Profile Boats is a Napier-based business. Photo / Supplied
Profile Boats is a Napier-based business. Photo / Supplied
Napier business Profile Boats has announced it has signed an agreement with Excel Boats USA to license the manufacture and sale of Profile Boats in the US.
This will lead to further distribution into US, Canada and Mexico with the boats being marketed using the Profile Boats name and logothroughout North America.
CEO of Excel Boats USA Glenn Foreman said they were excited to be going on this venture with Profile Boats and get the product established in the USA.
"We are excited to be able to bring Profile Boats to the North American market. These are unique boats designed in New Zealand to cope with the toughest seas in the world," Foreman said.
"These boats will be built in the USA to the exacting standards and quality of the Profile Boats brand and will give the North American consumer the option to buy a USA built, aluminium chamber boat."
Profile Boats managing director Brian Firman, left, and Excel Boats CEO Glenn Foreman after the agreement. Photo / Supplied
Excel Boats manufacture a range of aluminium boats in their current plant in Mountain View, Arkansas, US where they produce 1000 boats a year and with a new 100,000ft facility being built currently in Obion County Tennessee, US they plan to increase that by another thousand.
"For us, we have a strong market in New Zealand and over in Australia but we thought for ourselves we had a bit more work to build into in Australia before going further afield."
He said that it was Foreman who made the move to approach them and initiate the deal.
"Excel Boats already have a good name in America and build quality boats so this was a good opportunity for us to grow especially under a good manufacture such as Excel Boats."
Firman said their boats were marketed for all range of boat users from fishing to family recreational use.
"Designed initially as a safer beach launching vessel, the Profile Boats range has developed to provide craft from family recreation, to seriously good dive and fishing boats, as well as commercial charter vessels," Firman said.
"The inherent safety of the unique aluminium chamber design offers superior stability and makes all Profile Boats virtually unsinkable."
Profile Boats are based in Napier, manufacturing aluminium chamber boats for the Australian and New Zealand Markets.
Initial North American production will be at the all-new Excel Boats plant based in Union City, Obion County, Tennessee.
"We expect to be building boats in the spring of 2020," Foreman said.
As part of the deal, Profile Boats will make a certain percentage on royalties for every boat sale.
For Firman, he says this is a big step for the business as it allows them to expand further afield and be able to build a strong market in other parts of the world.
"We are very limited to the resources we have available here so this deal allows us to take that step further into the market without having to delve too much more of our own limited resources."
