In 1958, Mr. R. K. Davis, an area tugboat owner, founded Davis Boat Works. Initially, Davis Boat Works started as a business to complement his tugboat company’s repairs. However, after realizing the need for better repair servicing needs for area commercial boat companies and fishing boats, R. K. Davis expanded its operations to offer the area one of its first complete boat repair facilities.
After, R. K. Davis’ death, the company was then run by Mrs. Janet Davis Mayhew and her husband Mr. T. O. Mayhew for several decades. Over this span of time, the Mayhews helped solidify Davis Boat Works’ reputation for producing quality ship repair work. In 1996, Davis Boat Works was purchased by Mr. F. W. Wagner. Under the leadership of Mr. Wagner, Davis Boat Works continued to grow and diversify, becoming a premier vessel repair facility on the East Coast. In September of 2010, Davis Boat Works became a new Zodiac Military and Professional sales and service facility serving the entire Virginia area.
In June of 2015, Davis Boat Works was sold to Fairlead Integrated to become the company’s third division. During this new chapter for Davis Boat Works, the company’s name will eventually change to “Fairlead Boatworks, Inc.”
Since its humble beginnings in 1958, Davis Boat Works, now doing business as Fairlead Boatworks, has serviced thousands of commercial boats and vessels for various kinds of repair, fabrication, and alteration needs. In addition to the work provided for commercial clients, we have serviced hundreds of various boats, vessels, and barges for the US Army, US Coast Guard, and the US Navy.
Today, Davis Boat Works, doing business as Fairlead Boatworks, employs over 100 highly-skilled tradesmen and administrative personnel and is a premier East Coast marine repair facility that provides invaluable services to both commercial and military organizations, as well as state, city and county firefighting, police and rescue vessels used on the waterways. Located at the mouth of the James River, right off of Interstate 664 in Newport News, we are easily accessed by both land and sea. In addition, we have performed multiple off-site ship repair work globally traveling to sites in Asia, South America, Europe, and Puerto Rico as well as many sites within the United States.