Sea Ray saying goodbye to Merritt Island: nearly 400 jobs will be gone

Wayne T. Price | Florida Today

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Sea Ray closing all of its Merritt Island operations Sea Ray, unable to find a seller, closing its Merritt Island facilities.

MERRITT ISLAND Sea Ray Boats, as part of a massive restructuring, is closing its two operations on Merritt Island which will leave 380 people jobless.

News of the closing came Monday as parent company, the Brunswick Corp., announced it was no longer trying to sell its high-end Sea Ray brand but instead would "retrain and revitalize" it.

Headquartered in Mettawa, Illinois, Brunswick's brands also include Mercury and Mariner outboard engines and Bayliner, Boston Whaler and Meridian boats.

A Brunswick spokesman said the company will wind down operations on Merritt Island in third quarter, which runs July through September. Sea Ray's Palm Coast facility in Flagler County will close shortly.

"In connection with the orderly wind down of activity in Sykes Creek and Palm Coast, the Merritt Island Sea Ray engineering facility will be consolidated with Boston Whaler engineering to form an industry-leading Brunswick Fiberglass Boat Technology Center, based in Edgewater," said Daniel Kubera, a Brunswick spokesman. "The blending the talents of these organizations will strengthen the Brunswick Boat Group’s overall capabilities and serve the needs of our fiberglass brands. Our goal to make the Brunswick Fiberglass Boat Technology Center the most formidable of its kind in the industry."

Some Merritt Island Sea Ray employees may have job opportunities within Brunswick's boat division.

"Those with the right experience and willingness to potentially relocate or change job locations will be considered for the jobs," Kubera said. "We deeply appreciate the dedication and commitment of our employees, and we will help them through this transition."

Sea Ray has a long history with Brevard County, often testing its watercraft on Sykes Creek.

The employment at Sea Ray's locally tended to fluctuate with the boating industry and the economy as Sea Ray's impressive boats were seen as a luxury in many circles.

Contact Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Fla2dayBiz.

Support local journalism: Sign up for a special summer sale offer for new subscribers at floridatoday.com/subscribe.