Dell Marine

Maxey Dell Moody III overseeing a Dell Marine barge in 2013.

The origin of Dell Marine goes back to its parent company M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. M. D. Moody was founded in 1918 by Maxey Dell Moody as a road construction and machinery business in Jacksonville, Florida. After Maxey's death in 1949 his son Maxey Dell Moody Jr. took over his father's business as president and CEO. Maxey Moody Jr. founded a tug and barge company in 1962 called MOBRO Marine, Inc. to serve the marine needs of M. D. Moody & Sons. Maxey Jr.'s sons Maxey Dell Moody III and Thomas Boyd Moody worked at MOBRO Marine, Inc. and M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc. Maxey Jr.'s son Maxey Dell Moody III took over M. D. Moody & Sons as president and CEO as well as MOBRO Marine as president upon his father's death in 1987. In 1993 MOBRO Marine acquired a local Sea Ray dealership called Port Jacksonville Sea Ray but it was sold in 2000.[3]

Dell Marine at the Jacksonville Boat Show in January 2020.

In 2004 Maxey stepped down in his position with MOBRO Marine.[4] Since MOBRO Marine no longer owns a boat dealership and Maxey no longer had his position in MOBRO Marine he decided to start his own businesses called Dell Marine Tug and Barge and Dell Marine Boat Sales. Dell Marine Boat Sales was also established to replace the Sea Ray dealership that MOBRO Marine had previously owned. The Dell Marine businesses became subsidiaries of M. D. Moody & Sons where Maxey was still CEO and his daughter Lisa Moody was President. Dell Marine Tug and Barge was established to be Maxey's tug and barge company like MOBRO Marine. Maxey's first son Max Moody IV remained at MOBRO Marine as a vice president while his second son Ray Moody left MOBRO Marine, where he was also a vice president, and chose to work with Maxey at Dell Marine Tug and Barge. Maxey's third son Robert Moody later worked at Dell Marine Tug and Barge. Dell Marine Tug and Barge was first located at a shipyard owned by M. D. Moody & Sons called the Bellinger Shipyard where Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc. also operated out of.

M. D. Moody faced financial difficulties during the Great Recession and was forced to gradually close all branches of the company in Florida but Dell Marine managed to overcome the financial difficulties. M. D. Moody & Sons was forced to sell the Bellinger Shipyard in 2014 for $9.4 million.[5] Dell Marine Boat Sales and Dell Marine Tug & Barge became M. D. Moody's only surviving Moody companies after the company closed in 2013. MOBRO Marine had become a corporate spin-off in 1992 becoming independent of any financial problems related to M. D. Moody. In 2014 Maxey III decided to sell all of his shares in MOBRO Marine. In return for selling his shares in MOBRO Marine he was given ownership of Arlington Marina which MOBRO Marine had owned since 1992. After M. D. Moody had closed in 2013 the accounting and human resources department of Dell Marine relocated to Arlington Marina.[6][7]

Since becoming independent of M. D. Moody, Dell Marine Boat Sales has become a leading Carolina Skiff boat dealership in North Florida. Dell Marine has participated in local boat shows like the Southeast U.S. Boat Show, Jacksonville Boat Show and Jacksonville In-Water Boat Show.[8][9][10] In April 2017 the Southeast US Boat Show was canceled due to a money dispute with the vendor making Dell Marine unable to attend.[11] In April 2020 the Jacksonville In-Water Boat Show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic making Dell Marine unable to attend.[12]

Carolina Skiff boats from Dell Marine at the Jacksonville Boat Show in 2019.

Dell Marine tugboat Miss Susan at the Bellinger Shipyard in 2015.

Dell Marine Boat Sales is a boat dealership of Carolina Skiff crafts. In October 2006 Dell Marine opened its first branch in Orange Park, Florida featured on WGNE-FM.[13] Dell Marine first began selling Skeeter, Edgewater, Pro-Line, and Odyssey Pontoon boats. The growth and shift in the market led to Dell Marine being a primary Carolina Skiff dealership with a select number of used boats for trade-ins. Dell Marine is also an exclusive Carolina Skiff dealer and a certified Yamaha service dealer.[14][15]

Dell Marine Tug & Barge was first located at the Bellinger Shipyard of Moody Fabrication & Machine, Inc. After selling the Bellinger Shipyard in 2013 Dell Marine Tug & Barge relocated to Arlington Marina. The operations of Dell Marine Tug & Barge consists of barges that are used to transport various materials such as material used to establish reefs. In 2008 Dell Marine transported and dropped about 600 tons of concrete pipes and storm boxes off St. Johns County, Florida to add to the St. Johns County High School reef project. In June 2015 Dell Marine Tug and Barge donated and transported concrete materials to a location 20 miles off St. Augustine, Florida for the establishment of a reef.[16][17]

In July 2015 Dell Marine submitted a bid of $86,000 to the City of Fernandina Beach for Captain Daddy's Artificial Reef Expansion and was awarded the project to expand the reef.[18]