BANGOR (AP) – A luxury yacht maker that has delivered an all-composite patrol boat to the Navy for evaluation is confident enough of success to explore an expansion.

Maine Marine Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Hodgdon Yachts in Boothbay, has an option on a 16-acre parcel on the Penobscot River in Hampden, where it could build more of the carbon-kevlar patrol boats for the U.S. Navy and for foreign navies if there’s enough demand for the vessels.

“We’ve engaged an architectural firm. We have temporary developer status to acquire the property. We’re serious about doing it,” said David Packhem Jr., Maine Marine’s president and chief executive officer.

Maine Marine settled on the parcel, owned by the city of Bangor, after discussions with state labor department officials about an appropriate site with water access and an available work force. The company will decide in the next six months whether to move forward with the project, Packhem said.

In January, Maine Marine christened an all-composite version of the aluminum Mark V patrol boat used by Navy SEALs around the world. Built in Boothbay, the vessel’s composite hull is aimed at reducing the slamming forces on operators and SEALs as it crashes through waves at 50 mph or more.

The vessel, dubbed MAKO for the shark that frequents the Gulf of Maine, has been delivered to the Navy for testing in the waters off Norfolk, Va.

Maine Marine is confident that its use of composites represents the future for similar vessels, and it is marketing the design around the world.

“With the MAKO, we’re proving that a carbon-kevlar composite is the way to go in the future. They’re lighter, they’re stronger, they’re more durable. Operationally, they’re going to cost less to maintain in the long run. Fuel consumption is going to be lower,” Packhem said.

The U.S. Navy version, which is designed to carry operators and 16 combat-ready SEALs, is designed to fit into a C-5 cargo transport, but Maine Marine is looking at a redesign with space below deck for bunks, a galley and a head to make the vessel more flexible, Packhem said.

AP-ES-03-27-08 0958EDT