With 104,940 square feet of indoor space and five stories worth of dry-rack storage, Haulover Marine Center of North Miami defines massive. It can accommodate more than 500 boats from 20 to 55 feet long. And it’s a short run to Haulover Inlet, a channel between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean made famous—or infamous—by an endless stream of boating mishap videos.
General manager Martin Sanborn is getting out the word on the new operation.
And now is the new home for all Big Thunder Marine powerboat maintenance and service operations in South Florida. Marine industry veteran Martin Sanborn, who has been with the Missouri-based dealership for a year and managed service operations at Fountain Powerboats in the early part of his career, is running the show.
Though Sanborn and master engine-service technician Rob Wynne are still putting the finishing touches on their four indoor service bays, the front of the house—to borrow from the restaurant world—is open for business.
“Our goal is to bring the same level of Big Thunder Marine service at the Lake of the Ozarks to South Florida,” Sanborn explained yesterday as he led a reporter on a tour of the facility. “We have a huge customer base that goes back and forth between the Midwest and Florida. Haulover Marine Center is great on many levels, from the facility itself to the ease of getting on the water, and everybody knows about it.”
Big Thunder Marine created an inviting environment for its service customers.
Owned by Miami-Dade County, the Haulover Marine Center facility is managed by Suntec Marinas, which in turns leases space to Big Thunder Marine, as well as MTI and Midnight Express for their concierge service operations. Big Thunder has transformed what was a less-than-attractive storefront—think roll-up doors—into a modern office with a lounge-like atmosphere.
Sanborn said he plans to adds service technicians as the business grows.
“I have another great tech waiting in the wings when we need him,” he explained. “But our biggest push right now is marketing. We’ve done zero. That’s about to change.”
The service bays are almost complete.