Chamber Tours: Dynasty Boats

     Although Alabama is rapidly making a name for itself as a home to automotive manufacturers, cars are not the only means of transportation produced in the state.
    Cullman County, for instance, is home to one of the most rapidly growing manufacturers of watercraft in the United States: Vinemont's Dynasty Boats.
    A division of the Godfrey Marine Group, the largest independently-owned makers of watercraft in the nation, Dynasty Boats, Inc. manufactures fiberglass deck boats and other saltwater fishing and leisure craft sold under the Godfrey name and under the brand name name of "Polar".
   According to general manager Roger Yarborough, Dynasty Boats was founded in 1985 and was bought by Godfrey in 1989. Godfrey Marine Group is a family-owned company based in Elkhart, Ind.

A deck boat nears completion on one of Dynasty's three assembly lines.

Along with another manufacturer in Olive Branch, Miss., and several others in Indiana, Dynasty produces what are known as near-shore watercraft, boats which vary in lengths ranging up to 23 feet from bow to stern and are not intended for deep-sea duty. Within the year, however, Dynasty hopes to expand their facility and workforce to accommodate the manufacture of 26-foot vessels, yet another enterprise to add to their rapidly developing product line.

Dynasty employees spray resin into special molds to form
the hulls and the decks of the boats they produce.

    "Four years ago, we didn't even build fishing boats, Yarborough said. "Now, we're the fourth largest manufacturers of fishing boats ... next year, we'll be third."
    Yarborough said that Dynasty ranks 27th overall in the lists of some 520 boat building companies in the industry and is considered to be the fastest growing in the top 35.
    "We're just a small part of it, but we're the fastest growing entity in the marine business," Yarborough said. "We had a $2 million renovation last year and we're going to do the same this year. We're committed to this community."
    "We plan on expanding, hiring more people, starting a new training program and beginning a major campaign for management recruits."
    Currently, Dynasty employs approximately 167 persons, which includes administration, clerical, design and manufacturing.

"At our current capacity, we produce 12 boats per day," said plant manager Russ Jones. "Renovation will allow for an additional three boats per day."
Jones led tour group members through the company's Vinemont facility, explaining the process of boat building, from the polymerization of the hull and deck in large molds to the the painting of the individual hull components, and ending with the three assembly lines where the boats are made ready for shipping to dealerships.

     "We have a lot of fun doing what we do," Jones said. "This is a toy factory, really. We make big boys' toys."
    Jones and Yarborough both spoke highly of the workforce at Dynasty Boats, explaining that although Dynasty - like so many other manufacturers - has a high turnover rate in labor positions, the majority of their team stays intact from year to year.
    "We have a lot of good people," Jones said. "We have a core of employees who have stayed on."
    One problem for Dynasty, however, is in finding local management. As Yarborough noted, there aren't many marine-oriented programs or businesses in the region.
    "About 95 percent of our management team is from somewhere else," Yarborough said. "And that's a problem. One of the things we're looking at is trying to start a program to train managers."

Plant manager Russ Jones, County Commissioner Faye
Whisenant, and Vinemont Mayor Melba Patton talk after
the Chamber tour is concluded.

"Mainly what we look for in an employee is someone willing to learn and willing to work," Yarborough said.

Steven Moore of the City of Cullman Economic Development Office, the Chamber's Denise Box and Cullman County Economic Development's Sammy Danford look on as Russ Jones explains Dynasty's manufacturing process.	Jill Burke of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce said she was impressed with Dynasty's facility and grateful to the company for hosting the tour. "It was a great tour," Burke said. "The Chamber really appreciates the opportunity to tour this operation." Dynasty Boats' parent company Godfrey Marine sells to over 500 independent authorized dealers in the U.S. and Canada and has a product line ranging in price from $500 to $45,000. Their products include Polar fishing boats, Hurricane deck boats and a full line of pontoon and other leisure craft. To learn more about Godfrey Marine or Dynasty Boats' products, visit www.godfreymarine.com or contact the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce at 256-734-0454.

Additional Photos from the Tour (Click on thumbnails to enlarge)


A view of the Dynasty plant.	Dynasty employees put the finishing touches on a boat.	A Dynasty employee paints the underside of a hatch prior to its installation on the boat deck.	County Commissioner Faye Whisenant talks with Mike Graves of the Town of Vinemont during the Chamber tour.

Roger Yarborough, General Manager of Dynasty Boats	Russ Jones and Chamber tour group member Don Morgan.	Russ Jones shows a boat hull that has been prepared for decking.	A worker sprays resin onto an unfinished hull.