JULY 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 23
WHOLLY MOLI
STEIGER CRAFT
LI’S LAST BOAT BUILDER
BY BRIANNA KOVIT
Years ago, Long Island superstar Billy
Joel commuted from Oyster Bay into
Manhattan on a one-of-a-kind 23-foot
inboard boat. It’s no surprise that,
today, Steiger Craft, the company that
built and sold the boat to him, sails
strong as the last major boat-building
operation on LI.
When Alan Steiger founded his Bellport
based company in 1972, he wasn’t
looking to sell boats to the likes of Billy
Joel — he just wanted to avoid working
for his family’s baking business. More
interested in clams than cupcakes,
Steiger knew his career would cater to
the sea, not the kitchen. Alas, he found
his niche in constructing fishing boats.
“We never really tried to be the biggest
boat company in the world,” Steiger told
The Fisherman Magazine. “We’re just
trying to be the best boat company
in the world for what we do.”
Originally, Steiger was building
boats intended only for
commercial
fishermen but soon realized that he
could cater to sport fishermen as well.
Essentially, every fisherman wants the
same thing — a boat that drifts well, has
a stable platform, and can withstand
some ice in the wintertime.
Steiger’s secret? Fiberglass. A nonbiodegradable
material, fiberglass hulls
cannot break. It’s the reason Steiger has
never needed to pay a dime in warranty.
These boats have never failed.
Steiger Craft has managed to stay at
the top of its industry because, in
addition to their boats’ top-of-the-line
structure, they are always evolving.
By the mid-1990s, the company was
designing deep-V hulls that brought
their inventory from
boats only suitable
for the shallow
waters of the
bay to full recreational
ocean
fishing capabilities.
“We’re making changes
every year to all of our boats,”
Steiger told Soundings Online.
“We recently changed the freeboard
on the 21, 23, and 25, and now
we’re changing the freeboard on the
28 and 31.”
Steiger Craft prides itself on the fact that
all its construction is done by hand. In
that way, this business has an old-fashioned
feel. But its use of the latest materials,
technologies, and engineering
show that this boat maker is anything
but behind.
Steiger Craft's 21 DV Miami.
55575 Main Road, Southold
55575 Main Road, Southold
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