I visited
Rybovich boat yard last week with Captain and also a Yacht broker, John Clayman of Seaton Yacht Rhode Island.
The Rybovich family had bought the property in 1911 and then they started the boatyard. Pops Rybovich came from the old county; in Czechoslovakia and his wife was from Yugoslavia. They got married in the United States and had a family with five kids. They started the business with their own work and efforts and not enough money to amount to anything.
They started fishing to feed the family. They would go out in the rowboat and catch fish to eat and feed the family for quite a while and sold some of them. That’s how they started; with little boats. They were building small, small wooden boats. Pop Rybovich knew a lot about lumber because that was kind of his thing in the old country, he knew trees and he knew the quality of wood. They had the finest wood and that was one of the things their boats were known for.
The three Rybovich boys, John, Tom and Emil were involved in the boatyard and the daughters did whatever they could to help their mother around the house. They kept growing and growing because they were good, honest honorable people. The boats got bigger and bigger and bigger, they did it right and they sold more boats because more people were moving down here in Florida
John was the boss; of course Pops Rybovich was the boss until he died. Emil was the mechanic and Tommy was the one who built the boats. He helped John on the building of the boats and the design. He was a perfectionist. They had a wonderful team. They all worked beautifully together as a full picture. They were very careful and caring about what they did.
During the war, John Rybovich was still here in Florida most of the time. Tommy was in the Air Corp as a pilot. Then, John got drafted and he went into the Army and went into where they were building the little boats, the landing craft, it was called. He was transferred up to Cincinnati and lived there well over a year, not quite two and then he was transferred to San Francisco and they were building more boats. He loved San Francisco and if they would have had a small boatyard we’d have stayed out there.
Rybovich boats are known for innovative designs and it changes the whole boating industries. It was after the war and the boys came back and they started getting interested and really going at it making plans and on how the designs should be made. People were lining up for them. Impressive names like Maytag. Some tried to buy their way up the list but they would not allow it.
The Rybovich family rebuilds its family business at the current Rybovich site inWest Palm Beach, Florida.after experiencing a devastating hurricane during 1928. During that time, the commercial fishing and boat repair business was run by Rybovich and brothers.
The Rybovich family boatyard reputation grows in 1934: and legendary big game fisherman Ernest Hemingway brings Pilar, his literary legend 35 foot Wheeler, to the Rybovich brothers boatyard for repairs.
"Pop" Rybovich dies in 1970 and the three sons continue the boat building legacy but in 1976: The aging Rybovich brothers sell the company to Robert Fisher but the company continues building and repairing boats during this period of transition.
After ten years Robert Fisher sells the company to Harvey Wilson in 1986 and five years later in 1991 the Bronstien family which is the owners of Spencer Boat boatyard company purchases Rybovich from Harvey Wilson with the vision of continuing Rybovich's boatbuilding operations while greatly expanding its service and marina capacity. Then, the Mega yachts from around the world are soon coming to Rybovich for repairs.
Led by Jim Bronstien, Rybovich continues its service facility expansions by commissioning the country's largest Marine Travelift of its time, a 300 ton capacity machine in 1998.
Florida businessman H. Wayne Huizenga, Jr. purchased the company in 2004 and brings the Bronstien expansion plans to the new levels by initiating a company wide revitalization program. The program includes plans for a new state of the art service facility, reinvention of the Rybovich sportfish and an expanded rebuilt marina.
One year later in 2005, Rybovich renovates its service facilities, reconfigures its marina, and Michael Rybovich joins the boatbuilding division naming it Rybovich and Sons Boat Works.
Til today.... Pops Rybovich family legend continues..........
