Gulf Marine Ways is a third-generation, family-owned boatyard, established by Louis J. Mailisand in 1947. His grandson and namesake, Louis M. Mailisand, continues the legacy, offering traditional dry dock services with a marine railway system while modernizing the facility to embrace new innovations.

Louis J. Mailisand emigrated from Patmos, Greece, with his two sisters and parents, settling in Delray Beach, FL, in the early 1930s. He later purchased a gas station in Clearwater, FL. From 1942 to 1945, Louis served in WWII in the US Navy. After the war, his wife’s cousin, a sponge diver in Tarpon Springs, FL, convinced him to move there and pursue his passion for boats and the fishing industry. In late 1946, Louis bought an existing boatyard from another Greek man who had established it in the late 1910s after WWI. In early 1947, Gulf Marine Ways Inc. was founded, providing for his family and many others until he passed the responsibility to his son in the fall of 1983.

His son, Manuel A. Mailisand, born and raised in Tarpon Springs, learned from an early age that the boatyard would always be part of his life. Working alongside his father, Manuel served the abundant fishing industry of Florida’s Gulf Coast, which included many wooden shrimp, sponge, and fishing boats. One of Manuel’s mentors was the famed George Saroukos, whose family had a 300-year boat-building tradition from Greece. This extensive knowledge made Manuel a master shipwright. He adeptly incorporated modern techniques and materials, including fiberglass, and was a skilled welder, modernizing the boatyard as the industry evolved. Manuel also engaged with Coast Guard-inspected vessels, select motor yachts, and catamarans that fit the yard’s model. Sadly, he fell ill with cancer in 2008 and passed away at 53, leaving a lasting legacy.

Linda Mailisand took over operations shortly after Manuel’s death, facing significant challenges such as a struggling economy and a less skilled local workforce. With the help of Wally Ericson, a Tampa Bay native and master shipwright, she navigated the yard through the next 13 years, setting the stage for the current owner/operator, Louis M. Mailisand, who is steering the facility towards a brighter, more modern future.