Petecraft started in a family of boat builders with the first boat built by Peter Aquilina in 1958. Peter’s skills came from his father who used to work on British Navy ships during the Second World War. Initially Peter was building traditional Maltese wooden boats such as the Luzzu, the Kajjik and the Fregatina. He used to design the boat based on small wooden models which he designed himself to scale. In the early 80s he built his biggest vessel – a 58 foot fishing boat that is still being used today.

In the mid 80s Petecraft started to build boats using fiberglass. At first, the Maltese were very skeptical about the benefit of using this new material, but today no one questions the benefits. Petecraft occasionally still builds wooden boats for collectors.

Due to the ever increasing demand of boats, Petecraft Ltd stopped operating from their factory in Qormi and has now moved to a much larger premises within the Industrial Zone of Marsa. With the aid of a development programme approved by the Malta Enterprise, Petecraft Ltd is now striding forward with much optimism. From a handful of boats manufactured in the early years, today the company produces between 30 and 40 boats a year, ranging from 14 to 47 footers. All models are built and certified to rigid European Standards.

Now operating from their 2,000m2 premises, Petecraft Ltd will be able to increase its boat production. With more manpower, the time for a boat to be finished will be reduced drastically and this will definitely attract prospective Maltese and foreign buyers. In the coming two years, Petecraft Ltd will also be strengthening markets for the production of fishing, family and sports boats.

Today the company is run by Mario, Simon and Christian. From the humble manufacturing of 3-4 boats during the 80s, Petecraft is today producing around 30 boats per year.