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Missouri City Reels in Title of ‘Aluminum Fishing Boat Capital’

By Jennifer Dallos on on September 1, 2019

Lebanon, Mo., manufacturers produced 50,000 boats in 2018 By Cindy Weihl, senior editor of the Welding Journal Reprinted with permission: The AWS Welding Journal Ahhhh… it’s summer! Time to pack up your winter clothes and get ready for barbecues, fireworks, and — if you’re one of the 141.6 million Americans who go boating each year — hit the water. Boat sales are the highest they’ve been in a decade. In May, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) reported that U.S. powerboat sales were about 276,000 units in 2018, up four percent over the previous year. The trade association claims that was the highest level of recreational boat sales in 11 years, and that’s good news to the boat builders in Lebanon, Mo. The Laclede County city of just over 14,000 people is considered to be the “aluminum fishing boat capital of the world.” Aluminum is considered an advantageous material in boatbuilding. It is lightweight, has good fatigue strength, and good corrosion resistance. According to Brian Thompson, president and CEO of Lebanon Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI), the city is producing around 50,000 boats annually — with the majority being aluminum fishing boats, some pontoons, and a few canoes. Lebanon’s Boatbuilding Legacy The NMMA reports that 95% of boats sold in the United States are made in the United States. Take a drive through Lebanon on Interstate 44 and rows of boats wrapped in plastic and awaiting shipment make it clear the city is responsible for a large percentage of that figure. The first boat manufacturer in Lebanon was Appleby Boats in 1960, and that paved the way for the four boat manufacturers that currently call Lebanon home — Lowe Boats, G3 Boats, Tracker Marine, and Landau Boats. Osagian Canoes is also based there. Two of those companies, Lowe Boats and G3, started as a family affair dating back to the late J. B. Appleby, who started Appleby Boats. Carl Lowe, who married Appleby’s daughter Diane in 1959, went to work for his father-in-law as a general manager. In 1964, Standard Industries of New York bought Appleby Manufacturing, but the company continued to be operated by Diane and Carl under the Appleby name. By 1967, the company was the world’s largest aluminum boat maker.

The Lowe 22-ft bay boat is part of the company’s proprietary all-welded, ultrawide Mod-V hull.

