MacNaughtonGroup.com
Catalog Introduction

MacNaughtonGroup is a small closely held business started in 1968. From that date until April of 1989, our primary focus was on Naval Architecture, concentrating on the design of state-of-the-art offshore and liveaboard sailing yachts and boats for the home builder.

In the spring of 1989 we purchased a boatyard in Eastport, Maine and communism collapsed all over the world. We ran this yard until selling it in spring of 1999 when we found that our design business, MacNaughton Yacht Designs, and our school of yacht and small craft naval architecture,Yacht Design School started to exceed the profitability of the boat yard due to the 1997 launch of this website and our growing reputation in the industry.

For many years our catalog of stock designs was published from the boats on which some of us lived and worked.  For many years we have operated primarily from shore side offices.  As the number of people working with us has expanded and the collaborative possibilities of the Internet have expanded, it is now possible to operate from a combination of shoreside offices and onboard offices.  We are now developing a much broader marine publishing capability.  We are greatly expanding the catalog as we include new designs, a thorough explanation of our goods and services, and a healthy portion of our philosophy of boats. This should help you decide whether or not we are the best people to help you with your particular needs.

As multi-generation boat owners, long employed in the marine trades, we have a broad, balanced appreciation of boats and their applications. Our experience as offshore voyagers, liveaboards, and boat restorers has given us a profound respect for those vessels that are tough, reliable, and easy to maintain. As designers we have a great love of beauty and function, as they enhance each other in a successful creation. As former boatyard workers we admire competence and efficiency. As Maine natives we value craftsmanship, practicality, and honest business for their own sakes.

We believe that in most cases as boat owners gain experience they also gain values similar to our own. We cannot hope to sell something to everyone, or to win everyone's admiration for what we do. However, if you've been looking for designers, publishers or suppliers with the combination of values and services outlined above, we're probably the outfit for you.

We urge the reader to visit us, by sea if possible, as the Passamaquoddy Bay area (bisected by the Canadian border) is one of the last unspoiled, uncrowded cruising grounds in the U.S. It's well worth the trip. While the emphasis is on the natural beauty of our spectacular area, the yachtsman will find all necessary services and amenities to be close at hand.

By sea or by land, the Island City of Eastport is also a worthy destination. Eastport is unique in that it is very much a miniature city. It has Victorian brick buildings forming the downtown and streets laid out as a grid. The architecture is interesting and there is a good selection of restaurants, lodging, and shops. There is a busy commercial shipping port and an airport capable of handling anything up to a corporate jet. Nonetheless countryside and bay closely encircle it. It is so thinly populated and so unscarred that it is hard to believe it exists in the 20th century. This happy combination is reflected also in the people of Eastport, who as a rule are friendlier than city people and more cosmopolitan than country people. We find it a perfect place to live and do business, and recommend it highly.

Of course, if you cannot visit, we are still happy to hear from you and to assist you in any way. We remind the reader that advice by phone letter or email is always free.

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