SBA size standard
1,000 employees
Measured by average number of employees over the last 24 months
SBA table effective March 2023
Official definition
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in building boats. Boats are defined as watercraft not built in shipyards and typically of the type suitable or intended for personal use. Included in this industry are establishments that manufacture heavy-duty inflatable rubber or inflatable plastic boats (RIBs).
FY2025 federal spending
The Department of Defense bought 78% of the $338.0M obligated under 336612 in FY2025.
- Contract awards
- 950
- Contract vehicles (IDVs)
- 86
Top buying agencies
- Department of Defense$263.8M
- Department of Homeland Security$59.1M
- Department of the Interior$7.0M
- Department of State$6.3M
- Department of Commerce$950.3K
FY2025 federal contract obligations, USAspending.gov
NAICS 336612 obligated $338 million in FY2025 across 950 contract awards. DoD is $264 million, but the civilian share tells the more useful story: DHS at $59 million buys Coast Guard small boats and CBP interceptors, Interior at $7 million buys park and refuge patrol craft, State at $6 million buys embassy and mission boats, and Commerce buys NOAA survey launches. Those are four separate customers, all buying at award sizes a 40-person builder can deliver.
What belongs here
Boats, defined by Census as watercraft not built in shipyards and typically suited to personal use, explicitly including heavy-duty rigid inflatables. The dividing line with the shipbuilding code is the facility and the vessel class:
- Vessels built in shipyards with drydock and fabrication capability are 336611.
- Hull design and naval architecture sold as a service is 541330.
- Engine and drivetrain repair on delivered craft is 811310.
Competing in this code
The code had 86 IDVs alongside 950 awards in FY2025. The recurring pattern is a base quantity plus options across several fiscal years, which rewards a builder who can hold a price and a delivery schedule more than one with a large past performance file. Trailer, engine package, and electronics integration are almost always in scope, so a bid built on hull cost alone loses on price realism.
NAICS 336612 FAQ
What is the SBA size standard for NAICS 336612?
SBA sets it at 1,000 employees, counted as a 24-month average headcount across your company and every affiliate, not revenue. At or under that number you are small on NAICS 336612 solicitations and eligible for the set-asides in this code.
Which agencies buy boats under NAICS 336612?
FY2025 obligations: DoD ($264 million), DHS ($59 million), Interior ($7 million), State ($6 million). Unlike the shipbuilding code, four of the five buyers here run programs small enough for an independent builder to prime.
What is the difference between NAICS 336612 and 336611?
336611 is scoped to shipyards, meaning fixed facilities with drydocks and fabrication capability building vessels intended for other than personal use. 336612 is boat building outside a shipyard, and it explicitly includes heavy-duty rigid inflatables. The federal spending gap is wide: $37.2 billion under 336611 against $338 million under 336612.
Do rigid inflatable boats fall under NAICS 336612?
Yes, explicitly. The Census definition names manufacturers of heavy-duty inflatable rubber or inflatable plastic boats as part of this industry, which covers most of the RIB and interceptor procurement run by the Coast Guard, CBP, and Navy special warfare buyers.