About Nautalloy Products

My father, Harwood Shepard, Sr., founded Aluminum Marine Hardware Co in the basement of our home in Auburn, New York about 1946. The company opened it's first manufacturing plant in nearby Port Byron in 1947. The name was changed to Nautalloy Products, Inc around 1955.

The original product idea was to manufacture marine hardware made of aluminum as it did not rust in salt water. The early products consisted of small boat cleats, chocks, oar locks, lights and other items made exclusively of aluminum.

Many of the early hardware items were sand castings  made at a small local foundry operated by a man named Ben White. They were then polished, degreased and finished at the Port Byron plant.

The company grew in the late 50's and early 60's by adding many new products including steering wheels, windshields, canvas boat tops and virtually ever accessory primarily for runabout type outboard boats. Distribution was accomplished through a network of manufacturer’s representatives throughout the US. Sales were made to boat manufacturers, marine dealers, and marinas. The company displayed its products at the annual New York and Miami boat shows.

About 1958 my father started an association with a very talented engineer named Tom Faul. Tom was a Czechoslovakian refugee living in Canada. He was associated with Grevette Boats of Ontario Canada. He designed some beautiful wooden inboard runabouts one of which my Dad owned.

For a couple of years Tom worked as an independent designer for Nautalloy and then around 1959 he and his family moved to Auburn, New York to work full time for Nautalloy. The company was now located at 9-12 Logan St., a large old former shoe factory in Auburn and had up to 60 employees. Through Tom Faul 's creative  efforts the "Skylark" line of marine hardware was created. Skylark was a  stylish line of deck hardware, a  beautifully designed bow light, stern light and innovative 4 spoked steering wheel.

In about 1959 Nautalloy started a boat building operation at another location in Auburn. The boat was named  Aquabird.  Plywood molded hulls were imported from Canada. The transom, gunwales stiffeners, seats and decking was added to complete a 14 foot outboard runabout. This operation wound down in a couple of years. The main company operations were moved to 213 North Street in Auburn, NY.

Nautalloy diversified into other products including nautical jewelry, beverage coolers, Plexiglas office chair mats, boat fuel tanks and marine holding tanks and waste pump out stations for marinas.

The recession beginning in 1961 had a severe impact on Nautalloy and the marine business in general. The company finally ran out of working capital and in 1963 Nautalloy was sold to Airtek Dynamics of Compton, California. Subsequently the company was sold to a company named Emtec in Elyria, Ohio. In 1964 all Nautalloy operations were moved to Elyria, Ohio.

I grew up in the Nautalloy business. My father put me to work at an early age at various jobs including assembling products working at "piece rate", working in the accounting department and taking product photos for the annual catalog. I also worked in Aquabird boat factory. At age 17 he packed up a Pontiac station wagon with samples and sent me on the road calling on boat dealers from New York to Maine. This started my career in sales with lasted until recent retirement.


3/17/12 I am very interested in an obtaining an  original Nautalloy catalog 1964 or before.

I have and original 1976 catalog if anyone needs this for reference it please contact me.