Hoffmaster's Marina

Paul and Martha Hoffmaster began selling boats out of their Sinclair gas station in Silver Spring, MD. In 1957, on the advice of their Owens Yachts representative, Paul and Martha purchased the marina that is now Hoffmaster’s. They partnered with three of Paul’s brothers—Jack, Gene and Ralph—to sell Owens, Correct Craft and Evinrude Outboards.The marina had plenty of slips but not a lot of depth and no travelift road. For a short time, Paul lived aboard a boat at the marina while Martha packed up their house in Silver Spring and moved them to Devil’s Reach Road in Woodbridge, VA. It was tough going at first—dredging, pile driving, grading, converting what had been the service shop into a ship’s store, and construction of the showroom (which started as a service shop)—demanded all their time and resources.The 60’sIn the 60’s Martha and Paul sold Owens Yacht exclusively. Paul’s belief in the reliability and simplicity of the inboard drive system led him to focus there. Martha became the bookkeeper—her job was to find the money and Paul’s job was to spend it! They built an outdoor display area for cruisers and became heavily involved in the marketing and sales of Owens. Paul’s leadership qualities stood out in some hilarious ways. He was given an exclusive for the Washington Boat Show only to find out during move in that another dealer had put Owens yachts in the show. Paul responded by covering all his boats with duck storage covers until the manufacturer came to the table.