Regent Craft, the developer and manufacturer of Seaglider vessels, today announced the completion of the world's first Seaglider factory in Rhode Island.
Seaglider vessels are high-speed hydrofoiling wing-in-ground effect (WIG) craft that operate in three modes: float, foil, and fly. They start on their hulls at slow speed, transition on hydrofoils once safely away from the dock, and take off in flight over the water within a wingspan of the surface, combining the speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a boat.
The facility completion signals a new category of vessel, designed and built in the United States. The Seaglider factory will serve as the global production hub for Regent's commercial order book, which exceeds $10 billion across six continents, encompassing orders from airline and ferry operators worldwide. It will also support Regent's growing defense business, including $15 million in contracts with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Spanning 255,000 square feet, the facility features dedicated areas for structural assembly, wing and hydrofoil integration, battery and systems installation, and water-based test and acceptance operations, with tooling, metrology, and quality checkpoints embedded throughout. The facility's location within Quonset Business Park provides direct waterfront access for sea trials, established logistics infrastructure, and proximity to Rhode Island's skilled maritime and manufacturing workforce.
The layout is engineered to support phased capacity increases as production scales, without compromising safety or certification objectives. From this site, Regent will manage end-to-end production of its 12-passenger Viceroy Seaglider vessel and its Squire Seaglider drone, while anchoring a domestic supply chain built for high-rate manufacturing and cementing Rhode Island's position as the global hub for maritime innovation.
Regent Craft has pledged to create 300 jobs, with the potential to expand to 750 positions, at the North Kingstown facility over the next decade through Rhode Island's Qualified Jobs Program.
