1954

In 1954, and for the next four years during the Korean War, Frank Denison landed a large United States Navy contract, with the first flight of four 144’ wooden minesweepers, for the Royal Dutch Navy under a NATO contract. After the demand for minesweepers dropped, thanks in large part to the conclusion of World War II, Broward Marine shifted its focus back to building custom yachts.

1960s

With the beginning of the 1960s came an increased interest from yacht owners in the quality of interiors and the need for interior design. To meet this demand, Broward Marine and Gertrude Denison established “Yacht Interiors” which became one of the world’s first yacht interior design studios. Some notable examples are Jonathan III (1959), The Dorisam (1963), and The Heather (1965).

1970s

As the `60s came to an end, Frank Denison noticed a trend away from wood to other materials such as aluminum and fiberglass. Seizing on this trend, Broward moved quickly and adopted aluminum as its material of preference, even at the expense of abandoning two wooden vessels that it had under construction. By the mid `70s, Broward was in full production of an all-aluminum series of motoryachts.

1980s

Innovations in yachting continued rapidly in the 1980s, as Mrs. Denison designed the first-ever “country kitchen” galley, which remains an extremely popular feature on yachts today. Also, in 1983, Broward built the first ever yacht with triple diesel engines in the 92’ Jervet.

1990s

The early 1990s saw the commissioning of Britannia, then Pegasus, a 130’ triple engine tri-deck. By the early 1990s, Frank Denison was looking to go larger, and he accomplished this with the 1996 156’ Bubba Too. At the time Bubba Too was commissioned it was the largest U.S.-built aluminum vessel.

2000s

In 2002, Bob took the helm at Denison Yacht Sales. Since then, the firm has grown steadily, including new offices and new boat representation, with the support of his father and uncles and Denison’s more than 100 yacht brokers.

Bob’s approach is simple: Focus on supporting your brokers, rather than competing with them.

2020s

In 2022, Denison Yachting expanded into the European market by opening a dedicated office in Monaco, led by Jeremy Roche. Today, under the guidance of Bob Denison, the company continues to be a leading name in the yachting industry, building upon its rich family legacy.