Living and working in Homer means Bay Weld understands the environment its boats are launched into, hence the close attention to detail.

Secure welds are especially reassuring to any skipper heading out of Homer Harbor into tiny rock-lined bays, or farther out to the open ocean.

“The welds take really good welders, and we think ours are the best in the state if not in the United States,” says Bay Weld General Manager Brad Conley. “Only welders with years of experience and who are talented and skilled are allowed to do the welds.”

The company has built boats for Alaska State Troopers for twenty-one years. Aluminum hulls are the preference of Alaska Wildlife Troopers because of their longevity and low maintenance, according to Allen Engebretsen’s son Eric, who took over the business in 2009.

Two recently completed 35-foot patrol boats offer ample deck space with aft controls and a helm outfitted with the latest tech from Garmin and Yamaha for a versatile and reliable tool for operating in challenging conditions, the company says.

Aluminum arrives on container ships from California, Eric Engebretsen explains, and Bay Weld buys it from Alaska Steel Company, a full-line metal distributor servicing Alaska since 1982.

One decades-long fan of the company’s boats is my brother, Jim Lavrakas.

“For ten years I ogled and drooled at Bay Weld boats when they came to the Great Alaska Sportsman Show in Anchorage,” he says. “I loved the look of their aluminum boats, the sweeping gunnel, well-proportioned cabin, raked stern—and the teak ceiling was an elegant touch.”

First used as a pleasure boat for fishing in Kachemak Bay, his boat Skookum (“strong” in the Chinook language) also served as a fishing charter boat.

“People think they have to go to Seattle to get a boat built,” Conley says, “but we’re doing it right here in Alaska.” He estimates about 300 boats have been built in Homer over the last fifty years.

One recent batch joins a small but growing fleet in Southeast. Huna Totem Corporation approached Bay Weld to make whale watching passenger boats for its cruise ship destination at Icy Strait Point.

“Their Alaska expertise is very apparent in their design process of these vessels,” says Colleen Hickman, director of marine operations for the Hoonah village corporation. “They understand our waterways and the necessity of a tough vessel. The team is very dialed into what we need.”

The last of the eight passenger boats rolled out of the Bay Weld’s shop in April, joining the other seven for the 2024 cruise ship season. There are six 49-passenger vessels and two 149-passenger vessels in the Huna Totem fleet. With a total of 592 seats among them, the corporation expects to handle up to 2,200 passengers each day on whale watching tours.

The two 80-footers built for Huna Totem are the largest boats built in Homer.

This summer, Huna Totem will welcome 241 cruise ships from all major cruise lines that sail in Alaska, with approximately 520,000 passengers expected to visit Icy Strait Point, a defunct salmon cannery that the corporation has revived as a tourist destination. Whale watching excursions are offered during the port calls. The two-and-a-half-hour tour travels through the Point Adolphus area, home to Alaska’s largest population of humpback whales in the summer. Whale sightings are guaranteed or the company refunds the ticket. Whales have been spotted on every tour conducted since opening in 2004.

Supporting an Alaska-based business was important to Huna Totem when it turned to Bay Weld.

“As an Alaska Native business, it’s part of our values to work with other Alaska businesses when we can, and Bay Weld is a growing family business. They were hands-down who we wanted to work with,” says Icy Strait Point Senior Vice President Tyler Hickman. “If you walk around the Homer harbor, it’s jam-packed with Bay Weld boats. They’re high quality and they’re gorgeous. They have great attention to detail.”

To match the scenery around Icy Strait Point, Huna Totem sought a fleet of boats to match the splendor of the setting.

Engebretsen also emphasizes the connection to the uniqueness of the Alaska experience. “We’re Alaskan through and through, and we’re protecting Alaska with development opportunities here,” he says. “We’re extra proud of our product, of what we build and who we are as a company. We take care of our employees, and we’re forward thinking.”

Bay Weld’s growth is a result of Engebretsen and his father looking ahead.

“I’ve always wanted to pursue the next project of bigger, more complex builds,” Engebretsen says, but he notes that it rests on the limits of what Bay Weld can take on, whether it be manpower or work space.

For Conley, the pride in product grows every year with the latest order. “With bigger builds, we can show what we’re capable of constructing: custom boats with unique designs,” he says.

“Over the fourteen years we’ve owned Skookum, there have been times where upgrades and repairs were needed,” my brother says. “Eric was always responsive to my queries.” In his experience, Bay Weld doesn’t forget a boat once it’s out the door; the company continues to work with owners.

Hickman has seen the same attention with the Huna Totem fleet. “The Bay Weld team was so accommodating. They let us choose everything from the style of seats, how they’re laid out, the color, trim, everything. The design team gives you all of the options, and then they’re very open minded to changing things around,” she says.

The Bay Weld family also cannot pass up a good joke.

My brother tells me that he once walked into the Bay Weld office and noticed something was wrong. “We think we have a problem,” the Engebretsens told him. “We think we’ve under-powered your boat.”

Jim exclaimed, “But you said the Honda 250hp would push it fine!”

They took him into the shop to see Skookum up on blocks. “And on the stern, there hung a 15hp Elgin motor, an ancient thing all covered in barnacles and crud. I took a step back and then we all started laughing,” Jim says. “Allen said that Eric had pulled it in his crab pot and asked what he should do with it. Allen told him, ‘Well, Jim’s coming to town….’”