About Ralph W. Stanley, Inc.

Ralph Stanley built his first boat in 1946 and has evolved into one of the nation’s best designers and builders of wooden boats. Ralph has designed and built rowboats, sailboats and powerboats ranging in size from 10 to 44 feet. Ralph is probably most widely noted for his lobster boats and friendship sloops. His devotion to the preservation of these boats and their design is the result of a life spent creating functional and beautiful boats. His interest in history and involvement in the Friendship Sloop Society has provided a tangible link between the past and present. Receiving many honors and awards including being recognized as a National Heritage Fellow and named Maine’s Boatbuilder Laureate he has become a pivotal figure in traditional boatbuilding. His story is recorded in the recently released book “Ralph Stanley - Tales of a Maine Boatbuilder.” Visit www.downeastbooks.com or call 800-685-7962.

Ralph’s legacy continues through the family business he established building, designing, repairing and storing wooden boats. His son Richard is a master boatbuilder in his own right. Ralph claims Richard “is a better boatbuilder than I am.” Long time co-worker David Norwood likes to say, “When Richard puts two pieces of wood together they look they grew that way.”

The design aspect of the business is a combination of Ralph’s experience and the expertise of his son Edward, a graduate of M.I.T. in Naval Architecture; other family members work in the office and in the maintenance facility in Manset.

We have a unique niche in the boatbuilding industry. We specialize in wooden boats. We can build sail or powerboats up to 45 feet and custom design them to your specifications. We build one-of-kind handcrafted vessels that will last for generations. The maintenance by our experienced and caring craftsmen is unequaled: a friendship built by Ralph in 1977 and continuously maintained by us here was recently surveyed as being in “like new” condition.

Our construction facility is located on the water in Southwest Harbor. Going through the shop doors can be like walking into another, older era, when wooden boats were the lifeblood of a working coast. Modern woodworking tools sit side-by-side with hand tools used two generations ago. Traditional methods and new technologies enable Richard and his crew to produce boats of unequaled beauty and enduring quality.

Our storage and repair facility is in Manset. Our service crew enjoys four heated service bays, good light and the best equipment, materials and marine finishes available.

If you are looking for the best in the maintenance of your wooden boat or the creation of a functional workboat or family heirloom we can work with you to turn your ideas and needs into reality.