HOT OFF THE PRESS
Twin Vee Is BACK!
by Thatch Maguire
(reprinted with permission; originally published in Coastal Angler Magazine, January 2010)

Twin Vee is BACK!  The U.S. Bankruptcy Court recently transferred all Twin Vee Boats Inc. assets to its original owner and founder Roger Dunshee.  The Twin Vee facility in Fort Pierce, Florida, has reopened the boat manufacturer's doors after being closed for almost a year.

The business will be operating under a new name, Twin Vee Catamarans, Inc. and is no longer associated with the Tampa-based investment firm Stonehenge Capital Co. that had filed the bankruptcy.  Dunshee sold his majority share in the company in late 2003 to Stonehenge Capital and in June 2004, Stonehenge Capital took over control of Twin Vee's operations.

There is an undeniable excitement in the air at the Twin Vee, Ft. Pierce facility.  In an interview, Roger Dunshee said, "It feels great to be back home.  Over twenty Treasure Coast employees have been rehired to work at the plant, and our plans are to hire a total of 100 workers over the next four years."  Twin Vee began in 1994 as a Miami-based business and moved to Port St. Lucie in 1997.  Twin Vee bought a former Loew's site at US1 and Edward Road in Ft. Pierce in May 2003 and moved production there.

Dunshee said he worked with the courts for the past year to buy Twin Vee's assets, including boat moldings, trademarks, fabrication and trade secrets.  According to Dunshee, "It was a very, very exhaustive process to go through.  Other people wanted to buy the assets and take it out of the state.  One by one we got the suitors eliminated and we were ultimately able to preserve the company and the jobs here."

Long regarded as one of the most stable and fuel efficient vessels in the Cat family, Twin Vee's following had give them and Industry Leader status almost immediately from the initial production of their original 14-foot model.  The company has about 80,000 square feet of workspace in Fort Pierce and produces 10- to 36-foot fiberglass Twin Vee boats that range from $10,000 to $280,000.