Laser Performance / Sailing News

LaserPerformance Blade Manufacturing moves to USA

With the economy improving, Americans have slowly begun to buy sailboats and powerboats again, and smaller, less-opulent craft appear to be leading the way. That’s helping companies such as LaserPerformance in Portsmouth, which makes fiberglass sailing dinghies and is in the process of moving production of foils (centerboards and rudders) from China back to the Ocean State. (By Patrick Anderson PBN Staff Writer)

LaserPerformance announced that it has moved all foil production from China to the United States. The first foil has been completed and the entire line of foils is now exclusively built in the LaserPerformance facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

LaserPerformance has already hired 15 full time employees in Portsmouth for foil production and plans to have 22 full time employees by the end of the year.

“We wanted to make a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for foils for our boats and for those of our competition. Strategically, we think this technology is incredibly valuable and had to integrate it with what we are doing in the Rhode Island facility.”

LaserPerformance also announced that it is in the process of transitioning the method for making their hulls from an open-mold system to an “infusion,” closed-mold system similar to how the foils are made.

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