Sisters Marcia and Julie Blount grew up watching their father, Luther Blount, sketch boat designs on napkins. Those sketches became real vessels at Blount Boats Inc., the Warren shipyard he founded in 1949. Today, the sisters lead the company – Marcia as president and chief financial officer, and Julie as executive vice president and human resource manager.
Located on a 6-acre site near Warren’s waterfront, the shipyard hums with activity. Workers weld and assemble vessels like a 65-foot steel canal tugboat for the New York Power Authority, designed for buoy placement, barge pushing and ice breaking.
Blount Boats built its reputation on aluminum cruise boats like the Bay Queen, which carried hundreds through Narragansett Bay from the 1970s to 2000s. These boats originated from family trips where friends expressed interest in paying for similar experiences. Julie recalls passengers saying it felt like “cruising on your friend’s yacht.”
Though cruise boat production has ceased, the company has pivoted to offshore wind crew transfer vessels – a shift led entirely by the sisters. The renewable energy sector wasn’t on the radar when Luther Blount passed in 2006, but by 2010, demand for 80- to 100-foot vessels aligned perfectly with Blount’s capabilities and location.
Blount’s early vessels, often sent to the Gulf of Mexico, served as precursors to today’s offshore wind boats. The company launched the Atlantic Pioneer, the first U.S.-built wind farm crew transfer vessel, servicing the Block Island Wind Farm. Current projects include vessels for Orsted A/S, supporting wind farms that will generate 1,760 megawatts of electricity for Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
Despite innovation, workforce recruitment remains a challenge. The company has found success with students from William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School and New England Institute of Technology. Marcia Blount notes that Blount attracts hands-on workers who prefer active roles over desk jobs.
Each boat is unique, she said – not just a “widget” but a “big thing with names and personalities.”
