Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Ray III, C.N.
Cornelius Nathaniel Ray III, known as Connie or C.N., was the founder of Sea Ray fiberglass boats. Born on May 14, 1925, he attended Detroit University in Grosse Pointe (now University Liggett School). Ray joined the U.S. Army Air Corps at the outbreak of World War II and in 1949 graduated from UCLA. Ray became one of the pioneers of fiberglass boat construction when he founded the Sea Ray boat company in Oxford, Michigan in 1959. Sea Ray began as part of Ray Industries, an aggregate and charcoal company that his family operated out of Oxford.
Ray was a recreational boating industry innovator. He was the first to adopt automotive styling to boats, hiring Harley Earl Associates, company of the famed General Motors designer, to produce consoles, dashboards, and upholstery trim similar to that used by the automotive industry. As a result, his boats were considered by many to be the most stylish and comfortable watercrafts of their time.
Much of Ray’s success can be attributed to his positive attitude and likability. He personally recruited dealers, tested many of his boats before he allowed them to be sold, and often called his customers personally to inquire about their satisfaction. The company expanded over the years, building a new factory in Oxford on Stony Lake, a corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona and another factory on Merritt Island, Florida. As a World War II pilot, Ray was comfortable flying his Lear jet to conduct his business, undoubtedly making an impression on his dealers and customers.
Throughout his career, Ray built Sea Ray into a boating industry leader before finally selling the highly successful company to its current owners, the Brunswick Corporation, in 1986. He retired four years later to pursue his interests in boating, aviation, and thoroughbred horses. He passed away at his ranch in Santa Ynez, California on November 12, 2009 at the age of 84, after a five-year battle with cancer.
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