Luxury boat manufacturer to expand Summerville corporate HQ, production facility

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A Charleston area luxury boat manufacturer will expand its Dorchester County headquarters with a $10 million investment.

The investment by Scout Boats will expand and renovate the company’s corporate headquarters and will facilitate the production of the new 67 LX series yacht, one of the largest outboard-powered sportfishing yachts to be built in the world, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

Scout Boats plans to enlarge its 36-acre campus by expanding and renovating its corporate headquarters located at 130 Spaniel Lane in Summerville, the release stated. Scout will also build a new 35,000-square-foot facility, which will allow the company to build component parts for its yacht division and support its new product line for the 67 LX series, a 67-foot model that debuted at this year’s Miami International Boat Show in February.

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“We meet with the craftsmen and women in each of our four plants every month for award ceremonies, and I often remind them that we ship our boats all over the world to some very affluent customers who choose our brand because of the pride they put into each and every build,” Scout Boats CEO Steve Potts said in the release.

Scout Boats designs and manufactures world-class, luxury models ranging currently from 17 feet to 53 feet, according to the release. The company’s portfolio includes custom, state-of-the-art sportfishing center and dual consoles, and inshore and bay boat models.

“We have a long-standing partnership with Scout Boats and are proud to see its continued growth in Dorchester County,” said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III in the release. This expansion underscores not only the strength of South Carolina’s growing boat manufacturing sector but speaks to the ability of our workforce to produce luxury products that are available worldwide.”

Renovations are expected to be complete by spring 2024, and operations are expected to be online by summer 2024.

“Since 1989 Steve Potts and Scout Boats have been important assets to Dorchester County,” Dorchester County Council Chairman S. Todd Friddle said in the release. “We are thrilled at Scout Boats’ newest commitment to our community, their employees and recreational boating. Dorchester County looks forward to supporting many more years of Scout Boats’ growing success.”