Decks are stacked for boat builders.

• Position: Interview

Boat builders and related manufacturers employ more than 20,000 in North Carolina. Consumers here spent about $446.8 million on boats and boating products in 2003, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. The state's industry is growing, Mike Bradley says, and is attracting companies to North Carolina. Bradley is director of Marine Trades Services for the Small Business and Technology Development Center, part of the University of North Carolina system.

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BNC: How big is the boating industry here?

Bradley: North Carolina has about 3,000 businesses that fall into six sectors: boating service, marine construction such as docks and boathouses, marinas and boatyards, boat sales, boat-construction products and boat building. The growth is in boat-construction products and services and in boat builders, of which there are more than 120.

Can you put a dollar value on the sectors?

No. With one exception, the companies are privately held. Of all boats made in North Carolina, we know the value to be in excess of $200 million a year. More than $100 million of that is custom sport-fishing boats.

How much has boat building grown?

When I started as director in 1990, I could find about 75 boat builders. Since then, we've seen several major boat builders come into the state: Mako, SeaCraft, Rampage, Cruisers, Tiara and Fineline. These six alone employ a little more than 1,000 people. Then you have custom builders that are small--anywhere from five to 30 people. Those companies have started from within the state. About 10 have started since 1990.

What types of boats are made here?

Most are fiberglass recreational boats. Fiberglass boats range from 16- and 17-footers that cost $20,000 to 24-foot family boats that cost $30,000 to $60,000 to Hatteras Yachts' 100-foot fiberglass boat--the biggest boat built in North Carolina--that costs more than $6 million.

What does the state excel at?

The best-known boats out of North Carolina are sport-fishing boats. To give you an idea how big this sector is: There are more than 17 custom sport-fishing boat builders in the Manteo, Wanchese and Mann Harbor area. They currently have under construction more than 30 boats over 55 feet long that have a retail value approaching $60 million. These are small companies that are building two to 10 vessels at a time. The majority of them are backlogged for one to three years.

Why sport-fishing boats?

Our boats win major national fishing...