Cats getting the cream

By ROBIN BAILEY

A high-profile working role on the water during the Louis Vuitton and America's Cup regattas has provided worldwide exposure for Auckland boatbuilder Catamarans New Zealand.

The Silverdale company won the contract to supply camera platforms for the live television coverage of the racing. This put four of their 12m to 15m Powercats on to the restricted access zone of the race courses for the Louis Vuitton, while three craft are being used for the America's Cup.

"We have had huge local and international exposure by being seen at the sharp end of the racing," says the company's managing director, Neville Solley. "Clients have even been calling us from the United States saying they have seen our boats in action during live sports coverage. This association with the world's most prestigious yachting event has given us publicity and credibility that would have been impossible to buy."

The company won the contract because of the proven performance of the boats over a wide range of conditions. They are stable in rough, choppy water and their impressive beam provides a stable and roomy working platform for the TV crews. The boats are also fast and can cruise comfortably at more than 20 knots in almost any weather.

Solley says the semi-displacement twin hulls make the Powercats easy to push through the water. The range has been developed over the past 10 years for clients who want fast and comfortable long-range sports-fishing and cruising craft.

"Our proven performance over many years helped win us the America's Cup contract," he says. "That, in turn, has allowed us to assess and evaluate the boats' performance at a level that would not otherwise have been possible with normal recreational or even commercial use. We have been on the water for long periods and in a wide range of conditions.

"What we have learned during the contract will allow us to make some informed performance-based design changes to boats now on the drawing board."

A new design that will benefit from this performance data is the offshore Powercat, the 5500 Sportscruiser, which Solley and designer Alan Wright believe will quickly become the company's flagship. Work on the hull shape of the boat is well-advanced and the first test hull is performing above the design team's expectations.

"We're ecstatic about it," says Solley. "The rough water capability and efficiency is simply outstanding."

The company has sold more than 60 power and sailing catamarans, ranging from 11m to 20m, around the world. More than 90 per cent of the company's production is exported, with sales to Europe, the Middle East, the United States, the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Tonga, Australia and New Caledonia.

The firm expects to build 20 boats this year. Not all the work is done at Silverdale. The company subcontracts to other specialists, including Impact Fibreglass in Tauranga, Tauranga Boatbuilders, Andrew Fink Marine (Hamilton) and Kevin Johnson Boatbuilders (Auckland).

"Our reputation over the years has been built on quality," Solley says. "Quality control systems are in place for every stage of construction of each boat and New Zealand's acknowledged expertise in composite construction technology helps keep us ahead of the rest of the world."

The company uses international boat shows to develop business, has a network of agents in key markets, and, as a member of the New Zealand marine export group Marex, benefits from joint promotions.