Nova Scotia boatbuilder Aylward Fibreglass is using a new construction process to build its traditionally styled pocket trawlers.
boatbuilder Aylward Fibreglass is using a new construction process to build its traditionally styled pocket trawlers. The company has been in business for 10 years and has offered the Aylward 25 — a trailerable cruiser with a sweeping sheer line and nearly plumb bow — for nine of those years. But the Barrington-based builder has embraced the vacuum resin-infusion technique over the last two years and now builds all of its 25s this way.
Company owner Glen Aylward, who has been in the fiberglass boatbuilding industry for 22 years, says the vacuum resin-infusion method results in a strong-yet-light boat. “It’s a very popular little boat, something that a husband and wife can run themselves,” says Aylward. “And now it’s vacuum-infused, so it’s very light and doesn’t consume a lot of fuel.”
And Aylward is taking advantage of its new capabilities to produce more than just the 25-footer. “We have been doing quite a bit with the vacuum infusion process in the last year and a half,” says Aylward. “We did one of our 50-footers with infusion last year. But I guess everybody’s doing that.”
The 50-footer — called the Grizzly — is a wide-beamed commercial fishing boat available from 45 to 65 feet. “It’s probably one of the biggest boats, for its length, in Atlantic Canada,” Aylward says of the Grizzly.
The Aylward 25 remains the company’s only recreational model, and it is available in four configurations: center console, open bass boat, wheelhouse and the “flagship” Turbo Trawler. The trawler is based on Down East and Novi-style lobster boats, according to the company, and is available with diesel inboard power or with an outboard, sans the inboard keel. In addition to vacuum resin-infusion construction, Aylward uses a composite stringer grid and foam flotation. The hull carries a five-year warranty and is available in a variety of colors.
The pocket cruiser has an open cockpit and enclosed saloon. The saloon/pilothouse contains helm and companion chairs, a dinette table and a galley. The boat also has an enclosed head and shower compartment and a V-berth forward. A sliding door separates the V-berth from the main saloon.
A typical Aylward 25 owner might be a retiree who has been through big boats and is looking for something more convenient, according to Aylward. “It’s low maintenance, and they can put it on the back of a truck and take it somewhere if they want,” says Aylward. The boat has a trailerable 8-foot, 6-inch beam. “It’s great for staying out overnight or going to a favorite fishing spot. You can sleep aboard it and it has a little kitchenette.”
The galley comes equipped with a two-burner propane stove and stainless steel sink. Standard equipment includes a 6-gallon water heater, hydraulic steering, stainless steel bow and grab rails, all stainless steel deck hardware, and a swim platform.
Aylward says the company has the capacity to build 30 recreational boats a year but currently builds about 10. It is seeking a U.S. dealer.
In addition to boats big and small, Aylward builds vacuum-infused marine doors for outside companies and is in talks to build a set of windmill blade molds for a wind farm. The company also has the potential to build larger catamaran ferries.
“The vacuum infusion process has opened some doors outside the industry, as well as inside the industry,” says Aylward.
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 25 feet
BEAM: 8 feet, 6 inches
DRAFT: 1 foot, 6 inches
DISPLACEMENT: 6,000 pounds
HULL TYPE: planing
TANKAGE: 120 gallons fuel, 40 gallons water, 20 gallons waste
ENGINE: diesel inboard or 4-stroke outboard to 200 hp
SPEED: 28 mph top (with 200-hp Yanmar)
PRICE: $90,000
CONTACT: Aylward Fibreglass, Barrington, Nova Scotia.
Phone: (902) 875-1656.
