From humble beginnings as a wooden fishing boat builder more than eighty years ago, Palmer Johnson has emerged as one of the world's leading builders of luxury high performance yachts.

Throughout its history, Palmer Johnson has established a reputation for high standards of excellence, innovation, and performance.

This craftsmanship has captured the hearts and imaginations of enthusiasts all around the world.

Palmer Johnson Yachts, founded in 1918 as Johnson and Gmack, began by building and repairing boats for the Great Lakes commercial fishing fleet. This continued until 1928, when Palmer Johnson, the founder's son, built the firm's first wooden yacht. As the reputation for small, high-quality yachts grew, so did the orders for custom wooden yachts.

When the United States entered WWII, and as most industry in the country rallied around the war effort, Palmer Johnson, then called Sturgeon Bay Boat Works, was no different. Over forty 45-foot air-sea rescue boats and four 65-foot "T" class freighters were built during the war years. At war's end a few custom yachts, as well as a series of 27-foot and 33-foot wooden stock sailboats were being built.

In 1956 the company was officially named Palmer Johnson Boats, Inc. and was sold to a group of local Sturgeon Bay businessmen. In 1961, after being sold to Texas Instrument founder Pat Haggerty, a commitment was made to the then new field of welded aluminum construction, which continues to today.

Palmer Johnson is one of the most successful and respected builders of luxury yachts today. Their success has been based on a willingness to develop new technologies, new markets, and new ideas; to expand whenever the opportunity presents itself, to diversify into new areas of the business, and to look for customers where others have not thought to go. At the same time, they have steadfastly refused to compromise the quality of their product, however tough the market, or straightened the economy, which has earned their boats a reputation for the highest standards of fit-out and construction.
It seems that all yachts are but transitory possessions...and it is the want of yachtsmen to change their vessels. Palmer Johnson maintains an active brokerage staff specializing in Palmer Johnson built vessels.

Palmer Johnson Yachts builds custom yachts in the North and South yards in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, with sales offices in various worldwide regions. From its start, Palmer Johnson has grown to be a leader in the United States for custom megayacht construction. The yachts feature an emphasis on a quiet, low vibration ride. The first aluminum megayacht in the United States to have both a United Kingdom MCA and Lloyd's certification came from Palmer Johnson. A Palmer Johnson yacht also set a world speed record in the large motoryacht class. A reference to a Palmer Johnson megayacht is in the Hollywood movie "The Bourne Identity". The motor yachts made from Palmer Johnson range from an 80-foot sportsfishing yacht to a 195-foot aluminum tri-deck model and above.

Now, Palmer Johnson has several new high-style motor yachts under construction in Sturgeon Bay, ranging from 90 feet up to 123 feet, with the latter being the first ever fiberglass Palmer Johnson ever built. They have recently finished a 142' tri-deck as well.