<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=874404503831143&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to main content
Barletta Boats

By: Barletta Boats on December 20th, 2018

Print/Save as PDF

Barletta Pontoon Boats Builds and Ships Boat #1000 in First Year

Press Releases

Bristol, IN -- Barletta Pontoon Boats, located in Bristol, IN, has met and exceeded their company goal of building and shipping one-thousand pontoon boats in their inaugural year of production. The one-thousandth pontoon boat was a Barletta E-Class 24U which features the wildly popular ultra-lounge seating configuration.  Lewis Boats, Inc., located in St. Peters, MO, will have the boat on display and for sale at the St. Louis Boat Show coming up in January of 2019.

Aggressive, yet attainable, the goal that was shared with their current dealer network, dealer prospects, and select industry insiders was generally dismissed as unachievable given current workforce and supply chain constraints. But, as has been the case since Barletta’s beginnings in June of 2017, they continue to turn non-believers into believers.

“It’s been an extremely gratifying roller-coaster ride,” stated Bill Fenech, President and Co-Owner of Barletta Pontoon Boats. “When we started in 2017, they said we couldn’t have a production boat ready by January 1, 2018. But we did it. They said we couldn’t build a boat that stood out from the “sea-of-sameness” in the marine industry, but we did and were awarded a 2018 Innovation Award by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). And they said there would be no way we would be able to build and ship 1,000 boats in our first year of production. We’re here to tell you that we have accomplished that goal, too.”

Barletta seemingly came out of nowhere, but has quickly transformed into company that has captured the attention of competitors, dealers and the boating community as a whole. Featuring a unique customer-focused/dealer centric approach that Fenech brought with him from his 30+ years of experience in the RV industry, Barletta has amassed a dealer network that is arguably the envy of the industry including one 2018 Boating Industry Hall of Fame dealer inductee, four 2018 Boating Industry special recognition dealers, and twenty-two Boating Industry Top 100 Dealer award recipients. And they haven’t stopped there. Recently, Barletta signed their first international dealer with Walkers Point Marine in Ontario, CA.

“Could we have built more than 1,000 boats in our first year? Absolutely,” said Gene Chastain, VP of Manufacturing & Operations.  “We have the workforce. We could have sacrificed quality. We could have skipped our independent pre-delivery inspection and short-cutted the process. But then we wouldn’t be building Barletta Pontoon Boats. We’ve built 1,000 pontoon boats of the highest quality this industry has seen in a long time. We won’t chase numbers just to feed our egos.”

“This team has worked their tails off over the past year-and-a-half to build, what we believe to be, a spectacular product, culture and company,” continued Jeff Haradine, Vice President of Sales at Barletta. “It gives a sense of accomplishment to achieve this goal, but it’s really just a small step towards our ultimate goal of being the best manufacturer in the industry. We’ll celebrate the day we see boat #1000 roll off our property, but then it will be back to work in the morning.”

Build your dream Barletta online.

###

About Barletta Pontoon Boats:  Offering a customer-focused/dealer-centric approach, Barletta Pontoon Boats brings a unique approach to the marine industry. Barletta is partnered with Mercury Outboards and Yamaha Outboards. Learn more about Barletta and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

It's a common misconception that pontoon boats can't handle big, open bodies of water. That pontoons are just meant for putzing around a calm...

It’s been a common misconception that pontoon boats can’t handle the ocean or any big bodies of water. The Times They Are A-Changin'!

Big water can seem a little intimidating, but don’t sweat it! Arm yourself with everything there is to know about boating on those rough waters. 

Something you probably think: the best time to buy a pontoon is in the spring, right before summer starts. Nope! Surprisingly, one of the best times...

Sunshine and boating – two things that go hand in hand. Naturally, sunscreen comes into play. But here's the kicker: sunscreen and boat seats? Not a...

If you love warm weather, spending time with friends and family, and being by the water, you have come to the right place! A pontoon would be a great...

Summer is back and the excitement of the boating season has returned. Through the excitement, there’s always a bit of panic the first time something...

As we all know, there are hacks for almost anything and everything you do in life. There are a million different cooking hacks, thousands of crafting...

Designing your own Barletta with all the colors and options you want can be exciting. Though, it can also be overwhelming. How are you supposed to...

Deciding on what brand and type of boat you want can be a daunting task. With the many boat manufacturers that exist today, it’s not always easy to...