Port Of Egypt Sold

live bait

live bait

Well-Known Angler
A luxury yacht builder, Hinckley, has purchased Port Of Egypt. No plans for the property have been disclosed, other than Grady White will no longer be sold there. The report says that Strongs marina on the North Fork will now be the Grady dealer. Port Of Egypt currently has 132 boat slips, & something tells me this can’t be good for the current occupants.
 
live bait said:
A luxury yacht builder, Hinckley, has purchased Port Of Egypt. No plans for the property have been disclosed, other than Grady White will no longer be sold there. The report says that Strongs marina on the North Fork will now be the Grady dealer. Port Of Egypt currently has 132 boat slips, & something tells me this can’t be good for the current occupants.
Click to expand...
It does not sound good.
 
live bait said:
A luxury yacht builder, Hinckley, has purchased Port Of Egypt. No plans for the property have been disclosed, other than Grady White will no longer be sold there. The report says that Strongs marina on the North Fork will now be the Grady dealer. Port Of Egypt currently has 132 boat slips, & something tells me this can’t be good for the current occupants.
Click to expand...
Wow
Thats insane John
POE has been there as long as I can remember
Its kinda weird in that I always viewed it as an elitist placed catering to wealthy Grady owners but now think it kinda sucks
I bet peeps going to be scrambling for any slips available at Goldsmiths or Brick Cove
 
It's not gonna be pretty, my buddy keeps his boat in Albertson Marina, just east of POE & he mentioned to me last year that Albertson had a 50 name waiting list for a slip.
 
Chinacat said:
Yeah reading that just makes me sad that a big wealthy conglomerate is going to eventually push out local folks to cater to ultra rich city folk and big wigs
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I probably have as much experience as almost anyone on this board when it comes to POE. Started out renting rowboats with my dad back in the early 60's. At that time, they not only rented boats for fishing in Peconic Bay but a little later on they even set up a "substation" at Orient point and would launch rowboats into the Sound on days with light or mainly southerly winds. The contraption they used as truly a "Rube Goldberg" type apparatus using the drive train of an old Cadillac to launch and retrieve the craft. But that's a long story for another day! Fishing in those days on the North Fork was off the charts incredible!

Starting in 1979 I bought the first of the 2 Grady Whites I owned and fished in for a total of 25 years going forward. That boat was the 240 Offshore with a traditional cut out transom paired with a 200 HP Johnson Outboard. I docked that vessel at POE the entire time I owned it and fished everywhere from local trips to Montauk Block, and even Coxes Ledge when the Cod fishing was superior out there and well worth the long steam.

After 13 great seasons with that boat I moved up to the 25' Sailfish with a somewhat unusual set up of a Volvo diesel rigged to an I/O drivetrain and ran her for the next 12 seasons. Although the hull was solid and we enjoyed many great trips aboard her the Volvo was a bit quirky and the I/O set up took up way too much space in the cockpit which I soon regretted. Hence my move up to my current vessel the Albin 28 in 2004.

I purchased both Grady Whites through the father, Bill Leiblein who was always a gentleman and I felt treated me fairly for all the years I dealt with him. I wish I could say the same for his son Will, but he and I never saw eye to eye and that's one of the reasons I actually moved the 25' Grady to Orient by the Sea for the last 3 years I owned that boat.

Overall, I felt their service department was reasonably capable, pricing was pretty much par for the course in the marine industry, and as a whole the family did try really hard to accommodate their customers. So, the fact that Bill Leiblein will be staying on, at least through some transition period is probably a good thing.

What will happen next with the Hinckley management team is more of a concern for anyone who has watched this trend of large corporations buying out smaller family run operations. Personally, I feel bad for the current Grady owners and those with slips in this marina. Hinckley can blow smoke all day long about how they don't plan to raise prices or will improve the service, but we all know better. Sure, they will probably keep things relatively stable this year, most likely because the current owners do have contracts. But hold on to your wallets next season and for the foreseeable future.

Hinckley can also BS all they want about not anticipating bringing in their own larger vessels due to the somewhat shallow nature of this basin. Who are they kidding. To the best of my knowledge Hinckley's fleet are almost all jet drive set ups that draw very little water!

So, yet another one of our fond childhood memories begins to fade into the distance. I feel the worst for our kids who may eventually get priced out of boating and fishing entirely thanks to the nature of the big corporations basically devouring everything in their path!
 
captmike28 said:
I probably have as much experience as almost anyone on this board when it comes to POE.
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Tru 'dat, but you do have colleagues of a similar age, ;) ;) ;) , as we used the POE Peconic station a few times each summer until Dad bought a 16' boat with a 40 on her....

