bay marine yacht harbor sturgeon bay

Marine News from the Great Lakes

Bay marine acquires sturgeon bay yacht harbor.

Published: Friday, October 15, 2021

The Yacht Harbor, started in 1944 by George “Butch” Baudhuin, has always been respected for quality sales, service, and hospitality. The Yacht Harbor currently maintains a 96 slip in-water marina that neighbors the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club.

“We are extremely excited to add the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor to our portfolio of assets. The addition of the Yacht Harbor further strengthens our presence in Lake Michigan as a leading provider of premium yacht brokerage as well as sales and service for all boater’s needs,” said Mark Felhofer, co-owner of Bay Marine. “The improvements we have planned for the Yacht Harbor are sure to elevate the nearly 80-year-old marina back to its former glory.”

Bay Marine plans an expansive remodeling of the Yacht Harbor facility to be ready for the 2022 boating season. Improvements will include new docks, clubhouse, pool, and an outdoor pavilion in a park-like environment.

About Bay Marine

With over a 50-year history, Bay Marine is a second-generation premium boat sales, service and storage retailer with locations in Sturgeon Bay, WI; Waukegan, IL; and Ft. Myers, FL. Bay Marine represents the highest quality boat brands in the industry including Riviera, Belize, Sabre, Back Cove, Monte Carlo Yachts, Edgewater, and Crevalle boats.

Now offering over 150,000 sq-ft of premium indoor heated storage facilities in two locations, modern travelifts with over 80 metric tons capacity, and a comprehensive staff of certified marine technicians, Bay Marine has positioned itself as one of the best full-service yacht dealerships in the Great Lakes.

For more information, contact Mark Felhofer at 920-743-6526 or [email protected] .

A version of this article appeared in the Fall Issue (September/October) 2021 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.

tags: Company Expansions , Lake Michigan

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Bay Marine acquires Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor

Posted About Two Years Ago by Tim Kowols

Your boating experience will get an upgrade in 2022 after Bay Marine announced late last week it was acquiring the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor. Bay Marine, which bases its business out of Sturgeon Bay, Waukegan, Ill., and Fort Myers, Fla., closed on the business on Friday. The purchase gives Bay Marine another 96 slip in-water marina near the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club in addition to another outlet for boat sales and service. Bay Marine co-owner Mark Felhofer plans an expansive remodel of the facility, which includes new docks, clubhouse, pool, and outdoor pavilion. Felhofer said in a release over the weekend that “the improvements we have planned for The Yacht Harbor are sure to elevate the nearly 80-year-old marina back to its former glory.” The hope is the improvements will be ready for the 2022 boating season.

Picture courtesy of Bay Marine

A previous version of this story had the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club in the headline, not Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor. We regret this error. 

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Bay Marine of Sturgeon Bay – Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Description.

FOR OVER 50 YEARS, Integrity and Quality have been the core of our family business. We genuinely care about your boating experience and consider you part of the family. It is our hope that we will remain friends over time as we share and enjoy the boating lifestyle together. Whether you are buying or selling your boat, our seasoned crew of boat lovers are committed to making the journey a very personal but enjoyable and educational one.

We strive to employ, train and maintain the best people in the industry to support and service your boat while operating modern equipment at our exceptional facilities.

Bay Marine has developed a strong presence in the marine marketplace by forming lasting relationships with some of the most respected marine partners. Representing boating’s finest brands including; Monte Carlo Yachts, Sabre Yachts, Back Cove Yachts, Riviera Yachts & Belize Yachts. .

Our fine facilities in Door County, WI and Waukegan, IL allow us to serve boaters from around Lake Michigan and the entire Great Lakes. Whether your boating needs are in sales, service or storage, put Bay Marine’s proven marine experience to work for you. Contact us today!

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Bay Marine Weathers a Year of Tests

By Craig Sterrett , Peninsula Pulse – November 10th, 2022

Bay Marine survived a Chicago fire and a Florida hurricane this year to remain a regional leader and a national contender in boat and yacht sales and service.

Mark Felhofer took over his father’s business in 2000 and along with his brother, Matt, transformed it from a roadside sales lot into a full-service yacht and boat sales and service business with marinas on Lake Michigan in both Sturgeon Bay and Chicago as well as in Fort Myers, Florida.

