A BRIEF HISTORY OF BLACK HORSE YACHTS, MAINE BOATBUILDERS

Black Horse Yachts, LLC, is a company that was launched by a boat.

The roots of the company go back to 1997 when BHY president J. Stark Thompson commissioned Maine boatbuilder C.R. Rooney, LLC, to build a boat that he could use to explore the Maine coast. Black Horse Yachts, LLC, emerged from this vessel.

Thompson wanted a boat for day trips and picnics with family and friends, and for exploration of the islands of Casco Bay. Since the boat would be moored 10 miles from open water of Casco Bay, Thompson wanted a boat that would cruise comfortably at 20 knots in order to make the run to the Bay in 30 minutes. He needed a power boat designed to meet these specific requirements.

Noted yacht designer Geoff Dickes was hired to do the design work. Dickes specializes in planning hulls, and all of his designs are characterized by exceptional performance. Traditional, yet contemporary; evolutionary, not revolutionary, Dickes' designs are classic, as would be the Black Horse.

Given these parameters, the Black Horse design took shape. Thompson decided on 33 express with a galley, head, V-berth and standing headroom of 6'2" in the cabin because he stands over 6-feet tall. The engine would be a single Yanmar, low profile, turbo-diesel because of its reliability and fuel economy. Because it was intended to be a "one-off" boat, the hull would be cold molded.

Thompson wanted his boat to be the highest quality possible so Howard Hagar was brought in to head up the project starting with the cold molding of the hull. Hagar is known up and down the Maine coast as an extremely skilled Maine boatbuilder. He completed a two-year course in boat building and design in the early 70s, then went on to apprentice at Bass Harbor Boat Works building traditional plank on frame lobster and pleasure boats. Hagar later started his own boat restoration and repair business, H&H Boat Works, which he ran for 19 years. Hagar worked at Royal River Boat Works for four years before joining the Black Horse project. Hagar is now the general manager at Black Horse Yachts.

As the boat neared completion and her traditional, yet elegant lines took shape, so did the boat's name. Thompson named the boat "Black Horse" to keep a family tradition alive. Thompson's ancestors founded The William Fletcher Weld Company, a merchant shipping business in Boston that had the largest sailing fleet in America after the Civil War. Many of the clipper ships were famous for their speed and general seaworthiness. Sailors around the world were well familiar with the insignia flag depicting a black horse flew from the masts of those ships.

The "Black Horse" received strong, positive press including feature articles in Soundings, Maine Boats and Harbors and Downeast Magazine, and the boat drew compliments from nearly everyone who saw it. With this positive reception, Thompson ultimately formed Black Horse Yachts, LLC to build the 33' Black Horse line in express cruiser, sedan, fly bridge and sport fish configurations. Subsequently, ten acres on Harpswell Neck were purchased; a state of the art manufacturing facility was built and production started on the BHY33 in addition to the commissioning of new design concepts for an expanded line-up.

In the process, Geoff Dickes refined the design making the boat lower, longer and sleeker while giving her more beam for increased hull volume. The superstructure lines were softened and the overall look gained additional grace. A Yanmar 440 hp. engine was specified to give her more speed with the added benefit maintaining a flat cockpit sole - there is no engine box. Tom Bernardi of Broad Bay Tooling, a master at his trade, constructed the plugs and molds. Morris Yachts builds the hull and topsides which are vacuum bagged with vinylester resin and a foam core for strength, light weight and durability. A bow thruster and Panish single lever control were added for maneuverability and an Aqua Drive for smooth running. This refined Black Horse, named Skylark, was finished and launched in 2003 for owner Frank Schambra.

Additional new boats and designs are now underway. Sedan and Express versions of the 33' Black Horse have been commissioned and are currently under construction in the workshop. A new model, the 29' Black Horse Runabout with outboard power is slated for a Spring 2006 launch. A BHY 38 and BHY40 are in design.

Black Horse Yachts' goal remains the same - to build top quality boats that are one of a kind, every time. Boats that are as individual as their owners.

We invite you to visit our yard in beautiful Harpswell, Maine, and we look forward to meeting you at boat shows.

Thank you for your interest in Black Horse Yachts.