Canada: Hike Metal: Steady Progress to Success

Since 1958, Hike Metal of Wheatley, Ontario, has been a steady presence in the Canadian maritime niche, enjoying success and growth built on the local fishing industry. The yard is strategically located on the north shore of Lake Erie, 45 miles east of the Windsor / Detroit border. Central location provides the company good access to both suppliers and market alike.

Hike prides itself on many aspects of its business, starting with the construction of not aluminum vessels, rather strong relationships with customers to establish and define the class and function requirements of the vessel.

On the facilities side, Hike's modern plant facilities and metal working machinery enable us to build both large and small vessels simultaneously. Vessels up to 100 ft. in length can be built completely inside under heated, environmentally controlled conditions, while larger vessels are built in sub-sections and assembled on building berths outside. These facilities are strategically laid out to afford smooth through-put flow of materials and components from delivery, to inspection and stocking, to preparation and incorporation into the vessels allocated. A recent success for Hike was the deliver of a 54-ft. (16.4 m) welded aluminum pilot boat to Jacobsen Pilot Service of Long Beach, Calif. The boat, which was featured on the October 2003 cover of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, was built to suit one of the busiest and demanding port operations in the world.