Jersey Yachts, Inc.

Jersey Yachts was one of the New Jersey boatbuilders that grew out of the wooden boatbuilding business. This company was formed in 1954 by Fred McCarthy as New Jersey Boat Works. The name wouldn't actually be changed to Jersey Yachts until the late 1980s, still Fred McCarthy's privately held company. Jersey Yachts remained a smaller builder than some of the other New Jersey boatbuilders, and competitive with them. Jersey Yachts would be favored by many boaters. Although the general design was similar, each boat brand had its own emphasis. For Jersey Yachts function and affordability were important. All of their boats were built with solid hand-laid fiberglass construction. None of their hulls were cored, and possibly not the decks either. The Jersey hull had the sharp entry of all Jersey Design boats, but they retained a modified-V to the transom, with about 10 degrees on all models after the original 31. This provided a better ride and better control. Some other builders went to a flat bottom aft to enable increased speeds.

Inside, in addition to the teak cabinetry of most builders, Jersey Yachts used room for function. Heads were larger and shower stalls separate from the toilet were common. Booth-style dinettes with ample room were included in most models in at least one floor plan. And galleys were larger, often with 3-burner stoves. The space came from the salons, which were often smaller and but did not claim space from the cockpits, which remained large compared to some competitors.

Jersey Yachts were good looking, functional and have held up well. Although now out of business for over 15 years, many Jersey Yachts are in regular use, even as commercial boats, and there is a good market for those that become available for sale.

Eventually Jersey Yachts was subjected to the economic problems of the luxury tax economics. Fred McCarthy sold the company in an effort to keep it running, but after just a couple of years the new company had to file bankruptcy and was closed in 1992 - another victim of the luxury tax. Only the boats live on.