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South Florida Yacht-Maker 'Marks the End of an Era'

Posted on: Friday, 26 August 2005, 00:00 CDT

Aug. 25--Broward Marine, South Florida's only builder of megayachts, Wednesday christened a sleek, white 106-foot yacht called Soulmate that was the last in a line of 20-foot beam luxury vessels made by the Dania Beach boatyard.

The aluminum yacht, valued at about $8 million, required about 76,000 hours of labor to complete. About 40 of the 20-foot beam Browards have been built since the 1980s.

"This marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one," said Tom Lewis, a successful businessman who took over Broward Marine earlier this year and announced an ambitious plan to build a new series of wider Broward yachts ranging from 120 feet to 160 feet.

Lewis has invested several million dollars in the yard, which was founded in 1948 by Franklin A. Denison Jr., and has added about 30 employees to its workforce, bringing the total to 53.

The company currently is working on the first of its new series, a 120-foot Broward with five staterooms that will be completed next year. It will be priced at about $10 million.

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Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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