Bay inventor sails on with gusto

THE BLOKART, designed and developed by Tauranga's Paul Beckett, has become a sport in its own right around the world.
Ten years after launching the nimble land yacht called blokart, inventor Paul Beckett is thinking of developing other revolutionary sailing and recreational products.
"I don't want to be stuck just with a one-hit wonder," said Mr Beckett, who designed the blokart in his garage at Mount Maunganui and started a hair-raising adventure in different parts of the world.
Blokart International, in Parton Rd, Papamoa, last weekend celebrated its 10th birthday, and its fun, fast, wind-powered "toy" has sold in Europe, Britain, Middle East, South Africa, US, Australia and New Zealand, and created its own sport.
By the end of the year, the company will reach another milestone of selling 10,000 blokarts in 27 countries - and plenty of mileage remains.
Mr Beckett handed over the day to day running of the business to his son, Matt, the general manager, to concentrate on new developments.
Deep down, Mr Beckett would like to see Blokart International evolve as a research and development company, not just a manufacturer and distributor.
"I want to be working on other innovative products. I've got lots of ideas but we have to be careful about how we apply the resources," said Mr Beckett.
He has developed a water version of the blokart called Katalyst, a small catamaran that whips along at speeds up to 18 knots with a mast just under 6m in height and a sail stretching 8m high.
The loose components of the Katalyst, weighing 65kg, are packed into the two hulls which are tied to vehicle roof racks. The first 70 Katalyst boats were sent to Europe and the Middle East.
Blokart International has also added skates or blades to the blokarts and introduced them to ice sailing in Eastern European countries such as Poland, Estonia and Lithuania.
Now, the Tauranga company is working on a redesign to get them accepted in the national sport of ice sailing in the Eastern Bloc countries. "We have to stiffen them up and make them deeper so the racers aren't as close to the blades," said Mr Beckett.
He has other ideas but refuses to divulge them. Over the past decade, the Becketts have steadily sold about 1000 blokarts a year, reaching a peak of 1200 two years ago before the economic recession struck.
The blokart has created a network of hardcore racing enthusiasts, and sales at the moment are around the 800-900 mark. After completing his design and building his first prototype by the end of 1999, Mr Beckett moved into an old hangar at Tauranga Airport to begin commercial production. Within two months, he had built 17 blokarts and launched them at the New Zealand Boat Show in Auckland in June 2000. He sold them all and got orders for 750 more in his first year.
The blokart, 1.65m long and 1.4m wide, with sails reaching up to 5.5m in height, hits speeds of up to 100km/h, then can be packed in a suitcase and taken home.
"It did inspire the imagination of people, and it has become a way of life for the blokart enthusiasts, here and overseas," he said.
"After a while, we realised we couldn't fill the K-Marts or surf shops with the blokarts. They had a market of their own. They attracted certain types of people who have some mongrel in them - yachties, windsurfers and guys coming out of motorcycling, motor racing and extreme sports who could no longer get any insurance.
"We had to change some of our distribution, particularly in the United States. We had to find enthusiastic dealers who would get out and try the blokart rather than just sit in their stores, have a blast and be motivated at selling the product.
"We still get daily inquiries from people all around the world and even in New Zealand who have heard about the blokart for the first time," he said. "It's still early days for the blokart and it can keep growing."
Even though sales increased, Blokart International continued to run a tight ship. It has a team of nine and all the blokarts are assembled at the Parton Rd workshop.
But the steel chassis come from Taiwan, the masts and the fibreglass fittings are made in Rotorua, and the wheels are sent from Hamilton and Wanganui.
Europe, particularly France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain, take 60 per cent of the sales, Australia nearly 20 per cent, New Zealand 10 per cent and the remainder goes to the US, South Africa and the Middle East. Chile and Morocco have emerging markets.
"You know, one day blokarts can become an Olympic sport. And more and more disabled people are becoming interested in them, especially the war veterans in the United States. There's still plenty of work to do," said Mr Beckett.