Washington-based Westport Yachts, one of the few American superyacht builders, has opened a new Seattle office in South Lake Union. The move is a welcome one for the Pacific Northwest marine industry at large, for while Westport Yachts has always built its boats in its Westport and Port Angeles shipyards, their only sales office has been in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With the addition of the Seattle sales and design office, new Westports are not only built here, but also sold here.
“This is an exciting development,” Donald Campbell, the Seattle sales and marketing manager, told us. Campbell has been active on the local marine industry scene for years, notably as the founder of San Juan Yachts in 1989, which he sold in 2015. Daryl Wakefield, president of Westport Yachts, and Campbell worked together at Admiral Marine in the past, and Campbell was recruited about a year ago to open the new office.
“We have been at the Salmon Bay Marine Center since December 2018 and I work alongside Sylvia Bolton and Ellen Henry, who are our new in-house interior designers,” he continued. “It is remarkable that we are one of the last, if not the last, big yacht builder in the USA.”
Westport Yachts was founded in Westport, Washington, in 1964 and quickly made its mark for embracing cutting edge composite materials in their vessel construction. The original focus was building high quality North Pacific commercial fishing vessels, and the company seamlessly expanded into the luxury yacht market over the years.
Today, Westport Yachts is widely considered one of the largest yacht builders in the world, and their yachts are still made proudly in Washington state. According to the company’s published numbers of total vessels built, Westport Yachts has produced over 100 recreational yachts, 170 commercial fishing vessels, and 35 commercial passenger vessels.
In addition to custom builds, the Westport Yachts line includes the W112, W125, W130, and W164 (122’ [34 meters] to 164’ [50 meters]). When a successful company is producing yachts of that size with industry talents like Sylvia Bolton, you’re talking about projects that spare no expense.
Welcome home, Westport Yachts! They’ve hit the ground running and already have a brand-new W125 for sale at their docks. You can find the new Westport Yachts Seattle office at 2288 W. Commodore Way, Suite 220, Seattle, WA 98199. You can reach them via phone at (360) 452-5095 and check online for more info at westportyachts.com.
