Manufacturer Profile:
Jones Brothers Marine
A North Carolina class act...Jones Brothers Marine
JBM doesn’t intend to take over the world. They make a great product, targeted at a select consumer group, and offer it at a very competitive price. They are cautiously looking at other markets besides the Southeast / East Coast, but will not expand if it means sacrificing product integrity and customer service.
Over the next 3 -5 years, Donnie sees JBM focusing on two major areas: improving hull efficiency and fuel mileage, and continuing to reduce environmental impacts. With on-shore gas over $4.00 / gallon, and marina gas already in the $5.00 range, Donnie believes that fuel efficiency will be the single largest boating issue facing fishermen in the coming years.
He believes lighter, seaworthy boats that use smaller motors will be the key to meeting that challenge, and JBM is working on several projects in this area. One example of their efforts is a special order 1910 LT that is being built for a customer in Denmark. This boat will be 500 lbs lighter than the regular 1910 LT hull, and will only require a 115 hp motor, instead of a 150 hp. Not only will the boat have better fuel mileage, it can also be towed with a smaller vehicle.
But what about the apparent industry trend towards larger and larger outboards, with double- and triple- 250 HP outboards? "The people who buy those kinds of boats are not our customers", replied Donnie, "If they can spend that kind of money for a boat, they aren’t concerned about the price of fuel."
On the topic of reducing environmental impacts, Donnie sees closed-mold manufacturing of hulls as being the predominant technology within 5 years. JBM has been working on closed-mold manufacturing for 7 years now, but have not been able to get the costs to a level that they are happy with. "But we’re pretty close", he added. He also added that by this year, the EPA regulations for emissions from foam must be 0, so they will no longer be able to use PVC foam. They have been looking at polyurethane foams as a replacement.
So there you have it. Donnie Jones is clearly a man with a vision for his company. JBM makes a quality product that is tops in its class, and provides outstanding value. And they clearly demonstrate what is possible in the way of eco-friendly manufacturing if the company is committed to doing it.
If you are in the market for a great center-console fishing boat in the 18 - 26’ LOA range, you owe it to yourself to check out the Jones Brothers Marine lineup. They can be contacted at: 252-240-1995, or check out their website at: http://www.jonesbrothersmarine.com.
Page 5 of 5 pages for this article : « First < 3 4 5
