators. With 4.5 acres, Shriner will more than triple his existing yard size of three-quarters of an acre. The new space will also provide 828 feet of shoreline where Shriner plans a dock.
Shriner said his current facility in Wickford is aging and too small to accommodate boats 30 feet long and larger, often forcing his mechanics to delay service because of ugly weather conditions. The three service buildings are also scattered, leaving mechanics to spend time dashing from one building to the next to find the proper parts and equipment. A single facility with consolidated operations, larger bay doors and a roof that spans the facility without support poles will help mechanics increase their billable hours by as much as 10 percent, Shriner said.
“My plan is to dramatically increase the number of boats I work with as well as the size of the boats,” said Shriner, whose company is an authorized repairer for major engine manufacturers, including Mercury, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Evinrude.
The new facility will also be built with energy efficiency in mind and Shriner said he expects to cut his heating bill in half, even though he is moving to a larger facility.
To make the facility a reality, Shriner entered into a lease with the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC). He is also close to finalizing his loan, backed by a loan guarantee and financing program from the Small Business Administration.
And, he said that despite the tough economy, it is a good time for the project. Boaters, Shriner said, are looking for cheaper options and easier ways of storing boats that they started using less when the cost of gasoline skyrocketed two years ago.
Shriner said customers have been interested to learn that the new building would be built to withstand 130 mph winds, making the facility a refuge during a hurricane.
He has been working on the facility’s plans for more than three years, almost since he purchased Johnson’s Boat Yard in 2004. He realized the existing business suffered from an aging building and a lack of space. The yard today can only house 60 to 70 boats.
“I very quickly saw the site as is would have significant limitations,” Shriner said.
He saw an opportunity to expand both the storage business and his service business, which counts among its customers mostly pleasure boaters, but also the U.S. Navy, some Rhode Island towns with fire boats and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management.
“I do believe there is demand out there right now,” Shriner said. &#8226