The Skansie Shipbuilding Company, was a South Sound shipbuilding powerhouse in the 1910s and 1920s. Established in 1912 by two brothers -- Mitchell and Joseph Skansie -- the Skansie Shipbuilding Company built quality fishing boats and ferries. A marina, repair boatyard and a burgeoning waterside wedding and event space, The old Skansie Shipbuilding company is now Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard. A town of quaint shops and little cafés, Gig Harbor, Washington is a nice retreat within an hour drive of Seattle, across the Narrows Bridge near Tacoma. gigharbormarina.com