The Lowes continued to operate the company until 1971, when they left and created Lowe Line to build jon boats and canoes. In 1975, the company started building bass boats and by 1979 they were making pontoons. In 1981, the company changed its name from Lowe Line to Lowe. As the company continued to grow its reputation of building affordable boats and pontoons, it caught the eye of Outboard Marine Corp., which purchased it in 1988. Lowe would continue expanding its product line over the next decade and was purchased by Genmar Holdings in 2001, and again by the Brunswick Corp., which still owns it today, in 2004. The Lowe family business didn’t end with Lowe Boats. Diane and Carl’s son, Brent, went on to open his own boat plant in Lebanon — Generation 3, a nod to being the third generation of his family to set up a boat company in the city. The name was shortened to G3 when the company was sold to Yamaha Motor Corp. in 1997. Quality Materials for Quality Products Both G3 and Lowe use Aluminum Alloy 5052 in the construction of their boats. Primarily alloyed with magnesium and chromium, 5052 has good workability, medium static strength, high fatigue strength, good weldability, and very good corrosion resistance, especially in marine atmospheres. The two companies use the high-quality marine grade alloy with a tensile strength of 34,000 lb/in.2 and H-34 hardness. For G3, any aluminum that does not meet the company’s high quality control standard is turned down. Aaron Waterman, marketing manager at G3, explained that quality is the most important thing to the company throughout the entire boat building process. “Everything is about quality here,” said Waterman. “It’s not about the amount produced, we don’t pay to push it down the line. We make it right, and if it’s not right, we scrap it.” The company recycles all scrapped aluminum so that nothing goes to waste. Fabricating Aluminum Fishing Boats Designing Boats G3 and Lowe both employ in-house engineering teams that design and test boats. They are also responsible for redesigning and drawing up new models. Once a boat prototype has been approved, it is built and taken out on a lake for a pilot run. After any necessary changes have been made and the boat passes all quality and safety inspections, it is time to get production started. “Our engineers are in-house and you see them out on the line a lot. They’re not just in an office. You see them out on the floor walking around, especially when it’s a new model,” said Waterman. Manufacturing Begins Aluminum is delivered to the boat manufacturers in rolls, which then go through a decoiler to flatten out the sheets. From there, it goes to a plasma cutting machine to ensure every specific pattern is cut exactly the same. Construction moves on to the hull break, which is one of the most critical operations. A press break machine bends the sheet material to create the shape of the hull, which is the body of the boat. If the hull is not broken correctly, it cannot be corrected down the line and must be scrapped. Ribs Crucial to Structural Strength While the bow (front of the vessel), stern (back of the vessel), and hull are being welded to create what is now beginning to look like a boat, elsewhere in the fabrication shop, the ribs (frames that support the hull and give the boat its shape and strength) are being cut and readied. Waterman said G3 purchases soft metal for the rib material so that it is malleable. It is then baked in an oven at more than 350 deg for 12 h before being put in a boat. The heating process makes it more rigid. Quality control personnel check the temper hardness of the ribs before and after baking so hardness is ensured. The ribs are placed either transverse or parallel (depending on the model) to the bottom of the hull and a hydraulic press forces the rib down to meet the jig below it. This is done so that the boats come out uniform every time. The ribs are then welded in place using gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Ribs are such an important part of a boat’s structure that at G3 only the most skilled welders perform the crucial process. “Some would say we overbuild and overweld our boats, but that’s why they are built to last,” said Waterman. “The welds you don’t see once the flooring and decks are put on are as good as the ones you do see.” Leak Checks and Meeting Industry Safety Standards Next in the boat-building process is checking for leaks. “Every boat comes in the water test tank. We verify the center keel doesn’t leak and that there are no weld burn-throughs,” said Lowe Boats Director of Product Development Bob Mallman. At G3, the boats are tested for 5 min under pressure (10 min for their Deep V line) and a rubber mallet is used to disturb the interior of the boat for location of possible leaks no matter how minor. G3 uses a two part, rigid urethane flotation foam on the floor of its boats for floatation and a quieter ride, while Lowe uses a polyurethane closed cell foam, which is denser than most common foams and formulated for strength, insulation, and efficiency. The U.S. Coast Guard mandates that all boats up to 20 ft in length be able to maintain equal and level flotation. Both G3 and Lowe meet or exceed all industry set standards. Painting Perfection Once the boats have passed all safety tests and weld inspections, it’s time to get them ready for painting. Boats at both G3 and Lowe are hand-sanded, and then put through an acid wash to remove any scuffs, oil, or aluminum pieces. They are then put through a drying booth to make sure all moisture is removed. Lowe uses zirconium-based wash chemicals in their paint process. A finish coating of high-grade polyurethane enamel is electrostatically applied for superior adhesion and then slowly oven baked at 180 deg for a lasting high-gloss appearance. The company claims the resulting finish is highly durable and won’t flake off, orange peel, or experience pinholes. G3 boats are primed, painted, and baked in an industrial infrared oven at 140 deg for maximum finish and hardness. Mil gauge tests