Starliner

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Starliner Boats

Boat Distribution, Inc.

Clinton, North Carolina

Houseboats were manufactured in Rocky Mount, North Carolina; plywood boats in Clinton, North Carolina; fiberglass boats in Charleston, South Carolina. It is unclear whether this company began solely as a distributor or a distributor and manufacturer selling Starliner Boats. However, by 1960, Boat Distribution, Inc. advertised that it sourced boats from five manufacturers; it appears the company sourced some boat models from separate manufacturers (see 1960 distributor packet below).

According to the 1958 ad below, Boat Distribution Inc. offered "Smart Set", "Seamate", "Gulf Stream", and "Blue Fin" boats, in addition to the Grandma III, "The Amphibious Houseboat".

From a 1957 ad, we know the Seamate, Sampson, and Caroline lines were oak-framed, marine plywood-hull boats; the Blue Fin line was fiberglass.

A 1960 city directory places Sampson Boat Company (Wood and Fiber Glass boat-builder) on Warsaw Hwy. with Fred J. Broadwell as president, Harold L Dale VP., and H.J. Carr as secretary/treasurer. Boat Distribution, Inc. (Boat Dealer) was on Lisbon. VP was Robert Y. Tabler, Charles A. Britt, secretary/treasurer. the 1962 directory shows the Sampson Boat Company to be a subsidiary of Consolidated Marine Industries, Inc.

The 1961 tenth anniversary brochure for "Sampson Boats" lists Sampson Boat Company, Inc. Models shown in the brochure include Sea Bird, Sea Hawk, Gulf Stream, Sea Gull, and South Sea.

If you have additional information on this boat-builder, please contact us so that we may update this page.

Model Information

Starliner Boats in Use

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