Tiki barges ready to go cruising this summer

Colonie

The purchase of an expensive toy last summer turned into a new business for local entrepreneur Larry Davis.

Davis, whose varied holdings include the Rensselaer-based tech firm CommSoft, in June launched the area’s first floating, motorized tiki bar, keeping it at his Lake George camp. His was the third vessel produced by a Florida company called Cruisin’ Tikis (the fourth went to singer Jimmy Buffett), and it attracted such attention that Davis, who had speculated about becoming a dealer for Cruisin’ Tikis, struck an agreement with the company to manufacture the watercraft.

Thus was born Tiki Boat-works, a joint project of Davis, former Albany police chief and co-founder of the Albany Aqua Ducks tour company Bob Wolfgang, and Wolfgang’s son Brian. The company, being formally unveiled Friday at a ribbon-cutting event with local business and elected officials, has been building the vessels since January in its headquarters in a Colonie industrial park.

Five of the tiki barges are in various stages of construction in the warehouse. Built to the specifications of Cruisin’ Tikis founder Greg Darby, the 3,200-pound boat-bars are essentially 151/2-foot octagonal frames over 20 55-gallon polyethylene drums. Pressure-treated lumber makes up the deck; the sides of the bar and bar posts are bamboo; and the roof is a synthetic thatch. (Davis’ original tiki barge has cypress thatch; the manmade product was chosen because it is fireproof.) A 30-horsepower outboard motor pushes the boats to a little less than 10 mph.

Davis invested $150,000 to launch Tiki Boatworks. Bob Wolfgang, who also runs another Davis venture, Tech Valley Security, is the CEO, and Brian Wolfgang, a lieutenant with the Albany Fire Department, is the chief operating officer and marketing director of the boat company.

“It’s selling fun,” said Brian Wolfgang, “I don’t know too many people who don’t like fun.”

Expensive fun: A new tiki barge will cost in the $30,000 range, depending on options, which can include elaborate stereos, sink with running water, built-in blender, generator, flat-screen TV, karaoke machine and transparent floor, for aglass-bottom-boat effect. An Adirondack-themed prototype, with cedar shingles and birch-wood, will cost even more.

Despite the price, Davis became convinced of the market for the tiki barges by the reactions he received over the summer when cruising Lake George.

“Dozens of people said they wanted one, and hundreds said they wanted a ride,” he said. A Times Union video of the June launch of his tiki barge was shared on Facebook and viewed more than 60,000 times, Davis said.

The first three vessels are being built for another new company, Tiki Tours, which Davis founded with Greg Teresi. The latter is an attorney who is a partner in Davis’ Lake George camp and co-owns Capital City BrewCycle, which operates 15-passenger, pedal-powered bar platforms that tour Schenectady and Troy. Starting this summer, the tiki barges will be available for 90-minute cruises from Lake George Village and Bolton Landing. Future years could see them hosting cruises on Saratoga Lake and the Great Sacandaga Lake as well.

With nine employees, Tiki Boatworks is three times the size of the original company, which has so far built 12 of the boat-bars. Davis and the Wolfgangs project building 18 this year, with production next year to reach two per month.

“When I saw what they were doing, I had to be a part of it,” said Paul August, head carpenter of Tiki Boatworks. He closed his custom-carpentry business to work for the company full time. “These things were beyond my wildest dreams,” he said.

August, another carpenter and the Wolfgangs spent a week at Cruisin’ Tikis to learn the manufacturing process, and they were part of the launch of Davis’ second tiki barge, which he keeps at his Florida condominium.

During a four-hour cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway from the manufacturer to its new home, the tiki barge attracted near-constant attention.

“I was waving so much my arm got tired,” said Brian Wolfgang. “That’s the sort of reaction it always gets, and we think it’s a pretty good indicator of the sales possibilities.”

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