Hinckley is a Maine company not too far from me. When we purchased our current boat, its low freeboard had the Admiral concerned regarding "YGDGOB - Young Granddaughter Going Overboard" and she insisted the boat must be fitted out with permanent side railing. The Hinckley fabrication shop was the only one near me which was available to get custom rails made and installed within in a week, so they were engaged for that project. The price was quite competitive, shocking me as I figured a good 25% upcharge for the Hinckley name. The work was 1st rate and done on time. I have only the highest praise for that shop, but I think the fact that we lived in Ireland, and the shop head was Irish helped too...

captmike28 said:
Hinckley can also BS all they want about not anticipating bringing in their own larger vessels due to the somewhat shallow nature of this basin
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Yes, the draft comment does need to be taken with about 5 gallons of salt water, as we have another investment consortium involved . The company has been owned by private equity firms since 1997, with Boston-based Monitor Clipper Partners holding a majority stake since 2001. The company is currently owned by a consortium of investors, but continues to manufacture yachts in Maine and operate service yards along the East Coast.

So yeah, there's a high probability that just like Orient By The Sea, RIP, the local, small boat fleet will find themselves looking for dock space as the more lucrative, big boys will start tying up. Who knows, you may get lucky, as one of our favorite rooftop bars is located on top of a building at the Hinckley marina in Camden, Maine...

Some contextual History: Hinckley's historic standard bearer used to be SAILBOATS, not stinkpots. I'd hazard a guess that there are still a bunch of them on LI and if you look at the Hinckley brokerage site, there are quite a few of them listed there. They and Swans, were the epitome of luxury sailboats up until the turn of the century. If you look at the cabin woodwork in the current top of the line Hinckley stinkpot, you'll see its sailboat genetics. In the last 20 years sailing has been eclipsed by folks who would rather not spend an entire day off enjoying a leisurely sail on the water, but want to hop on a boat, turn the key and zoom off to lunch at a waterfront watering hole, only to come back and tie up a few hours later. Regrettably Hinckley had to change it's business plan to stay competitive and keep the investors happy...

The Picnic Boat came about in 1994 and used to be referred to as the Maine Picnic Boat since Maine its the major market and dictated the use of a jet drive. Why? Well it sure wasn't because of draft since there are few, if any Maine harbors that have less than 4+feet of water in them at King low tides for the lobster fleet, but we do have TONS of lobster traps! Boating in Maine is a living slalom course around the lobster buoys: Autopilot??? Yeah, I've got your autopilot!!

Funny Roccus learns about the Hinckley Picnic Boat story: Was doing something at home in IL and heard that the Admiral was watching the Martha Stewart show, an absolute anathema to me. As I forcefully strode past the TV the Admiral asks, "Are Hinckley's good boats?" and the old Ragboater reflex kicked in on me, almost wearing out the carpet as I slammed on the brakes!!! Turns out Martha was showing her picnic boat getting made at the Hinckley shipyard in Maine. Like many extremely wealthy people, she has a house up in Bah Hahbah and it's not a complete stinking rich experience without a boat. The video showing the boat being made was quite informative and kept me rapt. And then "she" started, "Well now we have to plan our christening party" and Roccus was out of there...

Well Mazel Tov to you all, and condolences to those of you that will end up scrambling for a new docking arrangement. My LI BFF was run off LI because of crowds, taxes and Strong's making it hell for the small boater. I'm thinking those of you in the 22-28' boat range that enjoyed having a slip, will be relegated to trailering in the not too distant future. The cold, hard truth is that you're no longer in the business plans as marina evolve to chase the almighty dollar...
 
Yes the dollar is almighty especially with the numbers that are being thrown around. I'm sure Mike remembers when houses were dirt cheap on the North Fork even as the Hamptons become popular. Simple evolution.

That said, losing a part of your past is difficult. I also have fond memories of the North Fork and the big fluke and squid runs. Stopping at the elbow room for a steak!

Maybe the tax revenue can create a marina for residents with small boats similar to many town marinas on LI.
 
captmike28 said:
I probably have as much experience as almost anyone on this board when it comes to POE. Started out renting rowboats with my dad back in the early 60's. At that time, they not only rented boats for fishing in Peconic Bay but a little later on they even set up a "substation" at Orient point and would launch rowboats into the Sound on days with light or mainly southerly winds. The contraption they used as truly a "Rube Goldberg" type apparatus using the drive train of an old Cadillac to launch and retrieve the craft. But that's a long story for another day! Fishing in those days on the North Fork was off the charts incredible!

