Skip to main content

 Norseman Boatyard Adds Marine Travelift Self-Propelled Transporter
New TM60 Allows for Increased Indoor and Outdoor Vessel Storage

Sturgeon Bay, WI  – Norseman Boatyard just welcomed a new Marine Travelift TM60 self-propelled transporter to their yard. This TM60 model has 132,000 lbs. capacity and is customized with hydraulic lifting pads and lightweight aluminum keel beams for transporting a wide variety of boats. This transporter joins a 100 BFMII Marine Travelift mobile boat hoist already on-site at their facility. The equipment is designed to work in tandem to significantly increase vessel storage efficiency in their yard.

Every year Norseman Boatyard hauls over 700 vessels on the Miami River. For the past 50 years they have been serving customers in Miami, Florida as a full-service marine repair center offering the following services: bottom paint, prop speed, running gear repair, electrical, carpentry, detail services, and more.

Three years ago, Marty Martell, President of Norseman Boatyard, began to look for solutions for the best way to move and store a greater number of boats within their existing facility. “With the addition of the Marine Travelift TM60 self-propelled transporter, we are now able to get 60 ft vessels in the warehouse, which is important to us because previously the largest vessel we could get in was 40 ft. It has changed how we are able to do business,” Marty Martell, President of Norseman Boatyard “We love many aspects of the TM60 including the 4-wheel steering. It allows us to easily maneuver vessels into confined spaces and block a greater number of vessels.”

For Norseman Boatyard, the wireless remote control has been a game-changer. Combined with the 4-wheel steering option they can easily transport, maneuver, and block larger vessels throughout their facility.

“I have never driven heavy machinery before, but with training, I now drive the TM60 a few times a week. It is an amazing machine, that has allowed us much more flexibility in our yard,” says Martell.

Norseman Boatyard chose to partner with Marine Travelift because of the quality and features offered on the machine, and as a longtime customer, they knew they could count on receiving a high level of service and support. In Florida, W.E. Johnson Equipment Company is the certified Marine Travelift distributor and has been providing local support for Marine Travelift boat handling equipment for many years.

“We have worked with Norseman Boatyard for many years and it is exciting to see them put this TM60 self-propelled transporter to good use right away,” says Michael Marchese, Director of Marine Travelift Operations at W.E. Johnson Equipment Company, part of Marine Travelift’s localized service network. “Locally as yards see an increased demand for better efficiency and maximizing storage, we continue to see the need for boat transporters growing as the ultimate solution.”

To assist with purchasing this equipment, Norseman Boatyard applied for and received, a 2019 MARAD Small Shipyard grant. This yearly federal grant program is administered by USDOT Maritime Administration and authorized by congress. Grants are awarded to small shipyards across the country that have less than 1,200 employees and perform vessel construction and/or repair work on commercial or government vessels that are at least 40 feet in length. If you are interested in learning more about the program visit the Small Shipyard Grant Coalition website here: https://www.smallshipyards.com/

Learn more about Norseman Boatyard on their website, here: https://www.norsemanshipbuilding.com

See Marine Travelift transporters in action, here: https://vimeo.com/462818362