Koehler Kraft Begins Construction on New Facility

By Jack Innis
Thursday, May 17, 2007

The boatyard's new indoor yacht repair building will be completed by August.

SAN DIEGO - May 8 was a busy day on Shelter Island as 71 cement trucks teamed up to pour the foundation for Koehler Kraft's new indoor yacht repair facility.

"It was a little bit crazy," said yard manager Garry Cihak. "The trucks began arriving at 6 a.m. and didn't stop until 5 p.m. They poured 475 cubic yards of cement to raise the entire north part of the boatyard's foundation 13.5 inches."

The new concrete foundation will support a voluminous building that will accommodate several boats. The new building needed to be brought level with the rest of the yard so that Koehler Kraft's cable-powered shuttle cars can move cradled boats from the bay to the building.

The 69-year-old boatyard and marina's new facility will allow for simultaneous indoor painting, finishing and new construction of up to 10 boats. According to Cihak, tradesmen will be able to stage projects indoors from atop standard cargo containers that will double as storerooms.

"It gives workers the advantage of being level with the boat," Cihak said. "Think of it like an auto mechanic's lift in reverse."

The $2 million renovation will increase the overall size of the facility by 40 percent. The boatyard's new prefabricated steel building will be the largest indoor yacht repair facility on Shelter Island.

Phase I of the renovation, which included rebuilding Koehler Kraft's docks, is complete. The new docks are made from a Brazilian hardwood called ip' that is naturally resistant to fungus decay and termites.

While maintaining its status as San Diego's "go-to" boatyard for wooden vessels, Koehler Kraft hopes the new facility will help attract newer high-end yachts.

"Our renovation will transform Koehler Kraft into one of the most modern facilities on the West Coast," said C.F. Koehler, president of Koehler Kraft. "The systems we are incorporating in the new boat shop will make us more efficient and more effective at meeting each boat owner's needs."

Koehler Kraft will remain open for business during remodeling and is currently accommodating about four boats per week for routine maintenance to major repairs, Cihak said. The facility is scheduled to be completed by August.

Some long-term project boats at the yard have been temporarily moved out of the way for construction, and by all appearances will not be constructed until workers create a little more elbow room. The bare skeleton of one wooden hull was placed upside down on a shipping container/storeroom.

The yard manager is not too thrilled about his temporary office - inside a shipping container stacked atop another container - but is taking it all in stride.

"When they finish the new seawall, I'm going to park my boat right next to it and fly a big banner that says 'Now Open,'" he said. "The work we're doing now will be here practically forever."