OUR STORY
Along the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan you will find a small boating town
with a history of boat building dating back to 1928.
The town was rich with pride and had some of the best craftsman
building boats by hand using some of the finest materials.
The products they built were sought after around the world.
Unfortunately, almost 60 years later, this tradition faded away in 1987.
In 2019, a Manistee native with over 4 decades of boatbuilding experience
and a passion for building fine boats, gathered others of the like
and began the next generation of boat building in this little town.
As a result, Thoroughbred Boat Company was developed,
and the evolution of boat building is alive again in this community.
Thoroughbred Boats will become known for its designs, innovation and craftsmanship
that will be forged in this historic boatbuilding town of Manistee, Michigan.
OUR JOURNEY
Team with hundreds of years of experience develop new modern day classic powerboat...
The Thoroughbred U23i has been years in the making, spearheaded by President and CEO Mike Kamaloski and his team. Kamaloski, a Manistee native and a seasoned veteran in the recreational boating industry, achieved his life-long dream of introducing what he believes to be the best engineered and designed performance luxury boat on the market.
Handcrafted by artisans in Manistee, the U23i offers simple elegance and delivers pure performance. It is powered by an Ilmor 5.3L GDI 365 hp Inboard, with an optional engine choice of 6.2L GDI 430 hp. The top speed of the U23i is rated at 48 to 51 miles per hour.
Thoroughbred Boat Company, is a new start-up business in Manistee, Michigan. Over fifteen years ago, Michael Kamaloski shared with a group of industry friends, an idea and concept for a powerboat. As a result, a newly formed marine group was developed along with a new boat brand called Thoroughbred. Thoroughbred Boats plays on the evolution of boat building in Manistee and will project this message in all of their marketing and brand awareness efforts. The company capitalizes on advanced technologies, proprietary designs and efficient manufacturing processes.
Kamaloski explained, “We design and build classic styled, luxury watercraft using modern day manufacturing methods and materials to simplify production and minimize costs. Our products take styling and design cues from historic and classic boat companies such as Century, Garwood, HackerCraft and Chris Craft. However, our biggest motivator was to bring boat building back to our community, provide great jobs and teach the next generation all about this wonderful industry. We want everyone in our community to feel that they are a part of our brand, whether they work for us or not.”
The Thoroughbred brand also benefits from their highly recognized leadership team. The team has many decades of experience in the marine industry and extensive knowledge, ranging from concept to design, manufacturing, marketing, sales, finance, distribution and customer service. This unique team has the same passion for utilizing their individual talents, skills and knowledge in order to create a product line that is exciting, fun and made in Manistee.
“With the leadership team’s extensive knowledge of the industry, clear focus on product design and manufacturing, Thoroughbred will be able to produce high quality products and remain very competitive in the industry. I am extremely fortunate to have a great group of industry veterans working with me. It is a very humbling and exciting time for all of us.” Kamaloski said.
Please join us on this journey…