DDJ Marine Purchases Pensacola Shipyard

DDJ Marine has announced the acquisition of the historic Pensacola Shipyard Marina and Boatyard, located on Bayou Chico in Pensacola, Florida.

Pensacola Shipyard is the second marina David Finkelstein and his company DDJ Marine (with 18 years of marina-ownership experience) have purchased in Florida.

"When this opportunity first presented itself, it immediately brought back so many wonderful memories of spending time on Pensacola Beach as a child with my family," said Finkelstein.

Originally opened in 1917 to build warships and vessels, Pensacola Shipyard became an essential part of the local marine community. Though military ships are no longer built there, the shipyard is still a vital part of the local recreational and industrial boating communities. The facility is a full-service marina and boatyard that provides fuel, protected dockage, in-water and out-of-water repairs, maintenance, and service.

"It felt like in addition to buying the real estate; we were also purchasing a part of Pensacola history," said Finkelstein. "The Long family has operated, grown, and served area boaters for more than 50 years. With the team they have built and our marina management experience, we look forward to continuing their tradition while expanding our service offerings to serve our current and new customers best."

The previous owner Chris Long said the time was right for his family to find new owners that would be good stewards of the facility.

"We wanted to ensure the new owners would have only the best intentions for Pensacola Shipyard, our employees, and our customers. Our team is excited at the experience and expansion plans the new group brings to a place that has been so special to our family for such a long time," said Long. "This is an exciting time for Pensacola Shipyard, our community, and everyone involved."

Finkelstein also announced that Coastal Marina Management, based out of Panama City Beach, Florida, will manage the marina. "Scott Burt (the owner of Coastal Marina Management), his team, and I have a very long, successful history of marina management together. Once again, partnering with the absolute best marina management group was essential for me to make this deal work," he said.

Coastal Marina Management specializes in marina operations for dry storage facilities, yacht clubs, boatyards, large yacht harbors, special events, and pre-construction design consultation.