Ottercraft owners Nanette Gehlen and Don Temple, along with their senior staff, have spent most of their professional lives in the boat industry.
“We all got our start at Munson Manufacturing in Edmonds,” said Gehlen. After leaving Munson and working for other manufacturers for several years, however, the two reached a stage where it just made more sense to head out on their own.
“At one point Don and I looked at each other and said, ‘you know, there could be so much more out there,” said Gehlen.
And so in March 2005 the business partners launched the Kingston-based Ottercraft, which manufactures commercial grade, aluminum monohulls and landing crafts. And although building the business has been hard work, they’ve had steady growth since they first opened their doors.
“The first project we took on was for Olympic Oyster Company,” said Gehlen. “We kind of spurted out of the gate,” going very quickly from one boat order to six. A contract with the Coast Guard not too long after that “tipped the scales.”
Just more than two years later the company boasts among its clients the US Coast Guard, Navy and Border Patrol, as well as a host of other government and private entities and individuals in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
“Our Alaskan clientele is the anchor of this place,” said Temple.
Ottercraft’s boats are all built to order, based on the client’s criteria, in the company’s 40,000 square feet of work space. The company uses an outside engineer for hull development work when required, although they do have standard hulls and houses that can be used, as well.
Ottercraft’s boats get their start when a client comes in with an order. Temple will work with the client to draw a general arrangement to make sure that the placement of all the elements, such as the galley and head, meet the client’s expectations. That arrangement is then sent to the facility that cuts the aluminum to spec. The cut aluminum sheets arrive at Ottercraft in kit form, where the company’s crew assembles them.
“It’s almost like a jigsaw puzzle,” said Gehlen
From start to finish this process can take anywhere from several weeks to several months. “It all depends on the size of the hull,” said Temple.
The number of boats being built at Ottercraft’s facility at any given time also depends on the size of the hull used for each project. For example, five to six 26 foot hulls could be accommodated at once. At the moment, however, much of the work floor is being taken up by a monstrous 44 foot hull being built to accommodate three storage tanks that can each store a staggering 3,000 gallons of fuel. This hull, being custom built for Power Systems and Supplies in Alaska, will be used to service government and private parties in marine spill response.
“This size is unusual for the facility,” said Gehlen, although it is not the first time they’ve built a 40 foot plus hull. “Mostly we want to stay below 32 feet; they just get in and out quicker.”
The hulls are assembled by a team of experienced workers, and Gehlen and Temple are quick to give their employees much of the credit for the quality of Ottercraft’s products.
“We have a heck of a group of employees here,” said Gehlen, “With a lot of talent and knowledge.”
Those for whom the word “boat” conjures up images of sleek, fiberglass hulls with catchy names painted along the transom in jaunty, colorful lettering may not think much of what Ottercraft’s boats look like when completed. But these boats are not meant to impress with their flashy looks. These unadorned aluminum hulls are all business. They are meant to impress in strength, durability and functionality.
“Our mission is to build the toughest and the best,” said Gehlen, “and to make sure they always come home.
