Port of Egypt Marine in Southold sold to Hinckley, ending 80 years of family ownership

Port of Egypt Marine — the family-owned Southold marina and boat dealership where generations of North Fork boaters have docked, serviced and launched their vessels — has been sold to luxury yachtmaker Hinckley.

The deal, announced Tuesday, ends more than 80 years of ownership by the Lieblein family, which has operated the marina since its founding as a fishing station in 1946.

In an exclusive interview with The Suffolk Times ahead of the announcement, cousins Yvonne and Will Lieblein, whose families trace back to the marina’s founding brothers, said the decision followed months of discussions and years of outside interest before ultimately gaining the support of the family’s older generation.

“We’ve been approached many times over the years, but this felt different — it felt like all the pieces were in place,” said Will Lieblein, whose father, Bill Lieblein, is part of the second generation that carried on the business after its founding by William Lieblein.

Terms of the deal for the eight-acre site on Southold Bay were not disclosed.

The acquisition is part of a roughly $40 million push by Hinckley to expand its network of marinas and service yards along the East Coast, according to a source with knowledge of the deal, who described it as a “string of pearls” strategy linking key boating markets.

The sale comes as consolidation accelerates across the marina industry nationwide, with larger operators and outside investment reshaping longstanding businesses, a pattern now becoming more visible on the North Fork.

In recent years, several family-owned docks on the North Fork have been acquired by deep-pocketed investors, including Duryea’s Orient Point, Brick Cove Marina in Southold and the Shagwong properties in New Suffolk and Cutchogue. Hinckley is owned by a consortium of investors, according to the company.

“The trend is fewer slips for bigger boats,” said Jeff Strong, owner of Mattituck-based Strong’s Marine, pointing to changes already underway in how marinas are built and operated.

“It’s another kind of South Fork moving to the North Fork kind of thing,” he said, a trend some in the industry describe as the continued “Hampton-ization” of the traditionally low-key North Fork.

Craig Goldsmith, whose family has operated Goldsmith’s Boat Shop near Port of Egypt for more than a century, said he sees the same forces at work.

“We’ve been approached numerous times,” Mr. Goldsmith said. “We’ll listen to what people have to say, but at the end of the conversation we usually come back to the same place — we’re just not there.”

Hinckley, whose service network includes its flagship location in Portsmouth, R.I., along with another in Stamford, Conn., said the Southold location strengthens its presence on the East End, one of the country’s most active boating regions.

“Hinckley Yacht Services is a thing, and the Hinckley name should be synonymous with elevated service — whether it’s an outboard Grady-White or something much larger,” Peter Clark, vice president of Hinckley Yacht Services, told The Suffolk Times in a separate interview Monday. “Any customer that really demands a higher-quality offering is what Hinckley services would provide.”

Slip and service pricing will remain unchanged, he added.

The company will retain the Port of Egypt name, staff and core operations while investing in upgrades and expanded capabilities. Planned improvements include shoreline work, expanded indoor storage with heat and the return of a diesel program to broaden the marina’s offerings.

Both Will and Yvonne Lieblein will continue in leadership roles, with Yvonne taking on an expanded focus on marketing and sales. The entire 16-person staff is expected to remain.

Hinckley and the Liebleins emphasized that the marina will continue to serve all boaters, not just Hinckley owners, maintaining its role as a full-service yard for the North Fork’s diverse boating community.

“The faces will be the same,” Yvonne Lieblein said. “We’re still here — just with more resources.”

The deal follows a similar move last year in the Chesapeake Bay region, where Hinckley acquired a family-run marina and kept its identity intact while expanding operations. The company said it plans to follow that model in Southold.

Mr. Goldsmith said his grandfather helped Port of Egypt get its start in the 1940s, even lending motors for its early rental boats — part of a network of family-run businesses that include longtime operations like Strong’s and Albertson Marine in Southold.

Over the decades, the marina grew alongside the North Fork itself, expanding into a 132-slip operation with a boatyard and dealership that became a hub for the region’s boating community.

Its role extended beyond the docks. The marina has long hosted charitable events, including fishing tournaments and lobster bakes benefiting Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital — a tradition that helped earn Port of Egypt The Suffolk Times’ 2025 Business of the Year recognition.

“That’s the heart and soul of Port of Egypt,” Yvonne Lieblein said, adding that those traditions will continue under Hinckley.

Conversations with Hinckley began about nine months ago around a potential service relationship, according to Ms. Lieblein. What started as a partnership discussion gradually evolved into a possible sale as the two sides got to know each other.

“It was very organic,” she said. “We got to know them first — how they treat customers, how they treat employees — and over time we realized our values were very aligned. It wasn’t something we went looking for, it just evolved.”

Within months, the idea of a sale began to take shape.

“We were talking to kindred spirits — people who understand how unique this business is and what it means to the people who come here,” Will Lieblein said.

Still, the final call was made by Bill Lieblein and the older generation.

“My parents are the majority shareholders,” Will Lieblein said. “They’re the ones who had to make that decision.”

Handing over the keys to their family legacy wasn’t easy.

“There’s always going to be some feeling tied to this place,” he said. “But we feel good about putting it in their hands.”

For longtime customers, the change will be visible in one immediate way. Port of Egypt will no longer serve as a Grady-White boat dealer, ending a 66-year relationship that had long been part of the marina’s identity on the North Fork.

The marina, among the longest-running Grady-White dealers in the country, sold off the last of that brand over the past two weeks. 

Grady-White partnered with Strong’s Marine last week, expanding into the North Fork market. Mr. Strong’s son, Ryan, picked up the remaining Grady-White inventory from Port of Egypt’s and brought them to the yard on James Creek.

Port of Egypt’s move was tied to the sale, as Hinckley focuses on larger yacht models rather than smaller outboard boats. The least expensive new vessel in their line, a Hinckley 35, sells for more than $1 million. 

“This is about growth. It’s about doing what we do, but better — and continuing to take care of the customers who have been coming here for years,” Ms. Lieblein said.

Mr. Goldsmith said the broader trend of family businesses fading away carries a sense of loss.

“There’s a lot of history tied up in these places,” he said.

Even longtime competitors say the change will be felt locally.

“They’ve been a staple on the North Fork for a very long time, and we’ll miss them in that sense,” Mr. Strong said.

For the Liebleins, the focus is on continuity — and what comes next.

“We’ve always felt it was a privilege to be here,” Ms. Lieblein said. “You meet people in a very different way through boating, and those relationships — that’s what this place has always been about.