A grandiose wooden boat stood outside the new StanCraft office in Kalispell during its open house earlier this fall.  

Zach Schermerhorn, who oversees Montana market development, said it was the perfect way to remind the community of what the company is known for while introducing its other services.

"People wanted to come by and meet us and tell us about the StanCraft that they knew and loved way back when ... So it was fun seeing how StanCraft still has that brand [recognition] in the area and how there's still some excitement about it even though we've been gone for 40-some-odd years now," Schermerhorn said.  

Founded in 1933 on the shores of Flathead Lake by Stanley C. Young and his father, W.H. “Billy” Young, StanCraft began building small runabouts and later large cabin cruisers for boat enthusiasts.

In 1968, Stanley sold the company to his middle son, Syd, and his wife, Juliette Young. They moved the business from Lakeside to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in the early 1980s and ran the company until 2003, when they sold it to their youngest daughter Amy and her husband Robb. Today, the couple is still at the helm of StanCraft, running the company as third-generation owners.

While they still manufacture wooden boats in Hayden, Idaho, the company has grown to include StanCraft Construction Group, StanCraft Jet Center and StanCraft Marine Center. The groups work on a variety of projects across Northern Idaho and Northwest Montana, including residential construction and commercial construction for many different industries.  

President of StanCraft Construction Group Josh Horvath said the first project in the Flathead Valley is rebuilding Kelly Rae's, a gas station in Batavia that burned down in January 2025.  

"It's really cool that we had the opportunity to build this, just because it is so well known in the area. And the whole team out there that have worked there for years and years, as far as the staff, they're just great to work with," Horvath said.  

The new Kelly Rae's will be more modern, with better egress in and out of the parking lot near a busy U.S. 2. Horvath said it will have more gas pumps and a larger interior space, which includes a bigger beer cooler.  

"We build high-end residential, multi-family, and then a lot of commercial, like medical work, dentist offices, urgent cares, surgery centers, medical office buildings and airplane hangars. We're also a Varco Pruden builder for pre-engineered metal buildings, so we do some industrial work as well," Horvath said.  

The marine construction includes everything from barges and tugboats to docks and boathouses, Horvath said.  

While the company isn't working on any marine projects in the Flathead Valley yet, Schermerhorn said they expect that area of the business to grow as more clients learn about the variety of services offered.  

"People find out we do construction and that turns into upgrading their cabin or building a new house ... So, they'll kind of play into each other," Schermerhorn said.

As someone who oversees growth in their Montana market, Schermerhorn said that's been a fun aspect of bringing the company back to its roots.  

"We're getting the name back out there, but also emphasizing that not only do we build boats, but we also build houses, docks and everything else now," he said.  

But building wooden boats is still an important part of StanCraft, said StanCraft Vice President of Operations Jason Stirtz.  

"It truly is a labor of love. Everything is done start to finish over on campus in Idaho, where we still do handle everything in-house. We like to say we build pretty much everything but the motor," Stirtz said.  

He said the company uses traditional building techniques, while offering the flexibility to add new technology, like joystick piloting or screen displays. But the goal is to keep the iconic, classic style, while allowing customers to customize features on the boat. It takes about 6,500 hours to build each project, Stirtz added.  

"Just seeing how creative owners get, like getting to do different styles and trying different things with the boats is always exciting," he said.  

EVEN WHEN there’s not a large, wooden boat parked in front of the new office, people are still wandering in to ask questions. It helps to have the visibility of a Main Street location, Horvath said. When Schermerhorn identified the building as a possible new home for StanCraft in the Flathead Valley, they thought there would be no better location to welcome in people who were curious about what the company has been up to.

“We feel lucky to be like right in the middle of everything happening in Kalispell, in the center of the valley," Schermerhorn said.  

StanCraft has around 300 people associated with its construction companies, with an additional 80 working in the marine division. In addition to the new Kalispell office, the companies have offices in Hayden and Pend Oreille, Idaho. 

Starting with hiring Schermerhorn, Horvath said they plan to hire a couple more Montana employees in the coming months.  

The StanCraft office in Kalispell is located at 141 Main Street. To learn more about StanCraft, visit stancraftcg.com.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.