Made in Barnstable: Howard Boats

Peter Eastman was 10 years old when he first landed (via sailboat) on the property of Howard Boats.

Eastman likes to say he came and never left. He began working at the boatyard in the summers in 1982; and bought the business in 1999.

Eastman notes his “love for the place he didn’t want anyone else to buy it” and he put money back into the business - he built a new pier.

The property itself has been Howard boats since 1938. At first it was simply a private family boatyard, but in 1982 Bunny Howard began maintaining, making and selling wooden and fiberglass boats.

Howard Boats, which employs three to four people depending on the time of the year, build six different kinds of boats and custom wooden projects upon request. In addition, they manage the boatyard for the Barnstable Yacht Club by setting and hauling the moorings and floats, and performing annual maintenance on small sailboats.

Beetle Cat maintenance and restorations has also been one of our specialties since our founding. But they built a following and reputation with their 12 foot Barnstable Catboat, or a fiberglass version of a Beetle Cat, or a classic wooden cat boat.

The fiberglass boats that Howard Boats builds are classic and traditional designs, meant to look like wooden boats. The use of modern materials--fiberglass--make the boats last longer and easier to maintain.

They have plans to launch a new, “more mainstream” design in 2012. The eZ/21 is a 21 foot daysailer, and it is a contemporary boat with classic lines. It features a lifting keel, twin rudders, and a tabernacle mast for ease in launching and hauling.

The boat was designed to have the sailing characteristics of a modern keel boat, but its twin rudders allow for added control and balance.

Eastman and his crew designed the boat by building a wooden version of the boat. They then digitized and stretched it out on a computer. A mold is made of the boat, the fiberglass components are built elsewhere, and the boat is completed on the premises.

Their customers range from domestic to international. Eastman is proud to say they have boats in Italy, Turks & Caicos, Bermuda, Bahamas, and Australia.

Business has been consistently good for Eastman, because he says they are a “real niche player.”

He also believes that the internet has been a big factor in why they have remained viable, as 80-90% of their business is generated online.

It also keeps them working most of the time. “We stay busy all year,” Eastman says, “with the exception of August.” Which is when Eastman gets to take his own sailboat out on the water, and enjoy the open water.