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54 min ago

Change of ownership in the works at Chebeague Island Boat Yard

Buildings are near the water. Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard The Chebeague Island Boat Yard has supported the region’s growth spurt in boating.
By Laurie Schreiber

The majority owner of Chebeague Island Boat Yard recently transferred his share to the minority owners, and a long-time employee will be brought on board as part of the ownership and management team.

Scott Searway transferred his majority share of Chebeague Island Boat Yard to Paul and Jen Belesca, through “an agreeable decision” signed Sept. 26. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

People pose in a line in front of a boat.
Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard
From left, Justin Doughty with boatyard dog Poppy, Paul and Jen Belesca and others on the team stand in front of the main shop.

“This step is something that we have been working toward since the very beginning,” said Searway.

The sale price was not disclosed. The deal was privately financed, Paul Belesca told Mainebiz.

The final step in the yard’s transition will occur before the end of the year, when Justin Doughty, a long-time employee, is brought on board as part of the ownership and management team.

“It’s now time for this group to take over and continue what we have all worked tirelessly to provide for this community,” said Searway. 

A person waves.
Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard
Scott Searway sold his majority share to co-owners Paul and Jen Belesca.

Located on Casco Bay, the boatyard offers storage, repairs and mooring installation and rental.

Long history

Chebeague Boat Yard was started in the 1930s by Roy Hill and was sold to the local Brewer family in 1960, according to the town. It was incorporated as the Chebeague Island Boat Yard in 1971, as a growth spurt in boating was beginning. 

Searway and Belesca purchased the boatyard from Hartley Brewer in 2006.

Both Searway and Belesca grew up on Chebeague Island and have extended family there. When they met, they discovered they had a common background as marine engineers and Maine Maritime Academy graduates. 

A sunset sky is over some buildings.
Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard
The Chebeague Boat Yard started in the 1930s.

Searway decided to invest in the business because it was in a community where his family summered; it was a time when the continued operation of the boatyard was not the easiest path forward, with much of Maine's working waterfront lost to residential development, according to a news release.

Investments

Searway and Belesca had a common vision for an expansion and modifications that would be necessary to keep the site as a working boatyard.

That included expansion of the fuel portion of the business to include marine fuels as well as the storage and delivery of home heating oil.

A person works with a grinder.
Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard
Justin Doughty, a long-time employee, was brought on board as part of the ownership and management team.

Over the years, additional investments included boat handling equipment, a new pier and float system and a new shop space to support services.

The construction of several buildings to offer indoor heated storage at the facility provided the means to offer year-round employment. In 2008, they opened a seasonal café and gift shop called the Niblic.

Today, the yard covers about four acres and has 24 employees, eight of them full-time and the rest either part-time or seasonal.

“We service and store around 300 boats between the outside space and the three large indoor heated buildings,” said Belesca. “We have 375 feet of dockage for use by our boaters and for customers arriving by water to the Niblic.”

a room has shelves and clothes.
Photo / Courtesy Chebeague Island Boat Yard
Investments over the years included the Niblic, a seasonal café and gift shop opened in 2008.

Belesca said he plans further investments, including some waterfront upgrades, shoreline stabilization projects, new boat handling equipment and perhaps additional indoor storage space.

Said Searway, “I know the future of CIBY is bright and I am honored to have been able to keep the working waterfront and a family-run business viable on the coast of Maine.”

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