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History of Jensen's Boatyard
Albert built his first boat, a wooden sailboat, with his Dad (Benjamin) and brothers at Griffin Bay. It was completed in 1896. Albert graduated from Washington State College with an engineering degree and worked on steam ships around the sound. Later he returned to the island to build boats. Back in 1910, Friday Harbor was a newly incorporated town. With water transportation the number one way to travel between the islands and to the mainland, personal vessels were not only a hobby but also a practical means of commuting. Albert began taking orders not only for individual consumers but companies and the government as well. By 1945 he had built 100 or more boats and business was difficult to keep up with. The majority of his boats were wooden power boats, powered with gas engines (although some were steam engines) and between the lengths of 40 and 100 feet. He used his machine shop and building area for the construction and the grease ways system for hauling and launching boats. In 1940, Albert leased the yard to a consortium that held army contracts and needed a place to build. The consortium formed San Juan Shipyards and secured Albert’s son Nourdine to manage the construction. At the conclusion of the contract, Nourdine joined the Navy and was assigned to a ship repair unit as Motor Machinist. After his discharge in 1946 Nourdine returned to Friday Harbor and joined his father in Albert Jensen & Sons, Inc. After Albert died in 1958, Nourdine was well suited to run the yard on his own. With the war over, most boats were built for individuals. Some of the boats came with requested plans; Nourdine himself designed others. During Nourdine’s tenure at the yard, he has built an estimated 150+ boats, many of which are still cruising Puget Sound Waterways today. In the 1960’s, fiberglass boats were becoming very popular and abundant It no longer was cost effective for boaters to find a builder and chose a wooden boat over fiberglass. The number of skilled boat carpenters began to dwindle and so did the production of boats at Albert Jensen & Sons, Inc. Instead more focus was put on maintenance, repair, storage and moorage. In 1994 environmental regulations mandated that no bottom-wash water was to contact the ground or flow into the bay. So today all wash-off water is recycled and reused through our closed water shed system. Albert Jensen & Sons, Inc. operates under the Best Management Practices and all sanding or grinding is dust free by using vacuum sanders. You can still visit the railway today and parts of the operating controls although it is no longer active. For hauling and launching boats the yard now has a 35 ton Marine Travel Lift which hardly is at idle during the summer months. We haul about 400 boats a year, most of which are painted and zinced and back in the water in 2-3 days. Today, the yard has 30 covered permanent slips and dock space for about 45 other vessels. The machine and prop shops are still actively in use and the store is full of new (and old) merchandise. If you are looking for something quirky, Jensen’s just might have it stashed away somewhere. Nourdine still comes to work everyday and many of the crew are long-timers too. |
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Started by Albert Jensen in 1910, Albert Jensen & Sons, Inc. is the longest family owned business in San Juan County. Currently Albert’s son,