On a hot August afternoon, I drove down to Pompano Beach, Florida to meet boat-building icon Roy Merritt. In his blissfully air-conditioned office at Merritt’s Boat and Engine Works, and later touring the sprawling boatyard on his golf cart, Merritt told the story of a family dynasty that’s now a century old. What follows is an excerpt from a wide-ranging conversation on Roy’s life, career and evolution as a boat builder. You can also check out the full version of the conversation on the Power & Motoryacht podcast at pmymag.com/podcasts or anywhere you listen to pods.
Power & Motoryacht
Merritt’s been around in South Florida at this point for over 100 years now. Is that right?
Roy Merritt
You got that just about right. [Our story] starts with my grandfather. He was a farm boy from Michigan. He made his way down to Norfolk, Virginia, a little before World War I started—there was a need for workers. So, he learned a trade there—being a boat carpenter. After the war, he bought a houseboat because it was a cheap way to live—a skinny little old boat—and it was him, my grandmother and five kids.
Somewhere around 1923 or 4 he headed south with the boat, because I know my dad was born in Virginia in 1922. He made his way to Miami to work at Merril Stevens, which is a real old boatyard—been around forever. He heard there was cheap dockage up in Ft. Lauderdale. Matter of fact, if you went to one part, land didn’t cost you anything west of the Andrews Avenue Bridge. So, he. The name stuck and all the boats that have ever been in the family are pretty much called .
