Gulfstar yachts for sale.

Vince Lazzara, who had earlier sold his share in Columbia Yachts, founded Gulfstar Yachts in the Tampa Bay area of Florida in 1970. Gulfstar built fiberglass sailboats from 36 to 63 feet and powerboats from 36 to 72 feet, including motorsailers, trawlers, motor cruisers and motor yachts. Early models shared hulls, so the same boat could be finished as a masted motorsailer or as a trawler, which kept costs down.

In the mid-1970s Lazzara refocused Gulfstar on better-built, better-performing yachts and brought in Ted Hood for several designs; the early and mid-1980s are often called the company's best years. Gulfstar built sailboats for charter fleets, including CSY and The Moorings, and by the mid-1980s its production had shifted toward powerboats. Viking Yachts bought Gulfstar and its St. Petersburg plant in 1987 and later closed the plant. About 2,500 Gulfstars were built.

Founded

1970

Built in

Tampa Bay area, Florida

Status

Built 1970 to about 1990