Dual attraction at boat show

By ROBIN BAILEY

A swift local invention and a stationary import are combining for something different at the Boat Show. From Dunedin comes the CeeVee, a cross between a small runabout and a jet-ski. Invented by a former fashion designer with a yen for surfing and a practical turn of mind, the CeeVee is quick, exciting and relatively inexpensive.

Imported from the United States is a modular mobile drive-on boat-parking system called Jet Dock. It can be assembled to accommodate anything from a single PWC to a power catamaran or a powerboat of up to 30ft.

Both will be demonstrated throughout the three-day, on-the-water show at the Viaduct Harbour from March 16 to 18 promoted by the Boating Industry Organisation.

Jet Dock will assemble a floating marina as the base for live demonstrations of a range of small craft, with CeeVee providing a drive-off/drive experience without getting your feet wet for show patrons.

Trevor Dickson developed the CeeVee with the help of the Dunedin City Council Business Grow programme, a free service that supports and encourages local initiatives.

The idea for the CeeVee came while Dickson was windsurfing on Dunedin Harbour five years ago.

"I started with a big lump of foam and sawed around until I got the shape I wanted," he says. "No working drawings or plans on paper, just the foam shape. Then I had a fibreglass mould made and in no time the prototype was ready for the water."

Since then his creation has been considerably fine-tuned as a two-person fun craft and now 14 are being produced every week.

Sales for this part of New Zealand are being handled by Tauranga businessman Wayne Renner, who says the CeeVee will retail for $13,166 including GST. It comes ready for the water with a 30hp outboard and on a galvanised trailer. Delivery time is around two weeks.

Aucklander Steve Rutherford has the Australian, New Zealand and South-West Pacific rights for the Jet Dock system, which was developed by the United States military.

He believes the main market is for PWCs and small to medium-size pleasure boats. The modular docking systems are tailored to each client's requirements and in the US are used for everything from floatplanes, power catamarans, pontoon boats and inboard ski boats.

Apart from the convenience of having your boat out of the water, the system reduces fouling, osmosis, delamination and electrolysis, Rutherford says. Other benefits are that maintenance costs are cut and the life of the craft is prolonged. Also, because the system is portable, it can easily be relocated.

The Jet Dock is durable and won't rust, rot, corrode or splinter, is UV-stable, virtually maintenance-free and comes with a lifetime warranty. Costs range from $3610 (including GST and installed) for a single PWC to $7220 for a two-unit model. The dock for a typical 16ft runabout would cost $10,830 and runs up to $26,790 for a 30ft speedboat.

Marine industry experts, including BIA chief executive Peter Busfield, say the Jet Dock is one of the most innovative and exciting products to be introduced to New Zealand in years.

Rutherford is already negotiating with the floating dock's US manufacturer to make the system here under licence.

"I have already had talks with a number of companies with the expertise to make the units in New Zealand," he says. "We will probably base the manufacture here for the whole of the South Pacific rather that set up a duplicate plant in Australia for that market. The potential is huge and we want to see this country benefit."