Savannah Boat Works

North Carolina’s Savannah Boat Works has a new four-model lineup with a plethora of features and details to like, especially in a smaller and economical package.

The series includes an SS19, SS21, 190 IS, and 220 IS. All of the boats have Savannah’s signature hybrid hull — part deep-V, part skiff — that makes these vessels ideal for inshore cruising, even when the wind kicks up and it gets a little snotty.

“These are great family-priced boats,” says Savannah’s founder Keith Sanders. “And they’re not only affordable, they’re easy to operate and unsinkable as well, plus we use very thick fiberglass to make them sturdy on the water. Our biggest thing at Savannah is price point and quality, that’s what we strive for.”

To that end, the new line of boats ranges from $40,000 at the entry point, up to $99,000 at the top end. Each dealership offers full financing, with ten-percent down with follow-up payments over a 36-month period. And many of the Savannah dealers will throw a free trailer in on the deal as well. That means a prospective buyer could potentially walk into a Savannah dealership, pick out a boat, go get a cup of coffee, and come back to find a boat on a trailer for him waiting to be taken home. In that sense, Savannah is very much selling a small slice of the American Dream.

Another way that Savannah is fostering a sense of optimism for Americans from all walks of life is through a prison-release deal it has worked out with the state of North Carolina. The company brings aboard non-violent offenders and teaches them how to build boats, with the potential for full-time employment later on, in an effort to keep recidivism rates low, and working-class people healthy, happy and busy. The system is a true boon for everyone involved, including the former inmates, the builder, Savannah’s customers and society at large. And what’s not to like about that?