Paceship History

Paceship Yachts, AMF/Paceship, Plycraft and ABCO)

There are 31 known fiberglass versions of sailboats and dinghies produced by Paceship Yachts LOA's from 7ft to 32 ft. Several The predecessor of Paceship "Mahone Bay Plycraft Company Ltd" manufactured a line of moulded plywood boats (many of which were hulls that were designed to be finished and outfitted by others and sold under a host of names). There is rumored to be some sailboats produced by the Plycraft company as well. See more about the Plycraft boats and Canoes here!

The Paceship boats were first built by Industrial Shipping Company Limited of Nova Scotia (ICS). The Plycraft speedboats were the original products built by ISC in the original Mahone Bay plant until it burned down in 1956. When the plant was re-erected, it continued to manufacture molded plywood but the bulk of the new plant capacity was designed to manufacture vessels using a new material - fiberglass. Production of fiberglass was principally with smaller runabouts and

A Picture taken from Paul Bailey's 32-28 of the Mahone Bay Factory as it is today

sailboats. Eventually it grew into larger sailboats. The company began marketing boats under the new Paceship Name around 1962. The company was acquired in 1965 by Atlantic Bridge Company Limited of Nova Scotia (ABCO).

ABCO apparently manufactured a other boats but little has been learned of these boats to date. One such boat includes the 38' Pleasure Trawler built in 1979.

In 1975 the PY-23 and PY-26 tooling was sold to AMF of Connecticut, who built the design between 1975 and 1981. The Yacht Business was wound down, as Atlantic Bridge Company moved its industrial fiberglass operation into the plant previously operated as Paceship Yachts.

Atlantic Bridge Company Limited renamed the industrial fiberglass business "ABCO Plastics Limited" and sold that business in 1988 and renamed itself "ABCO Idustries Limited". Reinforced Plastics Systems Inc. now operates the

Another shot of the factory. Hey is that may be a P29 out in front? If its not...there ought to be a law!

former ABCO Plastics Limited business on the original site of Paceship Yachts, in many of the buildings that were rebuilt by Industrial Shipping LTD in the late 50's.

Around 1981 in an economic slowdown, AMF decided to shut its Paceship operation in CT. Tanzer Industries bought the mold and rights to at least the PY26 design in 1981 and produced the boat as the Tanzer 27 (with a deck stepped versus the original keel stepped mast along with a few other minor changes one of which extended the boats length by 3 inches making it a 27 footer) until they went out of business a few years later.

Information summarized from many individual contributors by Jay Moran. Additional historical information or corrections are solicited!

A 2001 picture of Richard Smiths own P29 "Odyssee "4 anchored off the Old Paceship Boat Yard in Mahone Bay NS where she was built in 1972. This company now makes fiberglass pipes and tanks.
This one is a confirmed P29!!!