Challengers from abroad

By ROBIN BAILY

As the New Zealand marine industry uses our America's Cup success and its technological strengths to do increasingly big international business, there's another challenge on our home waters: imports.

As we turn out millions of dollars worth of custom-built boats from superyachts to ocean cruisers, the Europeans, and particularly the Italians, are successfully pushing their performance production boats. Yachtfinders-Global Ltd has been operating out of Westhaven since 1996 and represents two of the biggest and longest-established Europeans, Azimut from Italy and the French sailboat giant Beneteau. Another of the big Italians, Ferretti, began making its presence felt towards the end of last year through local broking company Lysaght Marine.

Gary Erceg began Yachtfinders-Global as a one-man band. The company is now one of the biggest in this market, having imported 17 boats into New Zealand last year, with price tags ranging from $1.5 million to $13.7 million. He has an international dealer network and an Auckland staff of six.

Particularly successful here has been the Azimut. Three models from the sleek production motoryacht range, the Azimut Ultimate 85, Azimut 55 and the Azimut 46, gave the brand a positive presence among the Louis Vuitton spectator fleet during the America's Cup challenger series.

Newest in the range being promoted here is the 55, designed by Stefano Righini, who first introduced a window configuration that makes the boat immediately identifiable. Two big dorsal fin-shaped and three big oval vertical portholes help create a spacious feeling inside the boat.

From the outside the 55 has a unique profile due to the central position of the roll-bar and the well-rounded transom with built-in swimming platform. A patented system discharges the engine exhaust through the hull when the boat is under way, giving a cleaner and quieter performance even when the twin Caterpillar engines are pushing the boat at more than 30 knots.

Erceg believes the boat will have the same sort of impact on the South Pacific market as the models that preceded it, the 46, 71 and Azimuts introduced in the past 12 months.

The company also represents some other big names, including Beneteau, Lagoon, Wauquiez, Halvorsen and Gobbi, with one of the newest from Beneteau making a huge impact since its arrival here in November. The boat is the Beneteau First 36.7 designed by Bruce Farr.

The yacht was inspired by its widely acclaimed big sister, the First 40.7, one of the most successful performance yachts for its size in recent years, with more than 400 built so far. The First 36.7 was shipped from France, commissioned in a day, launched at a ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and was out winning races the next evening.

Yachtfinders-Global sailing division man Andrew McCall: "On that Wednesday night we won on handicap and took line honours by 25 minutes. We were sailing with a scratch crew who were still getting to know the boat, which shows just how well it is set up."

The yacht has already been awarded the title 2002 Best Value Sailboat of the Year by Sailing World magazine after cleaning up on courses around the world, including the Rolex Offshore World Championship title in Capri, the Major IMS Cup in Germany and, closer to home, returned several first finishes and ended up third overall in the IRC Class at Hahn Race Week in Sydney.

Erceg believes the yacht's performance here, and the price in racing trim of $393,000, will make it popular on the New Zealand racing scene.

The First 36.7, along with six top-of-the-range imported motor yachts, including the new Azimut 55, will be on display at the Boating New Zealand BIA On-the-Water Boat Show at the Viaduct Basin next month.