Weihai Xigang Yacht: Fishing-Focused GRP Boatbuilding Anchors Northern China's Composite Marine Cluster

Weihai Xigang Yacht Co., Ltd. is quietly building a reputation as one of China’s most fishing-focused composite boatbuilders. Based in Weihai, Shandong — the city that supplies roughly 60 percent of the world’s fishing rods — the company is applying the region’s marine engineering heritage to a different kind of tackle: the boats anglers fish from.

A Fishing Boat Built for Hainan Waters

In early August 2026, Xigang delivered a 28.8-meter fiberglass leisure boat to Hainan, the tropical province that has become China’s fastest-growing saltwater angling destination. The vessel was equipped specifically for recreational sea fishing, with electric reel power outlets and fixed rod holders as standard, and its hull was tuned for the wave conditions of southern Chinese waters — prioritizing stability and comfort alongside cruising capability.

The delivery is part of a strong year for the shipyard: more than 20 leisure boats of various types have been handed over to customers across China so far in 2026, and the order book now stretches into early 2027.

Beyond Leisure: Tuna Longliners and Record Yachts

Xigang’s fishing credentials extend well beyond day-trip charters. The company has built a 36.6-meter ocean-going tuna longline vessel — a design that fills a genuine gap in China’s domestic fishing fleet, where most tuna longliners have historically been imported or built to foreign designs. The same yard also produced a 115-foot luxury yacht, the largest fiberglass yacht ever built in China, and a 38-meter fiberglass leisure boat that set domestic records for size and displacement in its class.

The common thread is composite construction. Xigang applies vacuum infusion molding across its hull production, lifting the fiber composite ratio of its boats to around 66 percent. That translates into lighter, stronger hulls with better structural integrity and longer service life — attributes that matter as much to commercial fishing operators as to recreational owners. The company also maintains research partnerships with Harbin Institute of Technology’s Weihai campus, feeding new materials and structural designs into each model iteration.

Weihai’s Composite Boat Cluster

Xigang sits at the center of a broader story: Weihai has become northern China’s most important base for composite boatbuilding, with a complete chain from R&D and design through production and sales. Local industry associations count the city as a leading producer of fiberglass vessels nationally, supported by the same polymer and carbon-fiber supply chains that feed the region’s rod industry.

For international buyers, the cluster offers a practical alternative to the better-known boatbuilding hubs of Qingdao and southern China. Weihai’s marine engineering talent pool, port access and mature composites supply base — built for the tackle industry — combine with competitive pricing on custom GRP hulls. Xigang’s willingness to build fishing-specific features such as reel power outlets, rod holders and tuna longliner layouts directly into the design shows how far the local industry has moved beyond generic pleasure craft.

As China’s recreational sea fishing boom continues — Hainan has emerged as the flagship market — Weihai’s boatbuilders are positioning themselves to serve both domestic charter operators and overseas buyers seeking cost-effective, fishing-first composite vessels.

Sources: Regional industry coverage (August 2026), company delivery records reported by local media.

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