Saugatuck, Michigan  ·  Since 1967

Wooden Boats,
Restored To Outlast
Their First Owners.

Full off-frame restoration for Chris-Craft, Century, Hacker-Craft and Riva runabouts — on the water in Saugatuck, Michigan, since 1967. Featured on the Travel Channel's Extreme Yachts.

Talk To A Restorer See Recent Work
Est. 1967 Featured: Travel Channel Best in Class — Keels & Wheels 2012
Restored mahogany runabout with brass fittings at night
Our Shop

Fifty-Eight Years On
The Same Shoreline.

Macatawa Bay Boat Works has restored classic wooden runabouts since 1967, working out of the same shop on the shore of Lake Michigan in Saugatuck. Full off-frame restorations, hand-fit hull planking, marine-grade upholstery and correct-to-original brightwork — the kind of work that puts a boat back on the show field, not just back in the water.

We recently rebuilt our finish room from the ground up, with a new dust-filtration system, so every coat of varnish goes on in a controlled space — the same discipline that earned a 1969 Riva Aquarama a Best in Class win at the Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance.

1967
Founded On Macatawa Bay
Best in Class
Keels & Wheels Concours, 2012
Travel Channel
Featured on Extreme Yachts
Classic Boating
Cover Feature, Jan/Feb 2013
What We Do

Four Trades. One Shop.

I.

Premium Restorations

Full off-frame rebuilds — hull planking, structural work and correct-to-original finish, for Chris-Craft, Century, Hacker-Craft, Garwood and Riva.

II.

Marine-Grade Leather

Period-correct interior upholstery, hand-fit to the original pattern — the detail that separates a driver from a show boat.

III.

Marine Engines & Installation

Engine sourcing, rebuilding and installation matched to the era and class of the boat, done in-house alongside the restoration.

IV.

Custom Inboard Trailers

MBBW Classic Trail trailers, built to carry a finished restoration the way it deserves to travel.

The Finish Room.
Coat by coat.

Every hull gets its final finish by hand, in a dust-filtered room built for exactly this — scroll to watch a coat go on.

Progress
The Craft

Fit By Hand,
Not By Machine.

A wooden runabout is built from hundreds of hand-fit pieces — planking, ribs, brightwork, brass hardware — each one shaped to a hull that has already moved slightly with age. There is no template for that. It comes from doing it for decades.

  • Structural hull work matched to the boat's original construction method
  • Hardware re-plated or sourced correct to the model year
  • Brokerage viewing by appointment for boats ready to sell
Craftsman marking mahogany with a brass bevel gauge Brass cleat and line on varnished mahogany deck

Recent Restorations.

A few of the boats that have come through the shop — every one restored to run, not just to look finished.

1988
Riva Special AquaramaNew arrival — full restoration underway
In The Shop
1969
Riva AquaramaBest in Class, Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance, 2012
Award Winner
1939
Chris-Craft 19' Custom BarrelbackFull off-frame restoration
Completed
1930
Hacker-Craft Triple Cockpit RunaboutFull off-frame restoration
Completed
1910
Pettersson 35' LaunchFeatured, Classic Boating Magazine, Jan/Feb 2013
Press Feature
Get In Touch

Bring Us Your Boat.

Restorations, marine-grade upholstery, engine work, custom trailers or brokerage — call, email, or stop by the shop on S. Maple Street.

Email Sales@mbbw.com
Shop
297 S. Maple Street
Saugatuck, MI 49453
Phone
(269) 857-4556
Toll Free 1-877-636-MBBW
Email
sales@mbbw.com
Brokerage
Viewing by appointment only