Norseman Boatyard Expands Travelift Capacity

Norseman Boatyard welcomed a new Marine Travelift TM60 self-propelled transporter to their yard. This TM60 model has 132,000 lbs. capacity and is customized with hydraulic lifting pads and lightweight aluminum keel beams for transporting a wide variety of boats. This transporter joins a 100 BFMII Marine Travelift mobile boat hoist already on-site at their facility. The equipment is designed to work in tandem to significantly increase vessel storage efficiency in their yard.

Every year Norseman Boatyard hauls over 700 vessels on the Miami River. For the past 50 years it has been serving customers in Miami, Florida as a full-service marine repair center offering bottom paint; prop speed; running gear repair; electrical; carpentry; detail services and more.

Three years ago, Marty Martell, president of Norseman Boatyard, began to look for solutions for the best way to move and store a greater number of boats within their existing facility. “With the addition of the Marine Travelift TM60 self-propelled transporter, we are now able to get 60 ft vessels in the warehouse, which is important to us because previously the largest vessel we could get in was 40 ft. It has changed how we are able to do business,” Martell said.

Norseman Boatyard knew they could count on receiving a high level of service and support. In Florida, W.E. Johnson Equipment Company is the certified Marine Travelift distributor and has been providing local support for Marine Travelift boat handling equipment for many years.

To assist with purchasing this equipment, Norseman Boatyard applied for, and received, a 2019 MARAD Small Shipyard grant. This yearly federal grant program is administered by USDOT Maritime Administration and authorized by congress. Grants are awarded to small shipyards across the country that have less than 1,200 employees and perform vessel construction and/or repair work on commercial or government vessels which are at least 40 feet in length.