Bay Ship Buys Svendsen’s

In most corners of the sailing world, a boatyard changing hands would not be particularly earthshaking news. But rumors circulating late last week that Svendsen’s Boat Works of Alameda had been sold to nearby Bay Ship & Yacht created quite a buzz among local sailors. 

On Friday, Svendsen’s current owner and manager, Sean Svendsen, confirmed that the rumors were accurate and stated that for the "foreseeable future" current boatyard operations will continue unchanged. That should bring some comfort to the many Oakland-Alameda Estuary sailors who have been extremely concerned about proposed plans to redevelop the Alameda Marina complex — especially areas surrounding the Boat Works, which are presently occupied by independent marine businesses and two dry storage yards.  

Having begun operations at its current location more than 50 years ago, Svendsen’s has served generations of loyal customers. Similarly, Bay Ship’s owner Bill Elliot established his business nearly 40 years ago, and has built it into a huge operation, now offering a wide range of services to enormous military vessels, megayachts and everything in between.

According to Svendsen, the two companies will operate under their current names and he will continue to run the Boat Works, which will hopefully insure a smooth transition.