Politics & Government

Town Hearing Set on Proposed Bayport Boat Service Shop

Longtime resident hopes to establish a family owned and operated boat sales, repair and storage business.

The former Sayville Plumbing Supply site on Montauk Higway in Bayport may soon be a new boat repair and service business if the property owner gets a green light from the Islip Town Planning Board Thursday night.

Bayport resident Michael DePalo is requesting a zone change from Business One District to Business Three for the lot that sits adjacent to the Hess gas station, just east of McConnell Avenue. He is also seeking special permits to operate a motor vehicle dealership, commercial boat storage and commercial shipyard or boat repair operation.

DePalo bought the parcel earlier this year and has spent the past two months removing a building and clearing debris off the property. 

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DePalo operated Nicolls Point Marina in Oakdale for 20 years and is currently operating a mobile boat repair service company, DePalo’s Marine and Engine Works, and a company called U.K. Motorsports.

He is hoping for community support at the zoning board hearing, slated for 7:30 p.m. at Islip Town Hall on April 4.

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“Everyone I’ve talked to about my business plan has been receptive and I’d love to have support at the hearing,” said DePalo, who has lived in Bayport for 16 years. He and his wife Maria have three sons in the school district and he hopes his new business will begin a legacy for his family.

The 53-year-old, who holds a degree in marine biology, has been working on engines, from lawnmowers when he was nine years old, to motorcycles, cars and boats throughout his life. He got into the business after facing a dour employment landscape once he had graduated college.

“I love the boat business and I’ve got a strong base of clients I’ve built over the years. I love what I do,” said DePalo, who’s also built custom motorcycles for a slew of celebrity names over the years.

The new business, at which DePalo said his sons will be working for and learning the trade, will include boat storage, sales of new and used boats, and repair services.

Since buying the property he’s carted off over 11 dumpsters of garbage and debris from the site, a cleanup effort that’s cost over $10,000, he estimated.

“There were chimneys, decks, yard waste, tree stumps. So much had been dumped on that site over the years,” said the 53-year-old, estimating he’s got three more dumpster loads left to cleanup at the location.

The plan is to have the business, unnamed as yet, open between June and July.


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