The familybusiness OY MARINO AB

Most of the companies in the boat business have started either in a cellar, a garage or a barn. Marino was started in 1958 in Tor-Björn Fagerström’s cellar, which was located in a part of Helsinki called Kulosaari. Fagerström who was a chemical engineer and at the time worked at Bensow found the new ‘plastic’ interesting, and wanted as an eager boat enthusiast to start building boats in fiberglass. The basic knowledge was gained from a friend in Sweden and shortly thereafter he begun building a mould for a yawl.

Fiberglass and meat handling

Marino’s first production facilities were furnished in Hanko market-hall, where Tor-Björn rented a wing. Behind the wall the butchers continued with their business as if nothing had happened, even though the ventilation in the rooms where the boats were manufactured at the time was not too effective. Tor-Björn had founded Bensow’s boat department in 1954 and acted as its boss until 1963. His boss, Robert Jansson, known as an active sailing competitor, was not turned on by the thought of manufacturing boats with the new material. Robert Jansson also tried to get Tor-Björn interested in sailing by lending him his five point five, but Tor-Björn kept to motorboats. Fagerström then started his own production of boats with the blessing from his employer, and those Marino-boats were also sold at Bensow’s store. Already during this time the oldest son Christer was seen handing out leaflets at a boat exhibition.
Tor-Björn Fagerström was also an enthusiastic boat racer, ‘father’ to the A-class hydroplane and he traveled around Finland competing in different races. Boats were close to his heart.
The factory in Hanko also manufactured Snipes on license in fiberglass and Tor-Björn remembers that he managed to sell five of those at one time to Björneborgs Segelsällskap. The popular Marino Family Sport-family was also born in Hanko with its hull in fiberglass but with the deck and other constructions in wood. ‘I was told that it wasn’t possible to put together two such different materials, one living and the other dead’ Tor-Björn Fagerstöm remembers. Nowadays this kind of design is not considered to cause any problems given that the joint is properly made. In 1965 the production moved to Jokela. The boats where outfitted and delivered to the customers from the Fagerstöm estate in Kulosaari. At this time the twins Jan and Ben also got interested in the business.

Special offer

Marino Sport was introduced at the first Helsinki boat exhibition in the old exhibition hall. Marino’s department was quite boldly put up with some boats displayed on the stern, well in view for the audience. ‘We sold the Marino Sport on a special offer of 1990 FIM to those customers signing a contract during the exhibition’, tells Tor-Björn. ‘The list price was 2430 FIM’ Christer adds. ‘The exhibition closed at 8 pm, and a quarter to eight a long queue was formed at our display. At ten past eight a janitor came to clear the halls, but we couldn’t turn away our customers that were there to buy themselves a boat! The boat measured 4,30m x 1,70m and it was the only one of its size at the exhibition’, Tor-Björn continues. Interestingly, next year there were a lot more boats featuring the same size.
This ratio proved to be excellent for so called windshield boats which long after had these basic measurements. Tor-Björn Fagerström left Bensow in 1963. The name ‘Marino’ had been used since the beginning but the registration of the name was difficult. Fagerström first had to buy the name ‘Cirkus Marino’, which belonged to a pre-war amusement park, and de-register it.

Factories in Sipoo and Bennäs

In 1967 the factory situated by the river in Söderkulla was completed and the production moved there. The place was ideal because the launching could be done from our own slipway, where after the trials of the boats became much smoother. The main office was still left on Riddaregatan. ‘I remember from the Jokela-time that after work we always went with two cars and trailers from Helsinki to fetch Marino Sports from the factory to Kulosaari’ tells Kitty Fagerström who now is a board member in the family business. ‘We were back home at 2 am, so the workdays were quite long. At Rovholmen display space was rented from the paper manufacturer Dahlberg, and the marina was called Merikeskus. The factory at Sipoo was quickly enlarged with a hall to keep boats over the winter after the rental agreement unexpectedly was terminated. ‘After that incident I decided to never rent again’, Tor-Björn Fagerström points out. ‘ Either I own the place or then I am not there’.

When Marino’s 1000-series was started in 1983 a need for newer and more modern production space arose, while at the same time it became important to guarantee the supply of skilled workers. Five year later Marino’s new factory in Bennäs, near Jakobstad was inaugurated, a well functioning production facility planned with the family business own resources and solid experience in boat building as a foundation. The co-operation with the local population has also gone well.

The generation shift in Marino was done in good time in the beginning of 1985, when Ben Fagerström was appointed CEO. ‘We didn’t want to leave this to the last minute, when the older generation wouldn’t have been able to in the same degree to steer the new management’, concludes board chairman Tor-Björn Fagerström.

The models

Marino has developed as many models as the company is old. Some one hundred Marino Sports were manufactured yearly. Marino Mustang and Super became popular boats and during the oil-crisis, Åke Sandström designed the first motorsailers for the shipyard.
The safety and seaworthiness of the boats has always been considered the most important thing at Marino. Already in 1978 it was decided that all models should be type approved and equipped with the stamp of credibility. The boats were developed and tried in different offshore-classes. The Mustang with its V-shaped profile went through hard tests in international boat races and became one of the most popular models. Most of the Marino-models from the ‘new generation’ have received awards in public polls and industry-magazines,’ CEO Ben Fagerström concludes. Marino 9000, 8000, 7000, Barracuda’s both models, Marino Piraya and Marino Rocca have been elected Boat of the Year. The smaller sister of the Marino Rocca was presented at Helsinki international boat exhibition in 1994, and immediately became a success. The latest models are Marino Shark in 2000 and Marino Cobra in 2005, which was selected Boat of the Year 2006. The production of the Marino Swing restarted in 2007.

Marino’s 50th anniversary

Marino celebrates its 50th anniversary by launching a new series of boats named APB, short for All Purpose Boat. Marino APB 27 has gotten prices around europe and much thanks among boat byers.

To celebrate the anniversary Marino published a book by Henry M. Ericsson entitled “Marino 50 – pionjär i glasfiberbåtsbranschen – lasikuituveneiden edelläkävijä”. The book is written in Swedish and Finnish. It can be bought from Marino.

Marino Jolla/Jolle Marino Vikla/Snipe Marino Family Sport Marino Sport 14 Marino Fishing 14 Marino Sport – V 14 Marino Daycruiser V-21 Marino Super HT V-18 Marino Fishing V-15 Marino Mustang V-15 Marino Handyman V-21 Marino Camping V-21 Marino Combi V-23 Marino Mustang 15/Jet Marino MS-66 Marino 19/HT Marino 23 Marino 410 Marino 440 Marino 490/R Marino 725 Marino 700 Marino 9000 Marino 7100/7000 Marino 8000 Marino 10 000 Marino 7000 Marino Piraya Marino/Finnmaster models

2,25 x 1,25 4,69 x 1,51 5,10 x 2,05 4,30 x 1,70 4,30 x 1,70 4,30 x 1,70 6,10 x 2,30 5,40 x 2,10 4,30 x 1,70 4,30 x 1,70 6,10 x 2,30 6,10 x 2,30 6,70 x 2,55 4,30 x 1,70 6,70 x 2,60 5,60 x 2,20 6,60 x 2,50 4,00 x 1,50 4,40 x 1,70 4,90 x 1,80 7,30 x 2,70 7,10 x 2,10 9,00 x 3,10 7,10 x 2,50 8,70 x 2,90 10,70 x 3,20 7,30 x 2,60 8,90 x 3,10

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