A new 85-ton Marine Travelift gives Strong’s Yachts the unique ability to service luxury yachts up to 95 feet.
Strong’s Yachts is ramping up its ability to deliver elevated service to its yacht clients with the addition of a new 85-metric-ton Marine Travelift at its Yacht Center on Mattituck Inlet.
“We’re consistently growing in our yacht business,” says Ryan Strong, vice president of Strong’s Marine, which has been operating for 75 years on Long Island.
The new lift, which translates into more than 93 tons, is the largest on Long Island’s North Shore and supplements the 70-ton lift. Both will allow Strong’s Yachts to support the increasing number of clients buying luxury Sunseeker and Cruisers Yachts.
“They’re definitely now one of the big boys on the block in that market, no question about it,” says Erich Pfeifer, president and CEO of Wisconsin-based Marine Travelift. “Strong’s is huge into customer experience and service — now they can control all that as they sell these bigger boats to people who are upgrading.”
Clients with larger vessels will no longer have to travel for service, says Jack Anderson with Martin Walter Company, the distributor that sold the lift to Strong’s Yachts.
“It puts them as one of the largest capabilities for lifting vessels out in all of Long Island,” says Anderson. “They now have a unique ability to service larger yachts in that area.”
The company is strategically investing in its yachting center as vessels get larger, beamier and increasingly have flybridges, says general manager Peter Rowlinson.
“This larger capacity travel lift sets us up to truly be a leading resource for boats yachts in the Northeast,” says Rowlinson.
The lift includes a full lighting kit, a feature that will better serve by extending working hours during the spring launch and fall haul, notes Strong.
It’s loaded with other features as well — including wireless remote-control operation and all-wheel steering for enhanced maneuverability — that make it easier for Strong’s Yachts service team members to service vessels safely and more efficiently, says Pfeifer.
Employee health, happiness and safety is critical for family-owned businesses like Strong’s Yachts and Marine Travelift, says Pfeifer.
“We have the same values,” says Pfeifer. “We’re both looking at the long term, not the short term. When you’re family owned, the way you’re able to take care of your employees gives you a competitive advantage. It ultimately allows you to give clients the best customer experience. It’s a different care factor than just a hired gun. It’s an extra level of care and support.”