In early 2023, the team at Bradford Marine approached Yamaha dealer Parker Yacht to repower a custom boat built for shuttling people and parts between the Central, East, and West yards that make up Bradford Marine Fort Lauderdale. They chose twin Yamaha F90 outboards, a decision that has already paid off in spades for the business.
Bradford Marine is quite the operation in South Florida. Founded in 1966 as a family-owned yacht marina, repair and maintenance service provider, the company has grown into a trusted leader in the yacht community. Now owned by father/son team John and Michael Kelly, Bradford Marine now has locations in Fort Lauderdale, and Freeport, Grand Bahama. With 19,000 linear feet of in-water dockage across 38 acres in Fort Lauderdale, it is one of the largest in South Florida and a one-stop-shop for all yacht owners, offering maintenance, repair, hauling/blocking/launching services, custom refits, personalized support, and short- and long-term dockage. The Bradford Marine family of companies also includes High Seas Technology, specializing in advanced marine electronics and navigation, and P&R Canvas, experts in marine canvas design, manufacturing, and installation.
Needless to say, Bradford Marine is a bustling business with a great need for parts transfer between locations.
“When we built our transport boat, we originally had different outboards on the back, and we just were not getting the power we needed to haul the heavy parts between locations,” said Mike Monson, Bradford Marine’s Dockmaster. “This is a boat that needs to run at least eight hours a day with a good deal of punch. We called Parker and switched our outboards to Yamaha F90s with bigger propellers. The result has been incredible.”
Within only two years, the Bradford Marine team put 4,800 hours on the outboards, which are still generating optimal daily performance*.
“We make 20-to-40 trips between our Central, East, and West yards on a regular day and run the outboards more than eight consecutive hours, generally between 18 and 200 rpms. That’s a lot of daily use,” said Bradford Marine Captain Jason Deneen. “With these two F90s, we have better maneuverability and greater stopping power. That means when the boat is loaded down with parts and people, it’s easier to stop and it’s also easier to get going. Overall, we now have better reliability and performance in every way. The current around our East yard can be an issue and with these outboards, we can navigate that current without putting higher PRM pressure on the outboard.”
Parker Yacht takes care of the maintenance of the outboards for Bradford Marine, which entails a basic monthly oil change and standard service.
“I stand by Yamaha big time,” said Captain Deneen. “My personal boats have Yamaha power, and I think there’s a good reason you see Yamaha outboards on so many boats in Florida. The availability of parts is good, and they are easy to maintain with basic regular service. There’s something to be said about the ability to maneuver around a $20 million yacht without hitting it – the confidence these Yamahas give us on the water allows us to do our jobs to the best of our ability.”
*Results are based on commercial use and may vary for traditi Back to Blue Life
Bradford Marine is quite the operation in South Florida. Founded in 1966 as a family-owned yacht marina, repair and maintenance service provider, the company has grown into a trusted leader in the yacht community. Now owned by father/son team John and Michael Kelly, Bradford Marine now has locations in Fort Lauderdale, and Freeport, Grand Bahama. With 19,000 linear feet of in-water dockage across 38 acres in Fort Lauderdale, it is one of the largest in South Florida and a one-stop-shop for all yacht owners, offering maintenance, repair, hauling/blocking/launching services, custom refits, personalized support, and short- and long-term dockage. The Bradford Marine family of companies also includes High Seas Technology, specializing in advanced marine electronics and navigation, and P&R Canvas, experts in marine canvas design, manufacturing, and installation.
Needless to say, Bradford Marine is a bustling business with a great need for parts transfer between locations.
“When we built our transport boat, we originally had different outboards on the back, and we just were not getting the power we needed to haul the heavy parts between locations,” said Mike Monson, Bradford Marine’s Dockmaster. “This is a boat that needs to run at least eight hours a day with a good deal of punch. We called Parker and switched our outboards to Yamaha F90s with bigger propellers. The result has been incredible.”
Within only two years, the Bradford Marine team put 4,800 hours on the outboards, which are still generating optimal daily performance*.
“We make 20-to-40 trips between our Central, East, and West yards on a regular day and run the outboards more than eight consecutive hours, generally between 18 and 200 rpms. That’s a lot of daily use,” said Bradford Marine Captain Jason Deneen. “With these two F90s, we have better maneuverability and greater stopping power. That means when the boat is loaded down with parts and people, it’s easier to stop and it’s also easier to get going. Overall, we now have better reliability and performance in every way. The current around our East yard can be an issue and with these outboards, we can navigate that current without putting higher PRM pressure on the outboard.”
Parker Yacht takes care of the maintenance of the outboards for Bradford Marine, which entails a basic monthly oil change and standard service.
“I stand by Yamaha big time,” said Captain Deneen. “My personal boats have Yamaha power, and I think there’s a good reason you see Yamaha outboards on so many boats in Florida. The availability of parts is good, and they are easy to maintain with basic regular service. There’s something to be said about the ability to maneuver around a $20 million yacht without hitting it – the confidence these Yamahas give us on the water allows us to do our jobs to the best of our ability.”
*Results are based on commercial use and may vary for traditi Back to Blue Life