Boston Whaler to Close Flagler Plant, Operations Move to Volusia

A blow to Flagler County’s industrial base will be a boon to Volusia County.

Mettawa, Illinois-based Brunswick Corp. recently announced plans to close its Boston Whaler plant in Flagler Beach and consolidate production to its Edgewater facility as part of what the company termed a “footprint rationalization.”

In addition to shuttering the Flagler County operation, the company said it will close its Reynosa, Mexico fiberglass boat manufacturing facility and move production of models currently manufactured in the facility into two of its high-performing U.S.-based manufacturing centers in Vonore, Tennessee and Merritt Island.

“The decision to transition production out of Reynosa, Mexico, which is primarily dedicated to manufacturing of our small, value fiberglass boats, follows our recent announcement that we have rationalized our value boat model portfolio and reflects evolving market dynamics that are impacting industry-wide volumes of value fiberglass products,” said Brenna Preisser, president of Brunswick Boat Group, in a media release. “The Reynosa facility and team members have played an important role in our business for many years, and we are committed to supporting their transition. We anticipate the transition will be fully completed by Summer 2026.”

In an interview with EVOLVE News, Tywan Arrington, recently named Flagler County economic development manager, said the news does not necessarily mean manufacturers are not interested in the county.

“Loss of employment is never a good situation for any community,” he said. “But we will look at the next steps and utilize this location to attract a viable business that is a good fit for our community.”

Arrington said the county will work with Flagler Beach and Volusia County in the transition.

 “The county will actively participate with each of the communities and partners here in Flagler to attract and retain businesses,” he said. “The available building will allow Flagler County to be able to increase the company’s speed to market, because the resources are in place.”

Volusia County Economic Development Director Lou Paris said the move by Brunswick does not appear to be part of a larger exodus of manufacturing in the region.

“At this time, we don’t have any indications that other manufacturers are planning similar consolidations,” he said. “Each company makes decisions based on its own market and operational needs, and Brunswick’s move appears specific to their business model.”

Paris said consolidations are “fairly common” in industries where demand fluctuates with consumer spending like boat building.

“In this case, it seems like Brunswick views this consolidation as a way to strengthen its position in the market,” he said. “At the same time, given the close proximity of both plants, this move should not be seen as a negative reflection on our regional manufacturing base.”

Paris said the move is not reflective of the overall business climate in the region.

“Our expectation is that our region (Flagler and Volusia) continues to be an attractive place for manufacturers to grow thanks to our workforce, infrastructure and supportive business environment,” he said. “We are hopeful that the vacant manufacturing space will soon attract a strong and reliable partner to bring new opportunities to the community.”

In the announcement of the closing of the Flagler County plant, Brunswick officials said the company is working with local governments and agencies “to support a seamless transition” as operations move to the Edgewater facility.

“As Boston Whaler consolidates its production operations in Florida, team members from the Flagler Beach facility will be offered opportunities to transfer to the Edgewater location,” the release states. “In addition, the company will soon launch recruitment efforts to fill new positions across production, logistics, engineering and operations management, reinforcing its commitment to growth and long-term investment across its manufacturing footprint in Tennessee and Florida.”