indicate the thickness of paint and ensure the proper amount was used. The boats are chemically treated before painting so the baked on urethane will last for years. If a boat calls for a two-toned paint job, the area requiring a second color is completely re-sanded or scuffed before the second coating is applied. The Finish Line Once the boats are painted, it is time to add all controls, switches, consoles, flooring choice, furniture, the motor, and all accessories the boats require. All boats are given a final test for quality assurance, electrical, plumbing, and fuel systems. Once the boats have passed all quality tests at G3, they are plastic wrapped in a cover that allows for removal and reuse. Both G3 and Lowe make sure their boats are properly wrapped to keep them clean and weatherproof. They are then ready to be shipped to dealers across the country and around the world. Welders Essential to Boatbuilding Industry At the heart of Lebanon’s success in the boat building industry is craftsmanship. It is said that Appleby and the Lowes brought together a close-knit, family business atmosphere, which led to a pool of skilled workers in Lebanon. On the Lowe website (loweboats.com), Carl Lowe is quoted as saying, “We brought in local people and trained them on-site. We didn’t bring many people in from outside the area. An experienced welder shows a beginner the technique after working many hours. The beginner practices — on his own time — by welding scrap metal. When he gets good enough, he goes on the line. Interestingly, boys who had worked at something which requires manual skills — shoeing horses or playing a musical instrument — often made the best welders.” Building an In-House Welder Workforce Training welders in-house is still common practice at G3 and Lowe. In a city of 14,474 people according to the 2010 census, the marine industry is a major employer and trained welders can be hard to find. Nathan Wallander, a production supervisor at Lowe, said many of their welders are trained in-house, as was he. “I started as an assembler six months after I graduated high school,” he recalled. “I taught myself to TIG and MIG weld and eventually became a welder, then a team lead, and recently a production supervisor.” Wallander has been employed at Lowe for 18 years. Welder training courses are offered at both Lowe and G3 a few times a year and are open to all employees. “I’ve taken the welding class,” said Waterman, the G3 marketing manager. G3 Production Supervisor Donnie Fellers said that even though the class is only offered a couple of times, many of his own employees often use their lunch and break times to practice welding in hopes to one day take on a welder position. Welders are a hot commodity in Lebanon. Out of 352 employees at G3, 55 of them are welders. Over at Lowe, 58 of its 297 employees are welders. “An 18-ft boat has about 220 ft of welding in it. That’s about three-fourths the length of a football field,” said Fellers. “That’s a lot of welding.” Top Employers The companies also work with local schools to attract welders and try to maintain competitive pay and benefits in order to not only attract, but also retain them. The two boat manufacturers make the top ten list of largest employers in Lebanon, according to data from REDI. Tracker Marine and a manufacturer of electrical marine components are also on the list. “The boat building industry has changed in Lebanon, Missouri — termed the aluminum boat capital of the world — because there are so many boat companies lobbying for good laborers and welders,” said Beverly Ramsey, Lowe marketing manager. A Growing Industry As the boating industry continues to thrive, it is good news for boat manufacturers and workers in Lebanon. NMMA figures show that sales of new boats and boating expenditures have been on a consistant upward climb for years. “As millions of Americans head to the water this summer, marine manufacturers and dealers are preparing for the busy selling season that coincides with peak boating months. With consumer confidence high, unemployment low, wages on the rise, and interest rates holding level, we anticipate the recreational boating market to remain healthy in the year ahead with modest growth up to 2% in new powerboat unit sales of 2019,” said NMMA President Thom Dammrich. A Boat for Every Interest With hundreds of boat dealers across the United States, Canada, and as far away as Australia, both G3 and Lowe each offer more than 100 models of boats covering all price points. G3 boats can range from an MSRP of $950 for a 1036 jon boat to $90,000 for a 26-ft Diamond Elite pontoon with a Yamaha F300. Lowe has a 10-ft, riveted jon boat for as low as $730 to a pontoon with a Mercury 300-hp engine for $57,472 plus optional accessories. Lowe’s best selling fishing boat is the Stinger 175C bass boat and its best selling pontoon is the SS210 Walk-thru. Meanwhile G3’s best-selling models include the 17-ft Sportsman fishing boat and the 20-ft cruiser model pontoons. Family Values Backed by Corporate Support Being currently owned by large companies has been beneficial to the two boat makers that started out as a family legacy to Appleby Boats. The Brunswick Corp. purchasing Lowe has allowed for facility expansions, a growing product line, and more modern equipment. Mallmann, Lowe’s director of product development, said new technology is allowing the company to build more boats more quickly. The values remain the same as when Diane and Carl Lowe started their company back in 1971. “We are still seeing Lowe employees building quality boats with passion. Most of the people at Lowe are long-time boaters and fishermen and women,” said Ramsey. Roger Bills, marketing director of G3, which is owned by Yamaha Boat Co., agrees that corporate support and local talent is at the heart of Lebanon’s boat building industry and his company. “At G3 we have the stability of a big company, but a family of midwesterners and hardworking craftsman that take pride in what they do,” he said.

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