Boat building still thrives in Navy's birthplace

By Alan Burke
THE SALEM NEWS (SALEM, Mass.)

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. February 26, 2008 10:22 am

— In 1775 Marbleheader John Glover, operating at the behest of Gen. George Washington, built the schooner Hannah. That ship, designed to raid British merchants, is taken by many, and especially Marbleheaders, as the beginning of the American Navy.
Today, less well known is the fact that Marblehead is continuing to provide craft to the United States Navy from a small factory in the town’s little-known industrial area on Tioga Way. The vessels in question are built by Ribcraft — with the RIB standing for “rigid, inflatable boats.”
From a distance, these might look like ordinary inflatable rubber boats. A closer look, however, shows a sleekly designed, V-shaped fiberglass bottom that is securely attached to an inflatable tube, a tube designed to skim the water. Ribcraft can carry motors, and these needn’t be overly powerful because the cutting-edge design of the vessel gives it more speed than an ordinary boat.
“They’re used by law enforcement, the military and first responders, as well as recreational boaters,” company spokesman Matthew Velluto said.
Up to 20 people work in the Marblehead shop, led by Ribcraft President Brian Gray. His main office is in the Little Harbor section. “Brian is a true ‘Header,’” says Velluto, though just a little too youthful to have been born in the Mary Alley Hospital. “He was originally a boater. Grew up on the water.”
“I felt it was important to try to keep a little bit of the town’s heritage intact,” Gray said. “It’s not the easiest place to do manufacturing and assembly work, but we’re beating the odds. Business is good. We’ve been more than doubling sales every year since I started the company in late 2001, and I have no plans to slow down.”
He’s sold on the RIB concept, explaining that the inflatable sides make for a ride that is both drier and smoother, while the boat itself is lighter and more easily towed.
“There’s also a cool factor that no solid-sided boat can match,” he said. He pointed to a growing recreational market for the vessels.
A second Ribcraft shop in Portsmouth, N.H., prepares parts for assembly. “(Some of) these are the boats that are on large Navy ships,” said Velluto, who also grew up in Marblehead. The Navy is required to first seek out American-built products, he notes. “And we are completely, 100 percent U.S. owned.”
Different brands of rib boats are available. Ribcraft faces competition all over the world.
The company offers up to nine models, ranging from 15 to 30 feet. Ribcraft is necessarily closed-mouthed about its military contracts and shy about revealing its sales totals. But Velluto says hundreds of boats have been built.
“We’re probably building several boats a week.”

Alan Burke writes for The Salem News of Salem, Mass. E-mail him at aburke@salemnews.com

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