Tucked into the southeast corner of Ventura Harbor, the Ventura Harbor Boatyard (VHBY) aims to serve vessels from all over the West Coast and Hawaii.

“We want to grow,” says the yard’s CEO and general manager, John Bridwell. “The yard has been in business for 30 years and was recently bought by new owners. I was at Gambol, in Long Beach, then I came over here.”

According to Bridwell, the Ventura yard has always had a strong connection to the commercial fishing industry. “I’d say commercial fishing vessels make up 70 to 80 percent of our customers,” he says, noting that the yard includes an offloading facility for squid boats and can handle 650 tons of squid a day.

VHBY can service a wide range of vessels. “We have a 220-ton Travelift for the big boats with a beam of up to 28 feet, and a 38-ton Travelift for the smaller boats,” says Bridwell, noting that boats come to the yard for all kinds of service. “We have a skilled team and offer mechanical services such as shaft work, hydraulics, and repowering. We work on steel, aluminum, fiberglass, and wood.” Bridwell notes that the yard has top-notch welders, electricians, and other technicians who can complete complex hull repairs, as well as hydraulic and electronic installations, and other specialized services.  “We don’t do the internals of the engines, but we have companies that we work with that are excellent at it.”

While VBHY allows owners to work on small boats, special arrangements have to be made on what the yard calls the large side. “We charge $250 a day on the large side,” says Bridwell. “It’s about $30 an hour.”

At 70 years old, Bridwell, who has been running boatyards since he was 16, brings a wealth of knowledge to Ventura. He was vice president and part-owner at Gambol, and sometimes brings Gambol people to the Ventura Harbor yard. “We had about five high-end carpenters at Gambol, and we’ll contract with one of them when we need their skill level.”  

Bridwell points out that the yard is looking to provide value to its customers, plenty of work for its employees, and a reasonable profit. “I like to help people. You see a fisherman who's trying to make a living, and you want to get his boat in good shape so he gets out and gets home.” He adds that the yard tries to prioritize fishing boats that have problems in the middle of a fishing season. “If they’re making a $150,000 a day for a short period of time, we try hard to get them back out fishing as fast as we can.”  

At present, the yard covers about five acres, and Bridwell hopes to expand. He notes that the yard can also do major conversions, such as sponsoning and lengthening boats. “We want to grow our facility, our customer base, and our employees,” he says. Offering value is how he hopes to accomplish that.