Tollycraft Yachts

About Tollycraft Yachts

Established: 1952

Located: Kelso, Washington

Construction: Fiberglass

Category: Powerboats, Cruising Yachts

Worth Noting: Tollycraft’s largest boat was the 65' Cockpit MY, built between 1992 and 1997.

Robert Merland Tollefson, known as “Tolly”, owned and operated Central Lumberyard and Millwork plant, which was destroyed in a fire in 1952. That same year, Tolly founded Tollycraft Yachts with eight employees.

The Tollycraft Plant was built in just 90 days during the spring of 1959. The company began as a wooden boat builder and switched to fiberglass in 1962. By the mid-1980’s, Tollycraft was the largest employer in the community, employing over 260 people. In 1987, at the age of 76, Tolly sold the company and retired.

Tollycraft built high quality boats suited for the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Before building larger, all-fiberglass boats, Tolly’s earlier models were small runabouts built of plywood sheathed with fiberglass. The most popular model was the 26-foot sedan.

Tollycraft built over 6,000 boats throughout 35 years. The company encountered some tough economic times during the 1990’s and officially ended operations in 1997.