“We had to rebuild”: Mattapoisett Boatyard owners credit community support for post-fire recovery
From Left: David Kaiser, Mattapoisett Boatyard founder Arthur Mclean and Ned Kaiser at the grand re-opening on Saturday, May 9. Photos by Samantha DeGenova
Friends, customers and community members attended the celebration. 
Ned Kaiser speaks during the event. 
David Kaiser gives a speech during the grand re-opening. 
The re-opening was cause for celebration. 
Four years later, the boatyard has recovered from the fire. 
Attendees enjoyed food and dessert from food trucks in the boatyard parking lot.
From Left: David Kaiser, Mattapoisett Boatyard founder Arthur Mclean and Ned Kaiser at the grand re-opening on Saturday, May 9. Photos by Samantha DeGenova
Friends, customers and community members attended the celebration.
Ned Kaiser speaks during the event.
David Kaiser gives a speech during the grand re-opening.
The re-opening was cause for celebration.
Four years later, the boatyard has recovered from the fire.
Attendees enjoyed food and dessert from food trucks in the boatyard parking lot.
MATTAPOISETT — Four years after the Mattapoisett Boatyard burned down, the business welcomed customers, friends and the community to celebrate the boatyard’s grand re-opening.
Inside the rebuilt metal structure housing the boatyard’s internal operations, owners David and Ned Kaiser thanked the community for its enthusiastic support and celebrated a new chapter for their business.
David Kaiser said the fire, which broke out the afternoon of Aug. 19, 2022, completely destroyed the boatyard. He said seeing the fire’s destruction was "devastating" and the following days were spent building temporary workspaces and starting over as much as possible.
In the following months, several area businesses held fundraisers and a GoFundMe was created to support the boatyard. Combined, these efforts raised about $200,000 which David Kaiser said helped fund new tools and vehicles for employees and buy basic supplies.
“It was a lot of money, and I just still can't tell you how amazing that was,” he said.
Even though the building was gone, David Kaiser said the important things remained — the people.
He said it was “powerful” to see how much the boatyard meant to people and see the town rally to help get it back on its feet.
“You don't realize what you have until it's gone. The thing is, what was not gone were our employees and our customers, and this town came together,” he said. “That was just incredible for us to to experience, the patience and and the loyalty from each and every one of you.”
When deciding how to move forward, David Kaiser said rebuilding “was the only choice that we had.” He and his son refused to sell off the longtime family business and let an important “economic engine” shut its doors.
Ned Kaiser said when his father asked him if staying open was worth it, he didn’t have to think long before agreeing it was.
He said boatyard’s emplyees were particularly instrumental in their ability to rebuild, and thanked them for their dedication and loyalty to the business. He said those employees, and the support of the community, were the reason he and his father chose to rebuild.
“Today isn't just about reopening. We're past that,” he said. “It's about continuing something that started long before me, making sure it's here long after.”
