Denison Yachts - A Video History

The Early Years

Frank Denison, the founder of Broward Marine, started his yachting career by buying boats on spec, making the necessary repairs, and then reselling them. In fact, “Mr. D,” as he was known to everyone, is credited with installing the first diesel engines in a yacht in the mid-1930s, in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

In 1948, while on his honeymoon with his wife, Gertrude, Frank bought the Fort Lauderdale shipyard Dooley’s Dry Dock, which had become a defense contractor during World War II building PT boats. Frank renamed the yard Broward Marine shortly after.

Private Yachts

The launch of Alisa V established Broward’s position in the world of megayacht construction, and the vessels that followed were the start of a tradition of building wooden motoryachts based on the timber lamination techniques. Broward Marine began building some of the finest yachts for the world’s premiere yachtsmen, such as the Jonathan III built for Harry Blum, the founder of Jim Beam Distilleries.

In those days, few yacht builders in the U.S. could consistently build quality boats over 50′. As he built the organization, Frank Denison challenged his customers and associates to “Demand the Finest,” as Broward’s slogan announced, while Gertrude started “Yacht Interiors,” which became famous in its own right for outstanding interiors for Broward Marine.

’80s & ’90s

Innovations in yachting continued rapidly in the 1980s, as Mrs. Denison designed the first-ever “country kitchen” galley, which remains an extremely popular feature on yachts today. Also, in 1983, Broward built the first ever yacht with triple diesel engines in the 92’ JERVET.

The early 1990s saw the commissioning of Britannia, then Pegasus, a 130’ triple engine tri-deck. By the early 1990s, Frank Denison was looking to go larger, and he accomplished this with the 1996 156’ Bubba Too. At the time Bubba Too was commissioned it was the largest U.S.-built aluminum vessel.

Broward continued through the '90s and into the millennium with vessels like the 1999 Cocoa Bean, the 2000 Aquasition, the 2001 London Lady, the 2002 Sigrun, the 2003 Lady Nancy, and up to the launch of the 2005 Soulmate.

Bob Denison

Bon Denison, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, spent much of his childhood around the Broward Marine and Denison Marine shipyards with his brothers, Chris and Eddy. Bob has experienced nearly every level of the yachting experience, from working as a laborer at the yard to helping with boat shows.

In 2002 Bob took the helm at Denison Yacht Sales. Since then, the firm has grown steadily, including new offices and new boat representation, with the support of his father and uncles and Denison’s yacht brokers.

To read the complete, unabridged version of the Denison family history…https://www.denisonyachtsales.com/family-history/