MetalCraft Marine receives $1.9 million contract to produce Coast Guard boats

By GORDON BLOCK
TIMES STAFF WRITER

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012

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CAPE VINCENT — Aluminum boat manufacturer MetalCraft Marine has won a $1.9 million federal contract to build a pair of 44-foot boats for the U.S. Coast Guard, which will be done in the company’s facility in the village.

The news was announced Friday afternoon in a joint press release from U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Rep. William L. Owens.

According to the release, the Kingston, Ontario-based boat maker will hire five new employees at the site to help complete the order, bringing its total number of employees in the village to 22.

“This significant federal contract will help MetalCraft Marine’s production and job growth shift into high gear, which will serve as a boost for the North Country economy,” Sen. Schumer said in a statement. “MetalCraft Marine has served as an invaluable small business in Jefferson County that produces huge results in the North American commercial boat industry, and this federal contract with the Coast Guard will further solidify that reputation.”

Sen. Schumer visited the plant in February, while Sen. Gillibrand saw the site in July.

“Even in the face of a tough economy, the North Country’s high-quality small businesses like MetalCraft Marine are attracting strong contracts that can support new jobs and help strengthen our local economy,” Senator Gillibrand said in the statement.

The company has received several substantial contracts and federal grants in the past year. In May, the company was awarded $10 million federal contract to build high-speed boats for the Coast Guard to help guard the border.

In February, the company received an $800,000 federal grant to build up its facility in the village in the next few years.

Robert Clark, the boat maker’s contracts manager, was not available for comment Friday afternoon.