Skimming the surface

ROBIN BAILEY talks to an independently minded marine engineer whose propulsion system is making a big splash.

A small plant in Silverdale is creating a high-tech product for marine clients around the world. It's another example of can-do Kiwi initiative which began with one man's effort to do something different and better.

In the late 1980s marine engineer David Winter was building a launch in his spare time while running a successful one-man business. His day job encompassed general engineering and more specialised marine motor installation work.

For his own launch, Winter wanted something different from the conventional propeller. Surface drives were in use around the world but were not common here. American Arneson and Italian Levi systems were being talked about, but few had been installed in this country. The general opinion was that Winter was crazy to try and compete against such high-powered international know-how.

Then well-known designer-boatbuilder Frank Pelin heard what he was up to and called to check out the Silverdale man's system. Pelin was just completing a 50ft launch called Total Eclipse. He liked what he saw and commissioned a pair of Winter surface drives.

That was the beginning of the story that is today Seafury Propulsion Systems, supplying markets in the United States, the Middle East, South-East Asia, South Africa, Australia and India.

Surface drives are more efficient than conventional systems because they operate on top of the water, eliminating the appendage drag that goes with the normal propeller. Winter says they are 10 to 20 per cent more efficient and the performance of medium- to high-speed craft is improved by up to 15 per cent.

These are the figures that impress commercial operators and Seafury's growth has been due solely to its reputation in the marketplace. "We don't do boat shows and our advertising has been minimal," he says. "The units we build create our promotional strength. Their performance builds our reputation."

The first big breakthrough for Seafury came when the leading edge Auckland company Craig Loomes Design won the contract for nine 16.5m patrol boats for the Malaysian customs service and specified Seafury drives. That order was followed by another for a range of 25m luxury motor yachts.

"It wasn't easy," says Winter. The Malaysian order was years in the negotiation from the time the project was first discussed to the signing of the contract and eventual delivery of the units and their successful commissioning.

The system owes a good deal of its early success to Winter's ability to solve a problem that plagued the first units produced around the world. They didn't perform well while going astern, because thrusted water was deflected straight back onto the traditional transom, which had the effect of partial forward propulsion. Winter devised a 45-degree transom angle which deflects the thrusted water down under the hull. Problem solved.

The design of Seafury's drive system maximises protection both to and from exposed propellers. The transom angle takes the propeller forward, which gives easier protection by platforms or guard rails without significant loss of waterline, as well as improving protection for both crew and passengers.

As international interest in surface-piercing systems increases, Seafury is establishing distribution and service outlets worldwide to meet the demands of bigger vessels. The company is also putting more emphasis on research and development to ensure the market's challenges can be met. Winter is positive, too, that his company's presence at the Trade Development Board's new Fort Lauderdale office will help grow his business in the United States.

Closer to home, Seafury has a new showcase in the water. The Fast Boat Company in Pahia has Excitor II taking 46 passengers to Russell and out to the Hole-in-the-Rock at Cape Brett at 46 knots. That makes for serious boating in a craft 18m long with a beam of 4.5m and company boss Graeme Rodley says the punters love it.

Designed by Max Carter, the company's second Excitor has been operating since late last year. Rodley says Seafury drives were chosen because they performed so well in the smaller Excitor I, which did 900 trips a year for six years.

The new speedster is featured in the latest issue of Pacific Launch and Motor Yacht.

Sea Fury