Sea Ray Celebrates More Than 50 Years In Merritt Island

Merritt Island is home to many successful businesses, several of them involved in space exploration and tourism, but there is one remarkable company that just celebrated 50 years in another globally recognized field – Sea Ray brand of boats in the marine industry.

Sea Ray first made its home in Florida when it set up a design and development department in 1972. The Merritt Island facility was established the following year with production beginning early in 1973. It was the first of several plants Sea Ray would open in Florida, and it initially produced SRV 220 and SRV 240 models, the largest boats in the Sea Ray fleet at the time. Later, it went on to manufacture the iconic Sundancer line and the company’s first boats 30 feet and longer.

Today, Sea Ray’s Merritt Island facility, now known as the Brunswick Integrated Manufacturing Center (BIMC), produces the brand-new Sundancer® 370, Sundancer® 370 Outboard, SLX® 400 and SLX® 400 Outboard, and provides multiple manufacturing services for Brunswick brands. It employs more than 425 talented and dedicated team members locally and maintains operations in its long-standing facility. With an incredibly loyal and committed crew, BIMC has over 83 team members who have been with the plant 20 years or more. 

“It’s quite an achievement to be celebrating 50 years of manufacturing award-winning boats in Merritt Island,” said Keith Yunger, Sea Ray president. “It’s impressive to look back through Sea Ray’s history and celebrate the contributions and advancements this facility and its amazing team members have made to the brand – one of our most popular models, the Sundancer, was created here. I’m excited for the future of Sea Ray and the innovative boats that will be built here.”

Throughout its 50-year history, Sea Ray has also maintained a long-standing relationship in partnership with the local Merritt Island community through outreach efforts spearheaded by its team members. Showcasing their appreciation for the community they call home, Sea Ray employees have devoted their time and resources to make a positive impact on the area. Recent contributions include coordinating a school supply drive benefiting Lewis Carroll Elementary School, sponsoring the Thunder on Cocoa Beach offshore boat races, and sheltering vessels belonging to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Coast Guard at facility docks in Sykes Creek during Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. 

Source: Sea Ray