Rhode Island Marine Plumbing Business Steered by Owner Through Personal and Economic Storms
Terri Cortvriend is a sailor, business owner and mother who has built and kept Ocean Link on course despite personal loss and changing economic tides. Her deep familiarity with boats and long-standing passion for the water helped Cortvriend grow Ocean Link into a respected Rhode Island marine plumbing engineering and installation company, widely known for its marine sanitation systems and watermakers.
Based in Portsmouth, an island community in Narragansett Bay, Cortvriend runs Ocean Link from a small office that reflects the company’s hands-on culture. A chocolate lab named Désirée and a Portuguese water dog, Jacques, roam the shop while Cortvriend and her eight-person team manage installations, repairs and custom engineering for recreational and commercial vessels. Despite her leadership role, she balances business responsibilities with family life, noting, “I’m still a regular mom of a 17-year-old daughter, Savannah. That’s a great job, too.”
Origin and early focus
Ocean Link was founded in 1989 by Terri and her husband Andy as a small boat-maintenance business. The couple began with a tiny shop and only a few people, offering a wide range of services. In 1998, when Rhode Island designated its entire coastline as a no-discharge zone, Terri and Andy redirected the company’s focus toward marine sanitation systems. They recognized a local demand for proper onboard waste treatment and made sanitation a primary product line.
Andy handled much of the engineering work—designing and customizing plumbing and electrical systems for individual vessels. After his death from cancer in 2006, Terri faced the difficult task of replacing that technical expertise and shifting the business from a casual family operation to a more structured and professional organization. She had spent considerable time at home while Andy was ill and found herself bringing Ocean Link back onto steady ground, reorganizing processes and strengthening the team.
At the helm: Terri’s background and approach
Cortvriend grew up in Miami and developed a lifelong connection to boating, spending summers in Key Largo and sailing competitively on Biscayne Bay. She earned a 100-ton captain’s license in 1986 and later met Andy while seeking marine work in St. Thomas. The couple ran a charter business before launching Ocean Link, drawing on years living on and maintaining boats to guide their business decisions.
Terri’s hands-on experience helped shape product choices and the services Ocean Link offers. The company expanded its watermaker lineup and stayed current with evolving plumbing regulations. Terri emphasizes practical knowledge: living aboard and restoring boats taught her common maintenance issues and informed product improvements and installation methods that minimize future problems for owners.
To address the technical gap left by Andy, Terri hired experienced technicians and project managers—bringing on Brian Paiva as lead technician and project manager and Mark Mutty as service and operations manager in 2008—allowing Ocean Link to maintain high standards in engineering, installations and field service.
Services and products
Ocean Link designs and installs roughly a dozen new marine sanitation systems each year on vessels ranging from 28 feet to more than 100 feet. Economic conditions have encouraged boat owners to upgrade and maintain existing systems rather than purchase new vessels, so service work has increased even as installations have slowed. Electric toilet installations start at about $2,500, with holding tanks potentially adding another $2,500. High-end watermaker installations begin around $6,000; a well-maintained watermaker typically lasts eight to ten years.
Terri prioritizes supplying reliable, high-quality brands that provide long-term value, choosing products that deliver consistent performance and strong manufacturer support. Ocean Link’s product range includes marine sanitation systems, watermakers and components from reputable manufacturers, and the shop provides professional installation designed to look integrated and permanent once complete.
Beyond sanitation and watermakers, Ocean Link offers air conditioning and heating installations, custom-fitted holding tanks, diesel engine fuel polishing, varnishing and winterization. While the company does not manufacture its own equipment, it customizes and adapts commercial products to meet the specific layout and engineering needs of each vessel.
Maintaining course through challenges
Taking full control of Ocean Link after Andy’s death was a major transition. Terri credits loyal customers and a committed crew for helping the company weather that period. She remains hands-on with product research and supports field technicians by staying current with new technologies and industry standards. Terri says she seldom encounters resistance as a woman leading a traditionally male field, because she combines practical experience with product knowledge and a clear, professional approach.
Ocean Link primarily provides mobile services throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, with about 80 percent of its business coming from repeat customers. That high retention reflects the company’s focus on quality workmanship, neat and permanent installation, and dependable service—qualities that have helped Ocean Link build long-term relationships with boat owners and marinas across the region.
Ocean Link website: www.oceanlinkinc.com
This article originally appeared in the New England and Connecticut and New York Home Waters sections of the July 2010 issue.