Expansion into Harbor Tug sector helps Master Boat Builders nearly double in size, from 200 to 400 employees building eight to nine vessels per year, and the prospect of a new drydock
Expansion into Harbor Tug sector helps Master Boat Builders nearly double in size, from 200 to 400 employees building eight to nine vessels per year, and the prospect of a new drydock plus additional partnerships and government construction contracts promises to power the company forward further, faster. Garrett Rice, President, Master Boat Builders, discussed the impetus for the company’s growth, and the growth in U.S. shipbuilding overall since the start of 2025 when President Trump made industrial revitalization and shipbuilding a priority.
When Garrett Rice walks through the gates of Master Boat Builders (MBB) each morning in Coden, Alabama, he’s not just clocking into work, he’s continuing a family legacy that began nearly half a century ago. Founded by his father in the late 1970s, the family-owned shipyard has grown from a small Gulf Coast operation a busy dynamic tugboat builders. Today, under Garrett’s leadership, MBB is on a trajectory of rapid expansion, doubling its workforce, ramping up production, and positioning itself to play a larger role in a resurgent U.S. shipbuilding industry.
Bayou Beginnings
“Coden, Alabama is as far south in Mobile County as you can get,” Rice said. “It’s a small bayou, but it’s home.” That humble
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