 | |
| Type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Boat building |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Founder | Jim Bisiker |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Sailboats |
Grampian Marine Limited was a Canadian boat builder based in Oakville, Ontario. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats. [1]
The company was founded by Jim Bisiker in 1962 and operated until 1977. [1]
The company was formed by Bisiker as a result of a downturn in his building construction business in the early 1960s in Oakville, Ontario. To learn the then-new art of fibreglass boat building Bisiker and colleagues Dick Kneulman and John Burn attended training at Dyer Yachts in Rhode Island, United States, a leader in fibreglass construction. The Grampian plant was established on land owned by Bisiker's construction company on Woody Road in Oakville and named for the Grampian Mountains of Scotland, where Jim Bisiker’s grandmother lived near Aberdeen. [1] [2]
The new company attracted boat builders wanting the manufacturer to build boats for them under contract. Charles Angle, of Rochester, New York approached Grampian to build his Triangle 20 and Triangle 32 designs and later on the US Yachts US 42 and its development version, the US Yachts US 46. Those designs were marketed by US Yachts, led by Bob Larsen and Warren Dellenbaugh, who were involved with O'Day Corp., founded by George O'Day and the O’Day company president, Lyman Bullard. As a result of this relationship Grampian began building US Yachts designs and also O'Day designs for the Canadian market. Grampian also worked on the development of the Hunt-designed O'Day ocean-going power boats, but did not actually produce the designs. [1]
In the late 1960s the company refused an offer to be purchased by O'Day Yachts, although O'Day did buy US Yachts and Triangle Yachts before they went public with an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. [1]
Grampain's early offerings included a number of popular small dinghies of the period, including the 420, Snipe, Jumpahead, Albacore and Flying Tern. The Albacores were produced under licence from Fairey Marine. Early boat customers included the Government of Canada, which ordered 50 of the 420s. [1]
The company expanded into small keelboats and built the Classic 22 and the Grampian 17. At the suggestion of George Walton Yachts of Annapolis, Maryland the company established its own line of yachts, starting with the Grampian Classic 31 and the Grampian Classic 37. As a result of the market success of these models the company hired its own designer, Scotsman Alex McGruer. He designed the Grampian 26, which sold 980 copies, making it one of the most successful Canadian designs in its size range. McGruer went on to design the Grampian 30 and Grampian 23. The Grampian 23 was not as successful, selling only a few hundred examples. [1] [3] [4]
As the company expanded it opened a branch plant in North Carolina. [1]
The company was approached by George Cuthbertson of C&C Yachts with a proposal for a merger, as C&C produced mostly racing boats, while Grampian was building boats for the cruising segment of the market. The deal was not pursued. [2]
While he was the majority shareholder Bisiker did not run the company on a day-to-day basis, leaving that to paid staff. When the company was founded the Canadian dollar traded at about 70 cents US and that made Grampian's boats attractive in the US market. By the mid-1970s the Canadian dollar had climbed to over US$1 and exports were less competitive. Many other companies had also entered the boat-building market and provided a lot of competition, resulting in diminished sales. [2]
The company was placed in receivership and closed in 1977. Its boat designs, tooling, molds and other assets were sold to a number of different companies. The North Carolina plant was sold to Tanzer Industries. [1] [2]
Summary of boats built by Grampian Marine: [1]
The Albacore is a 4.57 m (15 ft) two-person planing dinghy, for competitive racing and lake and near-inshore day sailing. Hulls are made of either wood or fiberglass. The basic shape was developed in 1954 from an Uffa Fox design, the Swordfish. Recent boats retain the same classic dimensions, and use modern materials and modern control systems, making it ideal for the recently graduated college racer, as well as those with less experience.
C&C Yachts was a builder of high-performance fiberglass monohull sailboats with production facilities in Canada, Germany, and the United States. C&C designed and constructed a full range of production line cruiser-racer boats, as well as custom one-off and short production run racing and cruising boats. C&C boats ranged in size from as small as 21 ft (6.4 m) to as large as 67 ft (20.4 m). C&C also produced a line of bluewater cruising boats in the 35 ft (10.7 m) to 48 ft (14.6 m) range under its Landfall brand. In addition, C&C designed sailboats for production by a number of other manufacturers such as CS Yachts, Mirage Yachts, Northern Yachts, Ontario Yachts, Paceship Yachts, and Tanzer Industries.
O'Day Corp. was a America sailboat builder, located in Fall River, Massachusetts.
The Sirius 28 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Hubert Vandestadt and first built in 1982. The design is out of production.
The Bluejacket 23 is a 23-foot (7.0 m) Canadian trailerable, fibreglass monohull sailboat designed by Cuthbertson & Cassian as a day sailer and club racer and first built in 1967.
The Grampian 28 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Rolf van der Sleen and first built in 1975.
The Grampian 26 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1967.
The Discovery 7.9 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1975.
The Grampian 30 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Alex McGruer and first built in 1969.
Ontario Yachts is a Canadian boat builder at one time based in Burlington, Ontario and more recently in Hamilton, Ontario. The company specializes in the manufacture and repair of fiberglass sailboats.
The Shrimp is a Canadian dinghy that was designed by Hubert Vandestadt and Fraser McGruer and first built in 1972. The boat was designed to employed as a powered yacht tender, a rowboat or as a sailing dinghy.
The Skunk 11 is a Canadian utility dinghy that can be rowed, used as a motorboat, fishing boat or as a sailing dinghy. It was designed by Hubert Vandestadt and first built in 1969.
Vandestadt and McGruer Limited was a Canadian boat builder based in Owen Sound, Ontario. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fibreglass sailboats.
The Spindrift 13 is a Canadian sailing dinghy that was designed by Hubert Vandestadt and first built in 1965.
The Sirius 26 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Jean Berret, modified by Vandestadt and McGruer and first built in 1987.
Lockley Newport Boats was an American boat builder based in Newport Beach, California. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats.
The Grampian 23 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by Alex McGruer as a cruiser and first built in 1971.
The Classic 22 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by George Harding Cuthbertson of C&C Design, as a racer, daysailer and overnighter, first built in 1962.
The Heritage 35 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Americans McCurdy & Rhodes as a cruiser and first built in 1974.
The Triangle 20 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by American Charles Angle as a cruiser and first built in 1961.
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