Apollo Boats - Spokane, WA

The Good Years

Apollo Boats was founded in 1971 by Colin Taylor in Spokane, WA. The company's manufacturing facility was located in a converted warehouse complex at 1212 E Front Street near the Spokane River. This location would later house Freedom Boat Manufacturing up until the 1990's.

In an interview with Spokesman Review in July of 1976, spokesman and company VP, William Carroll, said that they was riding the 'Boat Boom' and expected to double output resulting in $12 million in forecasted revenue for 1977. Of the boats produced by Apollo roughly 1/3 were the "...sports boats, high powered, streamlined speedsters." These boats went to the 65 dealers that covered the western states and Canada. The output in 1975 was 4.5 boats per day and grew to 8 per day by the summer of 1976. The company's goal was to increase production to 10-12 per day entering 1978.  

The production line employed between 100 and 150 workers depending on seasonality and averaged payroll of $60,000 per month. If you calculate that into an annual salary for each of the 100 year-round workers each person would make $7,200 per year. Adjusted for inflation into today's dollars each worker would take home about $28,370 annually. 

The Beginning of the End

Much like the other Spokane-based boat manufacturers, 1979 market the start of an industry downturn. According to an article in the Spokane Daily Chronicle from November of 1979, Spokane's boat building industry employed close to 1,000 workers. By the end of 1979 Apollo had begun layoffs and reduced their workforce of 200 down to 15 workers.

​Taylor explained that the lack of consumer lending from Washington banks was based on low treasury rates as well as the requirement of down payments and shorter repayment periods. He also went on to say that dealers were getting hit with interest rates in the teens to floor their inventory which led to a reduced number of backorders. His plan at the time was to hold tight until interest rates eased. 

To make things worse gasoline also became a worry in mid-1979 when the Spokane Daily Chronicle published the article "Fears About Gasoline Sinking Boat Builders". Not only were consumers fearful and confused about the prices and future availability of oil products, but the materials needed to produce fiberglass were also skyrocketing. One source mentioned that the petrochemicals in the fiberglass resins had doubled during the scare. ​

The Final Days and Legacy

The last mention of Apollo boats in the Spokane Daily Chronicle was from April of 1980 entitled "Boat Builders Feeling Jittery." By that time the company was liquidating inventory and selling off office equipment in order to stay afloat with 10 employees. Industry insiders expected the former $7 billion recreational marine business to level out to $3 billion for 1980. The inventory flooring interest rates for dealers had continued to rise as high as 23% and regardless of gasoline prices, consumers were unwilling to buy boats with 9% interest rate loans. Apollo eventually closed in 1981.

The sun had not fully set on the entrepreneurial spirit of Colin Taylor after the closure of Apollo Boats. Like other former fiberglass boat manufacturers, he entered into the hot tub and spa manufacturing space. Founded in 1985, Apollo Spas is still a well-known entity in the hot tub and spa industry in the Pacific Northwest. The company was sold to Taylor's son in 2001. The Spokane retail location for Apollo Spas sits amongst some reminders of the founder's boat manufacturing past in Spokane Valley. ​