Ship & Boat Building
Key Figures
Figures are published for NAICS 33661 directly.
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Official definition
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating shipyards or boat yards (i.e., ship or boat manufacturing facilities). Shipyards are fixed facilities with drydocks and fabrication equipment capable of building a ship, defined as watercraft typically suitable or intended for other than personal or recreational use. Boats are defined as watercraft typically suitable or intended for personal use. Activities of shipyards include the construction of ships, their repair, conversion and alteration, production of prefabricated ship and barge sections, and specialized services, such as ship scaling.
Source: US Census Bureau, 2017 NAICS Definitions. Public domain.
Illustrative examples
- Barge building
- Boat yards (i.e., boat manufacturing facilities)
- Cargo ship building
- Drilling and production platforms, floating, oil and gas, building
- Inflatable plastic boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing
- Inflatable rubber boats, heavy-duty, manufacturing
- Passenger ship building
- Rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) manufacturing
- Rowboats manufacturing
Which code does this activity belong in?
Ship and boat building establishments operate fixed facilities with drydocks and fabrication equipment to construct watercraft. The key distinction is the intended use of the watercraft: ships are built for commercial, industrial, or other non-personal purposes and classified in this code, while boats intended for personal or recreational use are also included here. This code covers the full range of shipyard and boat yard activities, including new construction, repair, conversion, alteration, and specialized services, distinguishing it from motor vehicle manufacturing, which covers land-based transportation equipment rather than watercraft.