Big Thunder Marine has opened a customer-facing operation at Haulover Marine Center in North Miami, offering boat sales, brokerage and factory-certified marine service, according to Speed on the Water. The company described the site as an addition to its footprint, rather than a move from its Lake of the Ozarks base, the outlet reported.
The Haulover operation adds to Big Thunder Marine’s South Florida presence, which previously included PGA Marina and Boating Center in Palm Beach Gardens, according to Speed on the Water. That location included Fountain Powerboats, Donzi Marine and Baja Marine and was expected to focus mainly on Fountain center consoles and Donzi GTZs, with on-site and mobile service.
Haulover is now the location for all of Big Thunder Marine’s powerboat maintenance and service operations in South Florida, and the company serves customers who travel between the Midwest and Florida, Powerboat Nation reported. The outlet said four indoor service bays were nearing completion.
The center has 104,940 square feet of indoor space and five stories of dry-rack storage, according to Powerboat Nation. Published capacity figures vary: Speed on the Water reported space for more than 500 boats measuring 20 to 55 feet, while Haulover Marine Center’s website describes a 488-space dry-storage facility.
Boating and navigation context
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists Miami-Dade among Florida’s top five counties for vessel registrations, with 74,622. That county total provides a measure of the local boating base, but by itself does not show whether registrations have risen or fallen over time or establish demand for Big Thunder Marine’s services, according to FWC.
For Haulover Inlet, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s summary of the Bakers Haulover inlet management study recommends maintaining the navigation channel through dredging and placing the material on downdrift beaches, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
