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The
history of the Luhrs Corporation dates back to the 1830’s
with a German immigrant by the name of Henry Luhrs. He became
involved in the marine trade supplying ships in New York City.
He eventually owned his own chandlery and even his own ship, The Sophia R. Luhrs. His grandson, another Henry, shared the same love of the sea and continued the family heritage by building and repairing boats on the New Jersey coast.
About 100 years after his grandfather started his business,
the younger Henry opened his; a small yard in Morgan, New Jersey.
From these humble beginnings sprang a vibrant and thriving
business called the Henry Luhrs Sea Skiff Company. As the business
grew, Henry’s sons, John and Warren became involved and
soon the company was producing over 1200 boats a year. In 1965, Bangor Punta, a huge timber conglomerate made Henry an offer too good to refuse and the company was sold.
John and Warren, soon after the sale, struck out on their own purchasing Silverton Sea
Skiffs, a fledgling builder in Tom’s River, New Jersey. Following their father’s
recipe for success, the brothers were soon ready to expand
and Warren, being an avid sailor, knew they could create value
in that market as well. Hunter Marine was started in 1973 and was soon followed by Mainship in 1978. The Luhrs name was finally reinstated with the family in 1985 and production started in 1986. Business continued to grow and Luhrs needed space of its own. The St. Augustine plant opened in 1987 with its extensive waterfront access and has expanded multiple times. A new facility in Midway, GA also went online in 1999 and will help the St. Augustine facility in meeting demand.
Now, an employee ownership company, the Luhrs Corporation is serving the needs of the sportfisherman in building some of the best mid-size fish boats in the world. |
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