Allen Marine: 2011 ABM Contractor of the Year.

• Author: Stricker, Julie
• Position: BUILDING ALASKA SPECIAL SECTION

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Minutes after U.S. Airways Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River in January 2009, boats from the U.S. Coast Guard and New York ferry system surrounded the plane, plucking all 155 aboard to safety. Although it happened thousands of miles from Alaska, it was Alaskan ingenuity that played a role in the success of the rescues.

About half of the boats involved in the rescue were designed and built in Sitka, by Allen Marine Inc. The fast, highly maneuverable ferries were built specifically for New York Waterways, which carries 35,000 passengers daily across New York's congested rivers and harbors. Their design showcases Allen Marine's specialty, which is designing and building boats to meet the specific demands of their owners. Over its 40-year history, Allen Marine has built one-of-a-kind boats for tourism in Southeast, commuters in crowded cities, ocean-based petroleum exploration and to ferry workers to remote job sites.

In the process, the family owned company has pioneered many improvements in Alaska water travel, such as a four-engine/four-jet catamaran that ferried workers to Greens Creek Mine three times a day for 10 years without missing a trip. It builds structural components such as bridges, ramps and floats. Allen Marine recently designed and built a custom shallow-draught floating drydock that can be towed to areas in rural Alaska lacking drydock facilities, creating the potential for new jobs and industries in remote regions.

"He's probably built more boats in Alaska than anyone," John Litten, owner of Sitka Tours said of company founder Bob Allen. "There is an incredible difference in styles, from riverboats they can bolt together and go up rivers to the catamarans in New York."

FAMILY BUSINESS

The family owned company, started by Bob and Betty Allen in 1967, is powered by Bob Allen's favorite saying, "Just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean we can't do it."

Allen had no formal engineering training, but he was an experienced boat operator and was very observant, Litten said.

"He's always had ideas," Litten said. Allen first used wooden boats bought from Seattle to take tourists on trips to Silver Bay, but constantly talked about building a big boat that would be more comfortable for tourists and offer better wildlife viewing opportunities.

Litten said Allen took the original plans for a wooden boat and modified them to meet his exacting specifications, with wider passageways and bubble...