THE BOAT BUILDER CENTRAL STORY
Boat Builder Central is for people who want a project worth their time.
The company began in 1987 when Jacques Mertens Goossens, then owner of Morgans Diesel and Marine, started making professional boat plans and engineering services available online. At a time when the internet was still new, Boat Builder Central became one of the first marine businesses to use it as a way to share plans, knowledge, and real-world boatbuilding experience with builders around the world.
By the early 1990s, builders could view study plans, see photos of completed boats, and order plans online. What started as a technical resource quickly became a trusted place for people who wanted to build their own boats but needed clear guidance and reliable designs.
Over the years, Boat Builder Central grew alongside the community it served. The focus remained the same: support the person doing the work. Not just with plans, but with practical information, shared knowledge, and access to real help when questions came up.
Today, Boat Builder Central is owned and operated by Reid McCree and his wife, Jami. Reid is a boat builder himself, using the same plans and methods offered through the site. That hands-on experience continues the original mission of the company: to make boat building approachable, practical, and achievable for people who want to build something real.
Based in South Florida, Boat Builder Central offers professionally engineered boat plans along with carefully selected marine products through trusted partners. Builders also have access to a deep library of how to articles, tutorials, and shared experience built over decades.
For many, building a boat is more than a project. It is time well spent. It is focus. It is craftsmanship. It is something you can point to and say, I built that.
DON'T BUY ONE. BUILD ONE.
