34 Pontoon^ & Deck Boat March^2018 http://www.pdbmagazine.com
I’ve had the privilege to tour a lot
of pontoon, deck boat and even engine
manufacturing plants during my
tenure here as editor and I love that
each assembly process is different. I
wouldn’t say one way was particularly
better than another, just different.
Of course one added bonus I get
from sitting in the helm chair here at
PDB for as long as I have is I’m now
starting to re-visit manufacturers who
have moved into larger buildings.
If you toured for example the
360,000-square-foot Harris Boats
manufacturing plant in Fort Wayne,
Ind., today it would impress you,
but you’d have an even deeper
appreciation for the new campus if you
had a chance to tour their old one.
For over 60 years Harris Boats,
a subsidiary of the Brunswick
Corporation and a division of
the Brunswick Boat Group has been
building quality boats in this region.
I toured the plant prior to the move
to a new manufacturing facility that
was announced back in 2013. The
high-end luxury pontoon builder
had overgrown its previous space
to the point where it felt like the
perimeter fence was going to give way
and materials would spill over into
neighboring lots. To say this industry
giant was due for a move would be an
understatement.Precision welding and
craftsmanship has always
been a trademark found in
Harris pontoon boats.The new
360,000-square-
foot building
allows for a
better work flow
than the previous
130,000-square-
foot building that
Harris outgrew as
its luxury pontoon
lineup expanded.(Top right) Every
square inch of the
deck is covered
before applying
the flooring
material.