Starting in 1979 I bought the first of the 2 Grady Whites I owned and fished in for a total of 25 years going forward. That boat was the 240 Offshore with a traditional cut out transom paired with a 200 HP Johnson Outboard. I docked that vessel at POE the entire time I owned it and fished everywhere from local trips to Montauk Block, and even Coxes Ledge when the Cod fishing was superior out there and well worth the long steam.

After 13 great seasons with that boat I moved up to the 25' Sailfish with a somewhat unusual set up of a Volvo diesel rigged to an I/O drivetrain and ran her for the next 12 seasons. Although the hull was solid and we enjoyed many great trips aboard her the Volvo was a bit quirky and the I/O set up took up way too much space in the cockpit which I soon regretted. Hence my move up to my current vessel the Albin 28 in 2004.

I purchased both Grady Whites through the father, Bill Leiblein who was always a gentleman and I felt treated me fairly for all the years I dealt with him. I wish I could say the same for his son Will, but he and I never saw eye to eye and that's one of the reasons I actually moved the 25' Grady to Orient by the Sea for the last 3 years I owned that boat.

Overall, I felt their service department was reasonably capable, pricing was pretty much par for the course in the marine industry, and as a whole the family did try really hard to accommodate their customers. So, the fact that Bill Leiblein will be staying on, at least through some transition period is probably a good thing.

What will happen next with the Hinckley management team is more of a concern for anyone who has watched this trend of large corporations buying out smaller family run operations. Personally, I feel bad for the current Grady owners and those with slips in this marina. Hinckley can blow smoke all day long about how they don't plan to raise prices or will improve the service, but we all know better. Sure, they will probably keep things relatively stable this year, most likely because the current owners do have contracts. But hold on to your wallets next season and for the foreseeable future.

Hinckley can also BS all they want about not anticipating bringing in their own larger vessels due to the somewhat shallow nature of this basin. Who are they kidding. To the best of my knowledge Hinckley's fleet are almost all jet drive set ups that draw very little water!

So, yet another one of our fond childhood memories begins to fade into the distance. I feel the worst for our kids who may eventually get priced out of boating and fishing entirely thanks to the nature of the big corporations basically devouring everything in their path!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the good read. I love history. Sometimes capitalism can ruin a nice thing!
 
Chinacat said:
Yes, Indeed it is
As is Cliff’s Rendevous in Riverhead and The Elbow East in Laurel
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I always have an Elbow Room Porterhouse when back there. One I really miss on those rare moments back on LI is the Rhumb Line in Greenport. I had my first taste of Mahi Mahi there, but back then is was known as Dolphin and on that day the Chalkboard Menu said, Dolphin - NOT Flipper, the fish!!!
 
longcast said:
Capitalism? Or a family utilizing an asset for the benefit of that family?
Click to expand...
Aye, there's the rub. Most marinas along the east coast started as small family businesses when waterfront property was too expensive. Over the years the business and property values exploded, and the younger family members were not interested in the business, but very interested in its value as both a business or property. They often reason, WTF should we work all our lives and not cash out now and never have to work a day???

I'm scared shitless that my marina, whose owners are aging with no children, may bail at any moment. It's a very convoluted situation and I couldn't fault them for taking the money and running. In Maine, the sellers are never the bad guy, as most marinas are family affairs embedded within the local communities.
The purchasers become the devil!!!
 
Roccus7 said:
Aye, there's the rub. Most marinas along the east coast started as small family businesses when waterfront property was too expensive. Over the years the business and property values exploded, and the younger family members were not interested in the business, but very interested in its value as both a business or property. They often reason, WTF should we work all our lives and not cash out now and never have to work a day???

I'm scared shitless that my marina, whose owners are aging with no children, may bail at any moment. It's a very convoluted situation and I couldn't fault them for taking the money and running. In Maine, the sellers are never the bad guy, as most marinas are family affairs embedded within the local communities.
The purchasers become the devil!!!
Click to expand...
Very well said. Wow, we were on the same wavelength today! :D

I see this stuff all the time.
 
This whole discussion has me glad I bought into the neighborhood that I did many years ago that has our own community owned marina that has approximately 50 slips. Water rights without having waterfront yet still having my boat docked at the end of my road and I can walk to it from home.
Don’t have to worry about the marina being sold and getting booted out
 

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