RICHMOND -- It has been nearly a century since the last ship was built in Richmond. It's been 130 years since the town, still dotted with sea captain's homes, was the center of major shipbuilding activity.

The past is about to be relaunched by a fifth-generation Maine yacht-maker whose company, Hodgdon Yachts, is believed to be the oldest continuously running shipyard in America.

The renowned East Boothbay yacht-maker plans to build high-end yacht interiors, though not completed yachts, in this riverside town.

The firm's headquarters, where multimillion-dollar yachts are built and launched, will remain in East Boothbay.

The company's new Richmond shop, in 30,000 square feet of a former shoe factory, will build yacht interiors only. And those will be shipped on via trucks.

The company plans to invest about $1 million in expanding its business to build interiors for other yacht-makers in Richmond. It expects to bring 15 to 17 current workers with them to Richmond and hire another 35 workers within two years.

"We've turned down business over the last six months to build yacht interiors because we don't have the capacity," said Andy Wright, chief operating officer for Hodgdon Yachts.

"The interest in what we put out far exceeds our capacity. In the foreseeable future, there should be no shortage of work here in Richmond. We hope to be manufacturing by June 1st. Preferably before then. We'll move as quickly as we can."

The company's yachts are known for their combination of traditional, skilled hand-craftsmanship and technical innovation. The company makes its own yacht interiors but plans to make interiors for other companies to help meet a growing global demand for luxurious-yacht interiors.

Some of its yachts are decorated with hundreds of hand-carved items, including seashells and other designs.

"Our craftsmen create what we consider to be practically works of art," Wright said. "Maine is know for very high-quality vessels and innovation."

He said We're Hodgdon also is "known for very high-paying, high-quality jobs."

While officials didn't wish to disclose the prices of their vessels, the 154-foot yacht Scheherazade, built by Hodgdon in 2003, was listed online last year with a sale price of $29 million.

Company President Tim Hodgdon, a fifth-generation boat-builder, said interiors typically represent about 30 percent of a boat's overall project cost.

The worldwide demand for high-end watercraft has remained strong, Hodgdon said, despite concerns in this country about a recession.

"I don't want to say we're insulated from it," Hodgdon said of the economic troubles. "But, we're insulated from it. We deal with people who, in some cases, aren't going to the bank for financing. They've got it in their pocket in a lot of cases. This is a very significant opportunity to grow. A significant time for our company."

Deborah Elliott, of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, said Maine boat-builders have a worldwide reputation and the industry is strong.

"There is a lot of business in Dubai and places like that," she said. "They want our Maine-built boats. Everything I've seen Hodgdon do is first class. I think Richmond has a lot of things going for it. This is one of them."

The company is applying for a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant loan from the state Department of Economic and Community Development to help expand to Richmond.

Hodgdon said the company is also seeking to diversify with another project involving a prototype watercraft they built for the U.S. Navy.

Orman Whitcomb, director of the Office of Community Development, said the state typically takes less than 30 days to decide whether to grant such loan requests. He wouldn't say what the odds were of Hodgdon getting the loan but noted that the program has more loan funds available than the total amount of loans requested.

Hodgdon has signed a lease for about 30,000 square feet of the approximately 60,000 square-foot Richmond Business and Manufacturing Center, a former Etonic shoe plant.

Peter Horne, interior manager for Hodgdon, said they'll start in Richmond as soon as possible. He said work will start on the building's two overhead doors this week.

Hiring already has begun, Horne said.

"As soon as we get a fixed date when we're opening the doors, we'll start bringing on those additional people," he said. "The facility is perfect for what we want to do.

"Quite frankly, we can't wait to pull this together. We've hired seven in the joinery area so far, with two others signed up. I have a dozen applications in my keeper file from the area. And we'll be looking at another 30 people in the very near future."

The jobs would include traditional woodworking as well as higher-technology computer assisted drafting and machining work.

Horne and Hodgdon said they are working to start an apprenticeship program to train new potential workers.

"Traditional woodworkers aren't born every day," Horne said. "We come from a group of traditional hand-working tool-users, with a worldwide reputation.

"We still maintain all these traditional workers that have given us our name."

He said they hope to draw potential workers from Richmond High School, which sits directly behind the Richmond Business and Manufacturing Center.

The building is owned by developer David Smaha, whom Wright said has invested his own money into helping make the building ready for Hodgdon.

Hodgdon officials said they were attracted to Richmond because of its proximity to their East Boothbay headquarters, the interstate, and the area's strong labor pool.

They praised local officials and residents for welcoming the firm to the area.

The attraction is mutual.

"This is bigger than Richmond," said Richmond Selectman Seth Goodall. "It's a great project for the region and state. Richmond can be part of this cluster that's happening in Maine in the boat-building industry."

Richmond was home to a major shipbuilding industry in the 1880s. Multiple shipyards used to launch their craft into the Kennebec River for the short journey to the sea. The industry faded out by the early 1900s.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com