StanCraft, Four Generations of Mahogany Boats From Montana to Idaho

From a Flathead Lake shop to a Hayden campus

The story starts in 1933 on Montana's Flathead Lake, where Billy Young (W. H. Young) and his son Stanley C. Young began turning out wooden boats. A generation later Stan's son Syd took the family trade west to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and with his wife Julie grew it into a business that restored, stored and serviced boats as well as building new ones. Late in the 1990s Syd redrew the boats to run better, and that redesign produced the profile buyers now think of as the StanCraft look. In 1997 the couple sold their Boat Shop operation while holding on to the StanCraft name, and in semi-retirement they built only the odd boat on speculation.

Revival came in 2003. Syd and Julie's daughter Amy returned to Coeur d'Alene with her husband, Robb Bloem, and the pair put the brand back into production with a crew of three in a small shop of about 2,000 square feet. Growth since then has been steep. In Hayden the company now reports upward of 45,000 square feet devoted to building boats, more than 136,000 for storage and service, and a workforce above 100. The family name has spread to construction, marine construction and a jet center too, yet boatbuilding remains the core.

Rivelle, Sleek, Exocet, Hammerhead and the 260 Day Boat

StanCraft builds hull families rather than fixed models: Rivelle, Sleek, Exocet, Hammerhead and Hammerhead Widebody, plus full customs. Buyers specify everything down to the upholstery stitching, and the company says no two boats are the same. Construction is planked African mahogany over white oak frames and battens, finished in deep varnish.

Our covered model, the StanCraft 260 Day Boat, is marketed for 2025 as the 260 Rivelle and in a Geneva Edition. It is the youngest and most compact member of the Rivelle family, distilling the bigger twin-engine Rivelles into a single-engine runabout short enough for a modest boathouse. Its power, specification and list price are on the model page.

Dealers, resale and keeping the varnish alive

New boats are sold from the Hayden headquarters and through StanCraft of the Great Lakes in Saugatuck, Michigan, and both outlets also broker pre-owned boats. On the used market, the quality and date of the last refit move price more than the year of build: freshly refinished older boats can approach the cost of a modest new runabout, while a neglected one sells cheaply and then swallows a big restoration budget. Our 260 Day Boat page lists sample asking prices. A service file kept by StanCraft itself is the most valuable paper a seller can hand over.

Wood boats reward specialists. Budget for heated storage and regular varnish work.

• Varnish for cracking, lifting or graying
• Seams and fasteners in the planking, especially forward and along the chines
• Bottom paint and below-waterline repairs
• Engine and outdrive service, including counter-rotating props
• Upholstery for UV damage and stitching wear
• A survey by someone experienced with wooden boats