Aquasport's Hialeah Plant Front Office

[RickK]

Photo found on eBay (scroll down)

[gran398]

There ya go Bob

[seabob4]

Love the Pontiac Phoenix out front (with the door open)...

Wonder what that plant looks like today?  If it's still standing...

[Aswaff400]

looks to still be there:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=7925+W.+ ... s&t=h&z=16

[gran398]

Sweet Aaron

Same angle too!

[seabob4]

Wow!  We need a Miami member to go check it out...

[John Jones]

I'm surprised they posted a photo that big in a for sale ad.  I had a 70 something El Camino with a 454 rat motor. Between gasoline and tickets I could not afford it. I got a ticket once in it for 86 mph on an on ramp to I-65.

[seabob4]

Looks to be a '74, JJ...

'73, 5 MPH bumpers front, '74, front and rear...

[Mike 139]

Love the Pontiac Phoenix out front (with the door open)...

Wonder what that plant looks like today?  If it's still standing...

Bob....The area is on the West side of the old NAS/Emilia Earhart field..... all Industrial to this day,one business after another.

The plant at one time was running 24/7, they had a Navy contract to build Patrol boats in the late 80's. The plant extended down several blocks, to West 2 and 74; IIRC.  


I'm looking for a good ,clean 175 if anyone has one for sale.

[200CCPMerc200]

looks like somebody took the little palm tree with 'em I remember that plant,I worked for kelly caterpillar on NW 58th for 27 yrs.

[slvrlng]

Ok, so that is some more history for the archives. The pic was taken for a story on the sale of the plant. That would suggest that the plant was either already closed or about to. The date shown was 9-28-88, that would mean pretty much any boat built after that date (or shortly thereafter) was most likely from Sarasota.   Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Edit: The pic was also pre Andrew, my bet is that's where the palm went.

[seabob4]

Lewis,
The earliest knowledge I know of, in regards to Genmar buying AS, and, thus, a move to BRADENTON, is '93.  Prior to that, circa '88?  Maybe some company bought the facility, but AS continued to build boats...my guess.

[Capt. Bob]

For the longest time, I had a document that stated that when Aquasport filed in 87 or 88  that they were first purchased by an individual (never found a name) who then flipped the ownership to Genmar a relatively short time after. Genmar originally moved (or planned a move) to a plant in North Carolina (?) but for some reason production was not working. The move then was to the Bradenton plant. Two things are of interest to me in that; Were any hulls produced at this "plant" in NC and did any production continue at the Hialeah plant?

We've seen 88, 89 and 90 model year hulls. I'd venture to say the 89 was made there (Hialeah),the 88 for sure but what about the 90? That's why I've asked the one member we have/had that was trying to sell a 90 model if he could provide a photo of the capacity plate in hopes of seeing the build location. That didn't happen. Some 90 models are different in several ways, with enclosed transoms and brackets. The cabins also look like nothing we've seen on early or late XFs, EXs or the lone WA (91). It would be pretty interesting if a few hulls did in fact originate in NC but that seems a stretch. Other 90 models look like the 91-93 types. Go figure.  My 91 is indeed Genmar built at the Bradenton plant as per what can be made out on the plate.

Keith Knecht a long time member here and former owner of several (3, I believe) of the late 80s model monster Osprey mentioned that he had spoken with an Aqua insider that stated hulls from the Hialeah plant were still being used (produced perhaps?) and trucked to Bradenton. The information hunt goes on.

[Mike 139]

They were running full tilt in 1989, as I was there at plant several times and bought some hardware for my teak anchor locker door,and replacement step pads for the gunwales (76 170)....I sold the boat in 1990,so I can't advise exactly when the the plant shut down. I believe they started out down off Okee (US 27) in the SE Industrial area of the City before moving to where this picture was from.

[GoneFission]

For the longest time, I had a document that stated that when Aquasport filed in 87 or 88  that they were first purchased by an individual (never found a name) who then flipped the ownership to Genmar a relatively short time after. Genmar originally moved (or planned a move) to a plant in North Carolina (?) but for some reason production was not working. The move then was to the Bradenton plant. Two things are of interest to me in that; Were any hulls produced at this "plant" in NC and did any production continue at the Hialeah plant?

I don't think any Aquasports were made in NC - Chris-Craft built some boats in Kings Mountain for a while before moving back to Florida after the ecomony busted in 2008.  There was talk of an Aquasport plant, but I'm not aware it ever came through.  The Fountain plant in Washington is now making Prolines and some Bajas, but not currently any Fountains.