Long before you see a beautiful performance boat on the water, it started out as a plug and then a mold from which hulls are reproduced. If the plug and molds aren’t perfect, it reflects in the final product. That’s where Charleston Composites comes in to make sure it’s right from the start.
Founded by world championship offshore racer Ben Robertson Jr. and his family, the South Carolina firm specializes in recreational and defense marine composite tooling. With three large format CNC mills, Charleston Composites can produce production-ready tooling that includes a steel-framed mold for all structural components: hull, deck, liners, molded stringer systems, small parts, consoles and super structures.
“We are all very passionate about what we do and always striving for perfection, so we are always challenging each other to raise the bar on whatever it is we are doing,” said Ben Robertson. “We take a lot of pride in what we do, and I feel that is what helps separate us from our competition.”
The two-year-old company draws on its experience having built tooling and composite boats their entire lives. The elder Robertson previously oversaw research and design at
When dad worked at Fountain part of his responsibility was R&D which encompassed the tooling department, while the younger Robertson was once in charge of the engineering from lamination all the way until the boat went out the door.
Charleston Composites does consulting and design, tooling production, to prototype building and production engineering, working with clients in the aerospace, automotive and architectural industries as well as marine projects.
Recently BAM Marine Group, which is owned and operated by Ben, restored a 47-foot raceboat that needed an engine hatch. Charleston Composites to laser scan the deck and design a new custom hatch. The CNC machine cut a limited-production mold and then a carbon-fiber epoxy engine hatch was built. Robertson said the process took about a week.
Learn more about Charleston Composites at www.charlestoncomposites.com.