Bay Marine has approximately 40 employees in the Midwest and 10-15 in Florida. At times, technicians also travel from state to state to help with projects or work on boats. Employees have now shifted to the boat-storage season because Bay Marine has 150,000 square feet of heated storage space, combined, near Chicago and around Sturgeon Bay.

“We can handle almost anything this market needs,” Felhofer said, noting that Bay Marine is now a top regional competitor on the Great Lakes.

Felhofer said he convinced his brother, Matt, to leave his work in business and finance more than two decades ago because he had a vision of what Bay Marine could become.

Their dad, Fran, sold his first boat at his dad’s service station at the corner of the state highway and Georgia Street, where Hardee’s used to be, and then built a sales lot for Bay Marine and Lawn “far out of town” – across Egg Harbor Road from the present-day CVS. Later the family moved the business to Highway 42/57 south of town, and the Felhofers continue to operate there because of its great visibility.

Years after helping their dad with his projects as they were growing up, Mark and Matt saw an opportunity to vastly expand Bay Marine. They set a goal to be a place where boat owners and yacht buyers wanted to do business and a workplace where skilled personnel wanted to be.

To that end, between 2004 and 2015, they continued to expand their major service and storage facilities, including the headquarters along Sturgeon Bay at 155 E. Redwood St. 

The Felhofers said they have seen tremendous growth in the luxury-boating portion of their business since the COVID-19 years, when many people determined that “life is indeed better with a boat.”

They became one of the largest Cruiser Yachts dealers in the world, and they now offer products from Riviera Yachts and a half dozen other boat and yacht makers. In 2016, they launched their Chicago Yachting Center and showroom on a Lake Michigan harbor in Waukegan, Illinois.

It’s the nearest facility to downtown Chicago with access for deep-water yachts. Similar to the Sturgeon Bay facility, it has a massive, 80-ton travel lift for launching yachts into or hoisting them out of the water.

In 2021, Bay Marine acquired and began extensive remodeling of Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor.

In addition to routine service, the company has built a reputation for extensive repairs and reworking boats and yachts, as well as the design and construction of yachts between 50 and 115 feet.

It’s tough to imagine a year of more ups and downs – triumphs and major obstacles – than the Felhofers have had, including two major challenges for the business. One was Hurricane Ian, whose storm surge was still a six-foot wave when it hit the Bay Marine facility in Fort Myers, Florida.

“We were pretty much in the eye of the storm in Fort Myers,” Matt said. “Even though we were four miles inland with our sales and service offices, the facility was filled with over two feet of water, and most of our inventory, 17 boats, went up and over our fencing and down the road literally a mile.” 

They have since picked up boats from roads and other properties, but most of the inventory was a total loss. 

While gearing up for this past boating season, another of the challenges came in the form of recovering from a February fire in their business in Waukegan.

But this month, Boating Industry magazine named Bay Marine one of the top 100 dealers in the nation, and in the spring, the Felhofers celebrated the completion of the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor reconstruction.

“We always had our eyes on the Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor because it had a strong history in the market with recreational boaters,” Matt said. “The facility was probably one of the most prominent marinas on the Great Lakes in the 1950s, and it went into significant disrepair.”

The $5 million reconstruction included new electrical, docks, seawalls, clubhouse and swimming pool. 

“It’s a brand-new marina,” Matt said.

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Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor

Play in the heart of downtown baltimore, marina info.

Visit Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor at 306 Nautical Drive in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Contact Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor at 920-743-3311. No reviews by any boaters for Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor have been submitted. Sturgeon Bay Yacht Harbor offers direct passage to the Lake Michigan.

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Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club

Serving you on the water since 1905                                                   44° 49' 33.4769'' n   87° 22' 19.5884'' w.

600 Nautical Dr, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235   | Serving You On The Water Since 1905   | 44° 49' 33.4769'' N   87° 22' 19.5884'' W

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Open to the Public until March 23rd 2024

Come Dine with us and check out membership benefits at Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club

Open Thursday Friday and Saturday Evenings

5:30 to 8:30

Call 920-743-6934 for Reservations

The facilities and use of this club are restricted to Members, their Guests and Visiting Yachtsman from other Clubs.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday Dinner:    5:30pm - 8:30pm

Bar opens at 4:30pm

Call 920-743-6934 or email [email protected] to Make Reservations​​​

The Sturgeon Bay Yacht Club Sail Training Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

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