Sampson A Brown News

Arc Light Acquisition Adds Capabilities to Marine Compnay's Existing Services. San Diego marine hybrid systems pioneer Arc Lite Power, LLC has signed an agreement to purchase National City shipyard Knight & Carver Maritime, the companies announced today. The $30 million total investment will expand the capabilities of the combined companies to serve the emerging “green marine” market. Knight & Carver, a leading provider of marine construction and maintenance services since 1971, will continue its traditional offerings in addition to adding the operations of the world’s first global hybrid superyacht conversion and certification center. An interim operating agreement will allow combined operations to begin immediately. “The future has arrived for hybrid marine power,” said Sampson A.

San Diego's Knight & Carver YachtCenter recently hosted the re-launch party for Pilot, a vintage 1914 Pilot-boat. More than 200 members of the San Diego Maritime Museum, plus supporters, friends and civic leaders attended the invitation-only ceremony. The event was held on the docks of Knight & Carver, located along San Diego Bay, several miles south of the Coronado Bridge. "We're extremely proud to have been selected to host this historic event," said Sampson A. Brown, chief executive officer of Knight & Carver. The 52-ft. Pilot will officially join the museum's fleet and is scheduled to begin hosting school groups on educational voyages around San Diego Bay early this summer.

Knight & Carver YachtCenter has announced a new vessel contract to build a 72 ft. excursion catamaran for a popular destination resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Construction of the vessel has already begun, with completion slated for late 2002. The Vallarta Adventures IV will accommodate 149 passengers for diving, whale-watching and sight-seeing trips, Upon completion, it will be the third excursion catamaran Kight & Carver has built for the resort, Vallarta Adventures. “Knight & Carver has a long history of building sturdy, efficient and comfortable vessels for commercial passenger use,” said Sampson A. Brown, CEO of the company. Brown noted that the agreement to build the vessel, designed by Morrelli & Melvin of Newport Beach, Ca.

Knight & Carver YachtCenter has announced that Katherine (Kate) O'Neill has joined the company’s staff as a sales representative based in its Shelter Island (San Diego) satellite office. A native of Australia, O’Neill brings first-hand knowledge and experience in the yacht and charter cruising industries to Knight & Carver. Most recently, she owned and operated Sailing Tours.com, based in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, aboard the 65 ft. cutter "Nirvana." For the past four years, she coordinated private sailing tours aboard the vessel through an arrangement with Club Med Ixtapa and various five-star resorts in the region. Prior to that, O’Neill traveled the western coastal waters of the U.S. and Mexico aboard “Nirvana” for more than a year.

M/Y Ronin, the 192 ft. Lurssen owned by Oracle Corporation founder/CEO Larry Ellison, has arrived at Knight & Carver YachtCenter and is now undergoing a refit project scheduled for completion by August 2005. According to Captain Steven Bates, the project’s emphasis will be on extensive audio/visual and IT upgrades, cabinet carpentry throughout all state rooms, re-caulking of the teak decks and hull paintwork. A full-time crew of Knight & Carver’s talented tradesmen has been assigned to Ronin. The most subtantial portion of the project will be completed on Knight & Carver’s 300’ drive-on dock, with haul-out at nearby Knight & Carver’s partner, Southwest Marine. Knight & Carver’s Cliff Mayo is serving as project manager.

Walter Altmann, who brings more than 15 years of yachting industry experience in a variety of roles, has been hired by Knight & Carver YachtCenter as its on-staff naval architect and designer. Altmann spent the past two years with Hatteras Yachts in North Carolina, where he was in charge of new-product design. According to Sampson A. Brown, President/CEO of Knight & Carver, the addition of Altmann gives the boat-building and repair company its first full-time staff architect/designer in many years. Altmann has served as a naval architect, marine engineer and yacht broker. Prior to joining Hatteras, he spent three years at Cabo Yachts in Adelanto, CA, where he coordinated conceptual design for Cabo’s new models.

Knight & Carver YachtCenter has promoted Giovanni LoCoco to the newly created position of Vice President/Operations. The announcement was made by Sampson A. Brown, the boat-building company’s president/chief executive officer. LoCoco, who has been with Knight & Carver for 19 years, now oversees all three divisions – new-vessel construction, vessel repair/refits/repowers and wind-turbine blade manufacture and repair. A native San Diegan, Mr. LoCoco joined Knight & Carver as a carpenter in 1984. He has expertise in virtually every department of the company, including all phases of boat building, along with engineering, sales, marketing and business development.

Knight & Carver YachtCenter of San Diego announced a teaming agreement with Southwest Marine that provides Knight & Carver full use of Southwest Marine’s dry-dock facilities to service vessels of virtually unlimited tonnage. Under the agreement, Knight & Carver will be able to use Southwest Marine’s facilities for large-vessel haulouts, with Knight & Carver’s work crews working at Southwest Marine on an as-needed basis. The two companies are located several miles from each other along the San Diego bay front. The teaming agreement, made jointly by Knight & Carver President/CEO Sampson A. Brown and Southwest Marine Vice President/Commercial Marketing Alex Vinck, takes effect immediately.

M/Y Ronin, the 192 ft. Lurssen owned by Oracle Corporation founder/CEO Larry Ellison, has arrived at Knight & Carver Yacht Center and is now undergoing a refit project scheduled for completion by August 2005. According to Captain Steven Bates, the project's emphasis will be on extensive audio/visual and IT upgrades, cabinet carpentry throughout all state rooms, re-caulking of the teak decks and hull paintwork. A full-time crew of Knight & Carver's tradesmen has been assigned to Ronin. The most subtantial portion of the project will be completed on Knight & Carver's 300 ft. drive-on dock, with haul-out at nearby Knight & Carver's partner, Southwest Marine. Knight & Carver's Cliff Mayo is serving as project manager.