Above: Bentley Collins of Sabre Yachts, left, with Mike Myers of Boston Yacht Sales.

Sabre Yachts and one of its longest-standing dealer partners, Boston Yacht Sales, hosted a party on the city’s waterfront Thursday to celebrate the launch of Hull No. 3,000 for the 43-year-old Down East builder.

“We ordered this Sabre 48 Salon Express as a stock boat without realizing it would be the 3,000th,” Boston Yacht Sales owner Michael Myers told Trade Only Today. “When they notified us it was a milestone boat, we thought, in conjunction with Sabre, to hold a celebration with this fantastic backdrop of Boston.”

More than 50 people — vendors, employees and customers — attended the event held on Rowes Wharf Harbor.

Boston Yacht Sales was one of the original six dealers to carry Sabre’s Back Cove line of smaller Down East cruising powerboats when it was launched 11 years ago. In fact, Myers says his dealership sold the very first Back Cove, a 29, and years later sold the 500th Back Cove, which was celebrated in a similar event at the Back Cove plant in Rockland, Maine.

“I seem to have some luck with milestone boats,” Myers said.

Myers, who also had a Back Cove 30 and 37 on display, praised his dealership’s 18-plus-year partnership with Sabre and the Raymond, Maine, builder’s quality product, professionalism and willingness to embrace innovation.

“When everyone was trying to survive, they embraced new technology and new designs,” Myers said. “They deserve a tremendous amount of credit for having the faith to keep building through the recession.”

Bentley Collins, vice president of marketing and sales for Sabre and Back Cove, praised Boston Yacht Sales as one of its core 15 dealers before raising a glass of champagne to toast the milestone yacht and the enduring dealer partnership.

The 48 Express on display features a Zeus pod drivetrain and will be listed at slightly more than $1.1 million.

Sabre will push beyond its current lineup, which ranges from 38 to 54 feet, with a 66-footer that will debut in July 2015.

“We see a niche in the market for an American-built Down East yacht in the 60s-range,” Collins said. The $3 million yacht will be available with or without a flybridge.