Final production: ~20 kits, taking orders now until they're gone. Shipping this winter — and that's it, no more Smyth Utes after that.

 

After 30 years and three companies — Factory Five, Local Motors, and now Smyth — I'm stepping away from kit production to go all-in on Haddy, a project I co-founded four years ago that's turned into something bigger than I expected.

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Haddy runs the largest large-format 3D printing operation in the world, out of our facility in St. Pete — eight massive robots capable of printing hulls up to 40 feet long. We're going to be working directly with the Navy to print USV (uncrewed surface vessel) drone hulls at scale, with over 600 hulls needed in 2027 alone.

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Turns out 30 years of figuring out how to engineer, mold, and build kit cars translates almost directly to building boat hulls at scale. It's a strange full-circle thing — a small-time kit car guy getting to make a real difference in a brand new industry. And if unmanned boats can do dangerous work instead of putting people in harm's way, that's work worth doing.

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Here's what's not changing: we're keeping the tooling and molds right here at the shop, so parts and service for existing Utes aren't going anywhere. My sons, Coop and Will, are staying on to start their own businesses out of the shop — between the three of us, existing owners will still have parts, tech advice, and support. And you're joining a small, closed-off community of owners — which is honestly half the fun of it.  

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What's ending is new kit production. We've set aside about 20 kits for one final batch, shipping this winter — and when they're gone, that's it.

If you've been thinking about building one, this is the run. Give me a call, we'll talk donor specs, and I'll get you on the winter shipment list personally.

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— Mark