Worthwhile Boat Works & Projects of Worthwhile LLC

40° 35′ 40″ North, 73° 47′ 26″ West

Strategically located in Jamaica Bay near the deep waters of the North Atlantic and New York Harbor, Worthwhile Boat Works & Projects at Marina 59 is your go-to destination for boat refits, repairs, and custom fabrications. The boatyard at Marina59 features two Marine Travelifts, a Wiggins Marina Bull, and a Self-Propelled Hydraulic Boat Mover. Situated on the sunny Rockaway Peninsula in New York City, New York, our facilities offer unparalleled access by boat, car, subway, ferry, bus, or bike. John F. Kennedy Airport is just a stone’s throw away across the bay. The boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean and Rockaway’s world famous beach is just three blocks south of the marina’s gates.

Boats are machines for having fun, if your boat is not bringing you joy, what is it doing?

Refits

A refit is more than just a series of improvements to a vessel, it is a comprehensive strategic rethinking of what your boat is. It is a total

refurbishment, renovation, and remastering. We can personalize your boat to your style and make your home on water truly yours. We assemble and create a new owners manual for your investment with specialized maintenance and service schedules and recommendations.

At Worthwhile Boat Works & Projects, we introduce an alternative’ for discerning customers who felt confined to the binary choice between purchasing a brand-new boat or settling for a pre-owned vessel that doesn’t quite meet their requirements.

Our specialized eye for design and refit services offer a middle ground that brings together the best of both worlds. We add tangible value to your investment by making your boat robust and ready for the future. Leveraging the expertise of the craftsmen who originally built your vessel, we elevate it to meet and exceed tomorrow’s standards, all while customizing it to fit your unique needs. You’re not just buying a boat; you’re making a strategic investment that is tailored to serve you now and well into the future.

Boat Repair

Expert Repairs for Seamless Sailing

Full service repairs, from the minor and inconsequential to severe and serious.

We maintain and repair boat systems including:

  • Engine
  • Plumbing
  • Fiberglass
  • Marine Electronics
  • Electrical
  • Hardware
  • HVAC 
  • Cabin & Galley
  • Safety
  • Varnish
  • Topside Coatings
  • Bottom Coatings

Boat Repair

Expert Repairs for Seamless Sailing

Full service repairs, from the minor and inconsequential to severe and serious.

We maintain and repair boat systems including:

  • Engine
  • Plumbing
  • Fiberglass
  • Marine Electronics
  • Electrical
  • Hardware
  • HVAC 
  • Cabin & Galley
  • Safety
  • Varnish
  • Topside Coatings
  • Bottom Coatings

Custom Fabrication & Parts Making

Dream it into being

Custom Fabrications. We are able to fabricate and coordinate sourcing and commissioning your wildest dreams and most mundane requests. We have experience in all sorts of materials.

  • Hatches
  • Transoms
  • Cockpit Sole
  • Pilothouse
  • Parts
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Portfolio

Case studies

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About Us

About our Company

Worthwhile Boat Works & Projects was founded out of Worthwhile LLC, a company founded in 2014. We refit and repair boats, do general fiberglass repairs and fabrication/parts making, and work on unique projects which have included nautical rigging work for a luxury retailer in a Manhattan showroom and custom ropework for a public art installation.

Meet Our Owner

Our founder, Tyler Drown, has had a lifelong passion for the sea and being on the water sparked by visiting family and vacationing on the craggy coast of Northern New England and boating with friends and family on the lakes of the Poconos and New Jersey. When he was 17 he channeled that passion and his love for projects and tinkering into building his first boat, the Stephenson Project’s Weekender, a gaff-rigged trailerable pocket-yacht inspired by the design of the Friendship Sloop. He built two skiffs while trying out different construction methods soon thereafter. Captain Drown is a graduate of Drexel University with a degree in International Business and Entrepreneurship and minor in World History and Politics and competed as an intercollegiate sailor and served as Vice President, Regatta Chair, and Alumni Relations Manager of the Drexel Sailing Team.

After working abroad he came to New York City where he quickly found his way onto sailboats crewing on races and regattas in Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. At the beginning of 2020, Tyler was the Port Captain/Caretaker of the Nantucket Lightship WLV-612 that had been converted into a 6,000 square foot private yacht that was docked in Boston Harbor. He took classes at New England Maritime Academy and got his license. Later that year in June 2020 he started a workshop at Marina59 in the Rockaways and began restoring and repairing classic sailboats and more. 

In addition to his maritime and boat building work, Tyler has over a decade of hospitality experience including running and later founding an event services company. He also has experience working in commercial and residential real estate in New York City.


Fine-Tuning Every Aspect for Perfection

Attention to Detail

We meticulously assess every aspect of your boat, from structural integrity to aesthetic appeal, ensuring that no detail goes unnoticed during the repair, building, or restoration process.

Integrating Tradition with Innovation

Craftsmanship Excellence

Our team comprises skilled craftsmen with years of experience in boat works. We combine traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques to deliver superior results that stand the test of time.

Open Communication for Seamless Projects

Customer Collaboration

We believe in transparent communication and collaboration with our clients. Throughout the project, we actively involve you in the decision-making process, providing updates and seeking your input to ensure that the final result aligns with your vision and expectations.

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Some of

Our clients

Maritime Clients

  • United States Coast Guard
  • Lyman Morse Boatbuilding
  • ONE15 Brooklyn Marina
  • True Sailing Hamptons
  • New York Sailing Collective
  • Tivoli Sailing Company
  • Sunlight Conversions
  • Brooklyn Sail Club
  • Marina59
  • Sailing Horizon
  • Brooklyn Sail
  • Adventure Sailing School
  • Private Yacht Charters 

Special Projects Clients

  • J. Crew
  • North Studios
  • Zaq Landsberg
  • Serena & Lily
  • Things, Inc.
  • Gladstone Gallery
  • Adam Aleksander Presents