The Story of Brooklin Boat Yard

Joel White graduates from MIT with a degree in Naval Architecture. He begins work at Newport News Shipyard, but the US Army drafts him and he serves his two years in Germany. Upon his return to Brooklin, now married to Allene with Steve and Martha as children, Joel takes up lobstering but soon begins working for boatbuilder Arno Day. Joel had learned about designing boats, but he didn’t yet know how to build them. Working with Arno allows him the opportunity to apprentice, and he flourishes.

oel purchases Arno Day's shop and yard and renames it Brooklin Boat Yard. A new workshop, railway, and two storage sheds soon follow. This brings in boats to be stored and maintained as well as a few to be built new of wood or fiberglass hulls to be finished and made operational. An early wooden power boat of Joel's design was the 34' power cruiser Kishti, launched in 1963.

Steve White, the son of Joel, begins working at the boat yard at the age of thirteen. He works on Martha’s Tender and Martha, both for his grandfather, E.B. White. He begins learning the craft of boatbuilding.

Joel's son, Steve, begins working at the boat yard at age thirteen. He works on the 20' Crocker-designed sloop Martha that was being built for his grandfather, E.B. White, and begins learning the craft of boatbuilding. Steve subsequently graduates from Colby college in Maine, then spends several years traveling and working out of state. During this time, he has stints on a tugboat in Morgan City, Louisiana, and as assistant manager aboard Nantascot for Massachusetts Bay Line.

The wooden boat renaissance begins with the Brooklin community benefitting from Joel's passion for boats of that material and from WoodenBoat magazine moving to town.

Steve returns to Brooklin Boat Yard and joins his father, Joel.

In the following years, Steve and Joel begin to build the Brooklin Boat Yard we all know today. Steve says, “My dad had a lot of patience,” and, “We never had a single argument.” He credits the complimentary nature of their combined skillsets as a reason why they thrived as partners.

Brooklin Boat Yard builds the William Hand-designed wooden ketch Alisande, with Joel creating a complete set of shop drawings for this design. Henceforth, wood became the yard's specialty.

Steve, who is a natural, self-prescribed “people person” gradually takes over customer relations and employee management. This allows more time for his father to focus on design—which he indeed does. During the following 16 years, Joel designs (and Brooklin Boat Yard builds) over twenty-five custom boats of all types to his drawings. His name becomes widely known through WoodenBoat and his designs of such craft as the Nutshell prams (1983), the Haven 12-1/2 sloop (1986), the Shellback sailing dinghy (1989), and the Center Harbor 31 class (1996).

Travelift replaces railway and jackstands start replacing cradles. Brownell hydraulic trailer replaces greased skids and winch truck. The yard expands its workshop to accept larger vessels. Steve begins building more shop space and storage sheds and hiring more year-round employees.

Joel White begins transferring ownership to Steve, who builds the 55-square meter sloop Vortex for himself, sees the benefits of cold-molded hull construction, and begins using it for new boats. (The 43' cutter Sweet Olive, launched the next year, was the last major yacht built with plank-on-frame construction.)

Brooklin Boat Yard flourishes during the 1990s, as cold-molded racer/cruisers with fin keels and spade rudders become its signature product. WoodenBoat article on Vortex in 1991 helps spread the word. Notable builds include Vortex, Aurora, Dragonera, Grace, High Cotton and Tomahawk.

Joel White continues to make a name for himself by becoming that WoodenBoat magazine's design review editor, all the while designing most of the larger yachts that Brooklin Boat Yard builds. He writes the text for the book Wood, Water, and Light, and becomes a trustee of Mystic Seaport Museum.

Joel White, founder of Brooklin Boat Yard and its leader for thirty-seven years, dies. Bob Stephens takes over as BBY's in-house designer. Steve White assumes the role of President.

Wild Horses is launched by Brooklin Boat Yard, proves to be a winner, and is much publicized by owner Donald Tofias who underwrites a biography Joel White—Boatbuilder/Designer/Sailor, published in 2002, that includes the drawings for many of Joel's designs.

The big new main shop replaces the original one. A new 85-ton Travelift replaces the smaller one.

Tendress launched by Brooklin Boat Yard as the first of Bob Stephens's designs. He continues as Brooklin Boat Yard's in-house designer for the next dozen years, turning out handsome cold-molded boats such as Hoi An, Goshawk, Marjorie, and Bequia.

Storage capacity increases with the purchase of sheds from Brooklin Marine Supply. Staff increases from six in 1978 to over seventy. Stored yachts increase from sixteen in 1978 to 130.

Under Steve’s direction, Brooklin Boat Yard continues to break boundaries in the world of yacht design and construction. Over the next twenty years, the boat yard solidifies its reputation for world-class excellence and becomes a service in high demand.

Elsewhere, however, custom yacht-building lessens. Boat yards that can design and build high-performance yachts become scarce. Even more scarce are builders who can craft one-of-a-kind, custom projects on time and within budget. Brooklin Boat Yard is one of those few.

Business is passed on via ESOP to employees, with Brian Larkin as President and Eric Blake as Vice President. Will Sturdy becomes Chief Designer and Nick Bellico becomes Service Manager. Other Management Team members are Chris Page as Chief Financial Officer, and Nick Carter as Operation Manager, with Steve White as a second Vice President.

Today, the legacy of Brooklin Boat Yard lives on through the people who work here.