Sintes Boat Works: Life and Business on the Banks of Lake Pontchartrain

By Madison Hazen
Since 1952, the Sintes family has run Sintes Boat Works and Sea Chest Marina, providing a maritime outlet for New Orleanians and residents of the West End neighborhood.

In 1952, Lawrence Sintes Sr. opened Sintes Boat Works on the edge of Orleans Marina in Lake Pontchartrain with his oldest son, Lawrence Sintes Jr. The Sintes family’s move to the area, known as the West End neighborhood, coincided with a re-emergence of resorts, restaurants, and amusement rides on the lakefront that drew more tourists and locals to Lake Pontchartrain’s coastal neighborhoods.

The completion of the 1926 Lakefront Land Reclamation Project expanded the amount of habitable West End property and led to an increase in the neighborhood’s population. It was on this reclaimed land that the Sintes family laid the foundations for their home and business. When Sintes Boat Works first opened, Lawrence Sintes Jr. and his father constructed wooden boats, but they soon transitioned to repairing boats harbored in Lake Pontchartrain.

Living and working in the West End for four generations, the Sintes family has experienced significant changes to their neighborhood, from natural disasters displacing community members, to the slow loss of uninhabited land to condominiums. In order to ensure the business’s ongoing success, Lawrence Sintes Jr. and his younger brother, David “Dave” Sintes, embraced modern boat construction technologies. Dave Sintes Jr. introduced modern computer technology to enable the business to construct better boats at a faster pace, while Lawrence Sintes Jr. continued to do what the Sinteses are known for- providing reliable and expert repairs. In 1981, Lawrence Sintes Jr.’s son, Steve Sintes Sr., was the third generation to join the family boatyard, ensuring that Sintes Boat Works would continue well into the future.

Boatbuilding is a Sintes family tradition that has gone on longer than anyone in the family can remember. They are masters of their craft. The Sintes family has left their mark on every boat they have built and repaired. Through their business, the Sintes family has helped the West End’s maritime lake community thrive.

Video

In discussion with Steve Sintes Sr.
Steve Sintes Sr. recalls experiencing the growth of the Sinteses boatyard through the 1950s into present day. ~ Creator: Rick Olivier and Madison Hazen ~ Date: January 22, 2020
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In discussion with Steve Sintes Sr.
Steve Sintes Sr. contemplates what he hopes the future of Sintes Boat Works looks like. ~ Creator: Rick Olivier and Madison Hazen ~ Date: January 22, 2020
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Images

Map

7385 West Roadway Street, New Orleans, LA 70124 ~ Professional Business and Private Property

Cite this Page

Madison Hazen, “Sintes Boat Works: Life and Business on the Banks of Lake Pontchartrain,” New Orleans Historical, accessed December 3, 2023, https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1594.

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Related Sources

  • Baughman, James P. “A Southern Spa: Ante-Bellum Lake Pontchartrain.” Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 3 (Winter 1962).
  • Hastings, Robert W. The Lakes of Pontchartrain: Their History and Environments. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2009.
  • Hazen, Madison “Caught Between Land and Sea: West End as a Maritime Lake Community on Lake Pontchartrain.” Master’s Thesis, University of New Orleans, 2020.
  • Laborde, Errol. “The Road to West End.” New Orleans Magazine, May 2014.
  • Marquis, Pamela. “Sintes Boat Works.” Biz New Orleans, March 2017.
  • N-Y Associates, Inc. Consulting Engineers Architects & Planners. “West End Redevelopment Land Use and Site Plan Analysis.” Regional Planning Commission, Metairie, 2006.
  • Roberts, W. Adolphe, Lake Pontchartrain. Indianapolis, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1946.
Published on May 5, 2020. Last updated on May 22, 2020.