Moores Marine built its reputation as a premier company for the restoration and retrofitting of antique and classic yachts with such projects as the JFK presidential yacht Honey Fitz and Ernest Hemingway’s beloved sportfishing boat, Pilar.
Now founder and owner Jim Moores has opened a sister facility dedicated to servicing modern yachts.
In December, Moores Marine bought 6 acres on the Intracoastal Waterway in Beaufort, N.C., down the street from the 17-acre Moores Marine Yacht Center, which opened in 2007.
The new company was named Beaufort Marine Center in honor of the historic coastal town and to avoid confusion with the other Moores Marine a few blocks away.
“We love this area because of all the waterways and its boatbuilding tradition. There are sounds, rivers, Cape Lookout, you name it. It’s not just the Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s just a terrific place for boating and fishing,” Moores, who founded the company in Florida in 1986 after building boats in Maine, said in a statement.
Beaufort Marine Center, formerly Core Creek Marine, caters to modern motor and sailing yachts withservices that include composite and fiberglass and metal fabrication, repowering, systems and rigging, in addition to Moores Marine’s traditional craftsmanship in structural marine and interior carpentry and paint and varnish.
“The new marine center is part of Moores Marine in terms of how we do things, but we wanted to give modern yachts the same attention we give to the antiques and classics,” Moores said.
“Beaufort is off the beaten path as far as the highway and that’s why the town has been able to keep its old seaport charm. But, as far as the Intracoastal Waterway, the town is right on I-95.” Moores said. “We’re 800 miles away whether you are in Miami or New York. It’s just the perfect spot on the Intracoastal.”
Plans for the new facility include floating slips and services geared toward expedition and megayachts under 151 feet, up to 200 tons.
“These 300-foot superyachts have these elaborate boatyards all over the world catering to them. Those places are like vacation spas. We aren’t going to be that fancy, just a good, clean boatyard where you can get your work done at a reasonable rate. We want to get you in and out as soon as we can so you can take a real vacation,” Moores said.
Moores Marine started in South Florida in 1986 with Moores Marine of the Palm Beaches, and the second location, Moores Marine Yacht Center, opened in Beaufort in 2007. Before moving to Florida, Moores built commercial fishing boats and dories in Maine, where he learned his craft.
