Hunter 27 the EDGE, Руководство оператора

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4. BRIEF HISTORY
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WARREN R. LUHRS
HUNTER MARINE’S OWNER AND FOUNDER
Warren Luhrs was born in East Orange, New Jersey in
1944 into a family with an established tradition in the
maritime and transportation Industries. His great-
grandfather, Henry, was a railroad and clipper-shipping
pioneer in America, while his great-uncle John helped
build the famous St. Petersburg to Moscow railroad for
Czar Alexander II.
Henry Luhrs owned shares in twenty-two different ocean-
going vessels – barks, brigs, and schooners - and was
the principal owner of the bark Sophia R. Luhrs, named
for his wife. He was also a partner with Albert Sprout, who
managed the shipyard where the Sophia R. Luhrs was
built in Melbridge, Maine.
Warren Luhrs’ father, Henry, worked at a small boat
manufacturer in Morgan, New Jersey, and later started
his own company, continuing the Luhrs’ family sea
tradition during the great depression. During World War II
he repaired boats and installed ice sheathing on the bows
for the Coast Guard.
After the War, Henry built 27-foot fishing boats and in
1948 began to construct custom-built pleasure craft. He
then turned to skiffs and in 1952 incorporated as Henry
Luhrs Sea Skiffs, where he constructed lapstrake sea
skiffs using assembly-line techniques. Henry personally
“shook down” his prototypes on family trips up the
Hudson River to Lake Champlain.
The sea skiff is a class of boat that has been very
popular, owing to its seaworthiness. It features a sharp
bow, which reduces pounding in surf or choppy seas, and
a hull whose forward section is rounded below the
waterline to increase stability in rough water or a following
sea. Such skiffs can either be smooth sided or of a
lapstrake construction.
Inspired by Henry Ford, Henry Luhrs aimed to give the
average man the opportunity to enjoy the luxury of
boating by building an affordable and reliable boat. He
was both designer and engineer, and his progressive new
models exhibited his talent for innovation. He successfully
changed the line of the bow from straight to curve at a
time when the industry trend was a straight square effect,
and he is believed to be the first designer-builder to
popularize a small boat with a fly bridge.
In 1960, Luhrs acquired the Ulrichsen Boat Company of
Marlboro, New Jersey. It was here that Luhrs’ Alura
fiberglass division was located. In 1965, Henry sold his
company to Bangor Arrostook Railroad, which was to
become the recreational conglomerate Bangor-Punta. It
was also during this period that Silverton of Tom’s River,
New Jersey was purchased by John and Warren Luhrs.
Today, Warren R. Luhrs and his brother John own the
Luhrs Group of marine manufacturers, which consists of
Silverton Marine, Mainship Motor Yachts, and Luhrs
Fishing Boats with its Alura division, as well as Hunter
Marine, which exclusively manufactures sailboats.
In January of 1996, the Luhrs family transferred a portion
of the Luhrs Group to its employees through an ESOP
program.