Production Line at Pioneer Boats set to Expand

A boat hull comes off the production line

Custom boat cushions are produced on site now

Henry Sikes is the Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Pioneer Boats, and has been on board to oversee the addition of two more boat lines built in Walterboro. “When Pioneer moved to Walterboro we only had six different hulls of Pioneer Boats that we built,” said Sikes. “But now we offer 18 models and that includes 11 Pioneer, 5 Bull’s Bay boats and 2 Avenger boats. All of these boats are formed in a boat mold and so just as the number of boat molds increases, so does the area needed to utilize them in a production line.”

The LARGE warehouse renovation connects to the Pioneer HQ

There is a trend in the saltwater boats business towards bigger is better. Larger boats require bigger engines, and so extra storage space is needed to store a variety of boat engines that customers may order with their new boat. The increase in storage space will also be used for bulk materials such as fuel tanks, propellers and other equipment that complete or customize boat orders. Having the necessary warehouse space on hand for this expansion is just one of the reasons that Carolina Composites is still happy about their move to Colleton County.

In another part of the warehouse some old office space that had gone unused is now being renovated to house the Crescent Cushion Company that will make boat cushions in-house. Amanda McSwain is already heading up the increase in boat cushion production, and overseeing the renovation of the old office space to accommodate her sewing needs. She is a sister to Carolina Composites co-owners Roy McSwain and Mike Holmes, and so this shows how they plan to keep this a family business into the future as much as possible.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about Pioneer Boats click 2016.

To view past blog entries about Carolina Composites click on Bulls Bay Boats

To view past blog entries about boat builders click on Hinckley Company - Scout Boats

To view past blog entries about classic wooden boats click on Osprey - Annalee - Aphrodite - Grace