RMK Merrill-Stevens
RMK Merrill-Stevens is a full-service yacht repair and refit shipyard on the Miami River, operating two yards in Miami’s Health District. The company traces its history to 1885 and calls itself Florida’s first shipyard, a claim repeated in trade coverage of the yard.
The yard is split between the North Yard, branded the Superyacht Center, at 1270 NW 11th Street, and the South Yard at 881 NW 13th Avenue. Both handle service, maintenance, repair and refit work, with the North Yard geared toward larger vessels. The centerpiece of the facility is a 2,700-ton Pearlson shiplift, described in a 2020 MarineLink report as the largest shiplift in South Florida.
Services cover most trades a yacht needs in a yard period: welding and fabrication, fiberglass and composite work, painting and refinishing, anti-fouling, mechanical and driveline work, electrical and electronics, air conditioning and refrigeration, stabilizers and hydraulics, and carpentry and joinery. The company also markets superyacht marina services on the river for yachts in for work.
The customer base is yacht owners, captains and managers looking for a refit or repair yard close to downtown Miami, rather than a transient marina. Its Miami River location, inland from Biscayne Bay and close to the city center, sets it apart from the many South Florida yards on the Intracoastal Waterway.
The modern era of the yard began in 2013, when it was bought by Turkish industrialist and philanthropist Rahmi M. Koç, according to MarineLink. The site was restored and re-equipped, with more than $30 million reported invested in renovating the North and South yards and adding the shiplift. In 2020 the company announced plans to hire 75 staff and worked with the Marine Industries Association of South Florida on a registered yacht service technician apprenticeship program.
The yard’s ties to Turkey deepened in May 2026, when RMK Yachts, the new-build yachting arm of the Turkish RMK shipyard, opened a Miami office inside RMK Merrill-Stevens. Under that arrangement, new construction happens in Turkey while the Miami yard provides service and refit support for American owners.
Address: South Yard, 881 NW 13th Ave, Miami, FL 33125 · North Yard (Superyacht Center), 1270 NW 11th St, Miami, FL 33125
Phone: +1 305-324-5211
Website: rmkmerrill-stevens.com
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