About Us
Northern Enterprises Boat Yard Inc., established in 1982, has continued to grow and expand its capabilities. We are currently developing an additional four acres of land to the north of the existing yard, designated for storing miscellaneous materials and equipment not related to vessels.
Our facility is equipped with three marine travel lifts for hauling and positioning vessels, supported by a comprehensive fleet of machinery, including two front-end loaders with forks, two water tankers, an 18-ton crane, a 50-ton crane, several hydraulic boat trailers, a small skid steer, a small forklift, a mobile man lift, two older crawlers, and various other specialized equipment. The yard also maintains a fleet of six pickup and light-duty trucks.
Fire protection is supported by two hydrants located along Kachemak Drive, an additional hydrant in the center of the yard, and a hookup behind the 200-foot main building. A staffed guard tower provides nightly security coverage, with personnel on duty eight hours per night, seven days a week, monitoring for fire, theft, and any other potential issues. Natural gas has replaced most of the diesel heating systems, with plans to phase out all remaining heating oil tanks in the near future.
The property is connected to city water and sewer services, though centralized restroom facilities are used as not all buildings currently have individual water and sewer access.
We maintain a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. Our team consistently monitors the yard for pollutants and educates customers on best practices to prevent contamination. While occasional minor spills are unavoidable in a facility serving hundreds of boats undergoing maintenance, any identified spots of oil or diesel are promptly treated with Aquazyme and left exposed to sunlight for proper remediation.
In the News
MAKing it: A growing Homer shipyard lifts the community
So much of the community and economy in Homer is intertwined with what happens on the water. There are the salmon seiners, the halibut charters, and the dive tenders that serve pipelines and utilities. But before the 1980s, it was difficult for larger boats — whether commercial or recreational — to dock or get serviced in Homer; the city didn’t have a boatyard for hauling such vessels in and out. Husband-and-wife team Ken and Snooks Moore started Northern Enterprises Boat Yard in 1981 to tap into the huge potential they saw to support the local marine industry.
Northern Enterprises Boat Yard Undergoes Major Expansion
As a thriving boat repair and maintenance facility with a 40-year history, Homer, Alaska-based Northern Enterprises Boat Yard has periodically undergone expansion and infrastructure improvements. But the 35-acre boatyard, which is located about 220 miles south of the state’s capital and biggest city, Anchorage, has never faced as massive a project as the one completed in the past few months.
Northern Enterprise Boat Yard in Homer expands business
Located on Kachemak Drive, the boatyard currently operates a 75-metric-ton travel lift, but is installing a new machine that will extend the carry weight to 220 metric tons, and is constructing a new dock, which will allow much larger vessels to be raised from Kachemak Bay.
Our History
Two acres on the bluff of Kachemak Bay were bought in 1967. In 1972 a house trailer was brought in and land was being cleared to build a house.
In 1975 the 11 acres across Kachemak Dr was purchased and a house was built on the two acres, on Kachemak Bay. On the left is what will be the entrance to Northern Enterprises boat yard.
Three 50 x 100 butler steel buildings were built to explore the market for building rentals in the Homer area and also serve as a lot to store crab pots and other fishing gear.
Northern Enterprises boat yard starts. By 1982, the decision had been made to make it a dry land marina. A 95-foot dock was built, electricity and fabric laid down and gravel covered most of the 11 acres. At that time a building 50 by 200 feet was built to better work with boat work and 3 mini storage buildings added.
15 acres of land was purchased from Jim Calkins for much needed expansion.
5 acres of fabric, Electoral, and gravel fill have been added. For the first fill on the new property.
Another 5 acres of fabric, underground electrical, and gravel fill are added to the yard.
Several buildings have been added since 1991. This view is toward Homer at the corner of East end road and Kachemak Dr. The boat yard is on left center. There is now about 25 acres under gravel fill.
This aerial picture was taken in 2002. Several more buildings have been added and an acre or so of gravel fill in the back-right corner of the yard.
Buildings on the bluff above Kachemak Bay are (left to Right) boat repair shop rental. Owners home and Northern Enterprises Boat yard office. Property line is between office (lite colored roof and green roofed house facing the bay.