THOMASVILLE — The maiden voyage of a boat from Thomasville to Lake Seminole was a relatively short trip but represented a big step for the manufacturer.

Harbor Homes rolled out its first 55-foot long houseboat Wednesday for the trip to the lake, where a 70-acre development with cabins, restaurant, and tennis courts is being built.

The production line currently employs 40 workers, but the company has plans to expand its output in the future, said Kevin Goodin, sales manager for Harbor Homes and Stewart Park Homes.

“We can easily see this being $35-$50 million a year (in sales) out of this plant,” he said.

If the Stewart Park Homes site is opened for boat production, the company could produce a maximum of about $75 million in product annually in Thomasville, Goodin said. Eventually hundreds of workers could be needed.

The company will ramp up production slowly to ensure consistent quality, he said.

“Since you’re putting stuff on water, you want to make sure,” Goodin said. “It’s a little bit slower process when you’re taking care of people taking at vacation on water.”

Stewart Park Homes has been building cabins for about 13 years. Testing the market and a boom in the cabin business delayed the start of production of houseboats, Goodin said.

Twelve boats have been sold for a 70-acre development called The Cove at Lake Seminole, where 100 docks will be placed. The aluminum docks for the marina, which is owned by harbor Homes, also are being built in Thomasville.

The development will include rental cabins, a restaurant, tennis courts, gated houseboat community, clubhouse, swimming pool and 100 docks for fishing boats or other pleasure craft. Harbor Homes also is building a floating tiki bar for the development.

The 880 square foot, 32,000-pound boat that was transported Wednesday was a one-bedroom, one-bath floor plan with a large front porch, finished cabinets and full-size appliances. Two-bedroom models are also available.

A base unit like it would start at $134,900, Goodin said. Potential customers have ranged in age from 28 to 64 years old.

“It’s not people who are making big salaries,” Goodin said. “The main people have been your average worker.

“They are boats, but we kind of look at them like a floating condominium. It’s such a private lake. You couldn’t stick-build anything like this, on a lake, for what this costs.”

Once about 50 boats are completed, the company plans to begin working on developing a dealership network. It also has signed an agreement with a company on Lake Michigan to build 100 boats, Goodin said.

“This should jump start a whole new industry,” he said.

Don Sims, chairman of the Thomasville-Thomas County Chamber of Commerce, said the company should be able to draw buyers from the influx of retirees looking to locate in Southwest Georgia.

“That’s a neat idea,” he said of the boats. “We certainly are excited they’ve taken the entrepreneurial initiative to find a market and go after it. I think they’re going to be in a good niche market.”



Reporter Alan Mauldin can be reached by calling (229) 226-2400, ext. 226.