Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. has purchased Fort George Island Marina in Duval County, Florida, with the intention of converting the existing facility into the Yamaha Offshore Endurance Center (YOEC), which will serve as a testing center for Yamaha Marine products including outboards, sport boats and WaveRunners®. The new YOEC includes a 36,500-square-foot warehouse and marina building as well as a 7,200 square foot office and event space.
“The YOEC compliments our test centers in Alabama and Kennesaw while adding greater capacity and capability. It also supports Yamaha Marine global testing plans by expanding opportunities to develop products,” said Ben Speciale, President, Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit. “The environment provided by this location will allow us to focus on durability and reliability testing for larger engines, systems and boat hull designs in an offshore environment. It will also include an immersive team center designed to inspire future engineering talent.”
Earlier this year, Yamaha completed the expansion of its freshwater test facility in Bridgeport, Alabama, adding 5,900 square feet of office space and 8,000 square feet of labs and storage. In addition, Yamaha recently finalized the construction of a new Marine Innovation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia, a 75,280 square foot facility which now houses the Yamaha Marine Connected Division as well as Yamaha U.S. Marine Development, Yamaha Marine Product Management and Yamaha Marine Technical Marketing.
Yamaha plans to begin renovations on the saltwater test facility in Duval County in the third quarter of 2023.
Yamaha U.S. Marine Business Unit, based in Kennesaw, Ga., markets and sells marine outboard motors ranging in size from 2.5 to 450 horsepower. It also markets and sells fiberglass, jet-drive sport boats ranging from 19 to 27 feet, and personal watercraft. The unit includes manufacturing divisions of Yamaha Marine Systems Co., Inc., including Kracor of Milwaukee, Wisc. (rotational molding), Bennett Marine of Deerfield Beach, Fla. (trim tabs), Siren Marine of Newport, R.I. (Connected Boat) and Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers of Greenfield, Ind. (stainless steel propellers). Yamaha Marine Group is a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., based in Cypress, Calif.
Yamaha’s WaterCraft Group, based in Kennesaw, GA, is responsible for the sales, marketing, and distribution of Yamaha boats and WaveRunner watercraft in the U.S. Supporting more than 800 marine and powersports dealers nationwide, Yamaha is the industry leader in reliability, performance, technology, and customer service.
This document contains many of Yamaha’s valuable trademarks. It may also contain trademarks belonging to other companies. Any references to other companies or their products are for identification purposes only and are not intended to be an endorsement. Siren Marine is a registered trademark of Siren Marine, LLC. Product and specifications are subject to change without notice. Some specifications and measurements may be approximate and subject to different factors and variables. WaveRunner® is a Yamaha brand personal watercraft and not a generic term.
SOURCE: BusinessWire