| Westport 130 |  |
On August 31, Westport Shipyard christened Vita Bella, the latest of the company’s popular
130-foot tri-deck motor yachts. What was remarkable about that launch was that the boat
represents the ninth yacht over 100 feet to be delivered by Westport in the past 12 months. | Click on the Spec tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
 The new building hall at the yard in Westport, Washington, can house four 130-foot
hulls. (Click image to enlarge)
Like her sisterships, Vita Bella is a prime example of the ethic that drives the Westport
team: to provide a limited-production motor yacht that has conservative good looks, a
relatively high level of finish, an attractive price and a short delivery time.For several years, the scuttlebutt on the docks about Westport has revolved around whether
or not the company would be able to market production boats in large sizes at a rate that
would be profitable and, if so, could it find buyers for them? As it turns out, the doubters
have been proved wrong. “The reason,” says Daryl Wakefield, Westport’s president, “is that we view the market as
having two types of customers: one that wants a project and one that wants to go boating.
Ours wants to buy a boat and use it as soon as possible.”
Interiors are spacious and liveable and offer a level of finish that belies the price. (Click images to enlarge)
To manufacture a range of boats that for all intents and purposes begins at 112 feet,
Westport has developed a production system that is notable on a number of levels. Several
years ago, the company developed software that gave it the ability to track labor and
materials in real time. Over the years, the software was improved to the point where, today,
the company’s system is accurate enough to enable the
purchasing department to order on a
just-in-time basis. The system is so sophisticated that it will not allow an employee to
collect a part from the storeroom before the boat is ready to accept it for installation.In addition, the company instituted an incentive program for its employees that rewards them
financially for meeting production goals and for providing ideas that help the company
become more profitable. The system (see SBI May 2004) not only helps the bottom line, it
goes a long way toward ensuring that Westport retains its employees, in turn reducing the
costs associated with training and the need constantly to rebuild the company’s knowledge
base from the bottom up. Wakefield stated that management sees the incentive program as an
investment that pays dividends day in, day out. (Click images to enlarge)Another investment that keeps the company competitive is its furniture factory, which is
located in Port Angeles, Washington. Installed in a 40,000-square-foot building, the joiner
shop is equipped to produce shipboard architectural woodwork from start to finish.
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