Aristo Craft
When longtime boat manufacturer, Aristocraft, looked to relocate its business from north Atlanta, Dawsonville quickly became the obvious choice for the father and son team, Bill and Scott Turner.
“Moving here was a nice fit for us,” Scott said about moving their operations to downtown Dawsonville in 2017. “When we had so many questions it was nice to actually place a call and get an answer. It’s nice being in a town that cares about community and cares about business.”
Aristocraft was launched in 1946 when Bill’s father, Claude Turner returned from service during World War II. The boat brand began with an open fishing boat but eventually evolved into runabouts, racing boats and cabin cruisers. All boats were handcrafted and made primarily of wood. The classically designed boats have been featured in films, been the inspiration of popular toy lines, part of adventure rides in Disney World as well as being featured on the timeless Aladdin Thermos Company lunchboxes.
Since moving to Dawsonville, Bill and Scott build new boats based on the vintage designs as well as restoring the classic wooden and
fiberglass boats. They ship their vessels as far out as Australia, Lake Como and Lake Geneva. “Probably 95 percent of our revenue comes from outside the county,” Scott said. “A huge percentage of our boat business comes from the Northeast.”
When not restoring boats, the Turner family stays active in the community. They serve as community coaches, boy and girl scout leaders and sponsors of local special Olympic teams and teaching boat building classes.
“Aristocraft boats is such an attractive business and we are thrilled they chose Dawson County, specifically, Dawsonville to call home,” Development Authority of Dawson County Economic Director, Betsy McGriff, said. “Their classically-crafted boats are timeless and beautiful and it is awesome to be able to say they are crafted right here in Dawsonville but shipped all over the world and country.”
Arisotcraft is located in downtown Dawsonville at 78 Howard Avenue East. In addition to the building and restoration site of Aristocraft boats, the building also houses a museum of the boats. To schedule a tour, call 770-475-5455 or visit aristocraftboats.com.
