Pt. Richmond Maritime Centre Announced

[Photoboy]

Pt. Richmond Maritime Centre Announced
Keefe Kaplan Maritime, Inc. (KKMI) announced their plans to offer its 5.1 Acre
waterfront property in Pt. Richmond for sale on a long-term leaseback as part of their
plans to redevelop the property. Located on the Santa Fe Channel, this deep-water
nautical cul-de-sac will serve to become the Bay’s largest and most environmentally
advanced marine center in California.





In addition to KKMI continuing its service and repair operations in Pt. Richmond and
Sausalito, the “Maritime Centre” in Pt. Richmond will include a 10,000 sq. ft. marine
supply store, workshops for the marine trades and boat/yacht sales offices. Plans also
include the construction of a 400 Ton capacity mobile shipyard crane, capable of
providing shipyard services to the Bay’s growing fleet of highspeed ferries.


Ken Keefe, co-founder of KKMI commented, “Following in the footsteps of the sailboat
hardware manufacturer Harken, who recently sold and leased back their manufacturing
facility, we see this as the best long-term strategy for KKMI as well. This will allow us to
remain completely focused on our clients, team members and providing great value to
all.”



“With continued urbanization, particularly with waterfront properties, it’s rare, if not
impossible to find a property that’s more ideal than where KKMI is located.” Said Paul
Kaplan, co-founder. Adding, “KKMI’s commitment to providing a great service
experience includes our world-class facilities. With KKMI’s environmental leadership
and serving as the anchor tenant at the Maritime Centre, our future is secure for
decades to come at such a facility.”

[El Capitan]

Can't imagine high rise apartments there. Too industrial.

[Built to List]

Good on them for developing a pro active plan to keep the marine industry thriving on SF Bay

[Alan H]

"lease-back"...like what? Ten years? Ten years goes by really fast. If it's 50 years, then that's different.

[Photoboy]

This week we received word of a new marine center that is being planned in Pt. Richmond where KKMI is located. The property is on the deep-water Santa Fe Channel, which is conceivably the most ideal location for such a facility, but first, some background.

The Bay Area has witnessed the closure of one boat yard after the other. This has not only been the case in the Bay Area but nationally and around the world. The circumstances surrounding these closures carry common themes. The scarcity of waterfront property means that the property’s value may be put to a higher and better use than boat repair.

Then we have the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and a plethora of environmental regulations that address boatyard operations. These regulations are costly to comply with and the inconsistencies to which these laws are adhered to and/or enforced is obvious. One only need to visit a few Bay Area boatyards to see that there are only a handful of clean, well maintained and compliant yards. Curiously, on the Bay we have a startling number of blighted boatyards.

What is most disconcerting, with so few clean and compliant boatyards on the Bay, one would expect KKMI to be immune, given their record of environmental awards and leadership. Unfortunately, such as not been the case. As we reported previously, KKMI has gone through a couple of shakedowns by nefarious entities seeking an easy payday on fabricated environmental issues. While KKMI prides itself with protecting the environment, it would seem as if no good deed goes unpunished.

We asked Paul Kaplan, KKMI’s co-founder, how the Maritime Centre will be able to cope with these apparent threats and his reply was quite revealing, "All over the world you'll find these marine centers, where there are multiple vendors working together under a common set of rules for environmental and occupational compliance. One reason why these pseudo NGOs targeted KKMI is that they could hold us over the financial barrel. We recognized that we could pay them off or go to court; in either case, we were going to be stuck with the costs and have no way to recover them. With the development of the Maritime Centre, KKMI will become one tenant among other maritime businesses. Permits to operate will be held in the name of the Maritime Centre and rather than an NGO attacking just one company, they will need to go after all, which we believe will sufficiently deter these unscrupulous players.

“We also believe the best strategy to keep the maritime industry alive in the Bay Area is to hang out a welcome sign for the many independent contractors that provide services to the boating community. And, with our existing neighbors such as Bay Marine and Sugar Dock will make Pt. Richmond the epicenter for all things nautical on the Bay.”

In addition to creating the Maritime Centre in Pt. Richmond plans also include adding to the hauling capacity with a 400-ton mobile crane. With the growing fleet of highspeed ferries and there being only one major player in this market, the vision of the new shipyard is intended to address this important market, as some of the fleet has been going as far away as San Diego or Washington State to haul out.

We look forward to the Bay’s first Maritime Centre opening soon and KKMI’s continued operations.

[psycho tiller]

There's a reason for everything and then there's the real reason for everything. I wasn't quite sure what the underlying goal of the new marine center proposal was until now. It certainly seemed like a nice idea but it also appeared like there was more to the story, now I understand the real reason. Thanks for the inside scoop and clarification PB!

[Wylieguy]

I agree that land values and environmental regulations have played a large part in small, independent boatyards disappearing. But I think there's another reason: lack of traditional customers. The boat owner who works on his/her own boat is almost a vanished species. In the 1970s when I began sailing on SF Bay, all of the local yards in Sausalito were filled with boats 30' or under and hoards of owners aided by crew members laboring at bottom jobs, painting, re-rigging, mechanical, and all the other jobs necessary to keep an aging small sailboat sailing - and competitive. Along with the 5 or 6 Sausalito yards, there were 5 or 6 independent chandleries - in addition to supplies sold by the yards (sometimes a requirement for bottom paint). Most of those small boats and their owners are gone. They've been replaced by boats in the 40' range with owners who do very little work themselves. And most are "cruisers" that spend most of their time in the berth, needing fewer parts at the chandleries and a diver to keep the bottom clean. It's difficult for an owner to find a yard that will allow him/her to work on their boat - or that allows an independent boat worker. Another quirk is that a local yard I've patronized for years now allows me to work on my boat, but anyone else - crew, friends, independent boat guy - needs $1,000,000 liability insurance made out to the yard. For the first time since I began sailing, I paid someone to paint the boat's bottom last year. And he did a lousy job!

[familysailor]

I've always worked on my own boat. I worked on boats I crewed on before owning my own. I enjoy the process and learning about my boat.... No longer. I last hauled at Vallejo and it wasn't a particular joyful experience. The owner is a bit of an asshole, actually he excels at being an asshole especially if you own a sailboat. Careless with your boat and resentful if you are there to watch a mast removal or replacement. Rude to employees and customers. Unfortunately his was the only yard allowing owners to work on their own boat in 2017. I don't know of any yard that allows it presently.

[Andy Newell]

Berkeley Marine Center allows and encourages you to work on your own boat. Every haul out I do is a mix where I/we do some work and I let them sand and spray the bottom.

[familysailor]

Have they dredged recently?