The Art of the Weld.
A Legacy of Precision Since 1960
The Founder’s Legacy
The story of Klacko Marine began with **Martin Klacko**, a master craftsman who viewed metallurgy as both a science and an art. Trained at Ryerson Polytechnical, Martin possessed a rare ability to understand how steel and aluminum behaved at a molecular level.
In the late 1960s, Martin became a vital “sparring partner” for the visionary designers at **C&C Yachts**. While naval architects like Rob Mazza and George Cuthbertson were pushing the limits of hull speed and design, Martin was in the shop, engineering the custom hardware that could withstand the immense loads of the era’s new performance cruisers.
Martin Klacko and Erich Bruckmann at work in the C&C Custom Division, circa 1975.
Calculated Intuition
When Martin retired, he passed the torch to Doug Gierula, a protege who shared his obsession with material science. Doug, who holds degrees in Biochemistry and Mechanical Engineering, has evolved the studio into a modern fabrication powerhouse.
This dual-disciplined background allows Klacko Marine to apply “Calculated Intuition” to every project. We don’t just weld metal; we engineer custom solutions that maintain the aesthetic soul of the vessel while utilizing 21st-century metallurgical standards.
“We carry forward the same ‘Old World’ craftsmanship Martin instilled in me, but we’ve added a layer of modern engineering complexity that today’s blue-water sailors demand.”
— Doug Gierula, Lead Designer
