Inflatables get Bond treatment

By ELLEN READ

Applying racing yacht technology to inflatable boats has landed a Henderson firm a top-secret overseas defence contract.

Lancer Industries, which makes rigid inflatable boats, is producing a James Bond-type 7.3m boat for an overseas military operation.

Technical director Ronald Winstone is unable to say who the boat is for or how much it is worth - for security and commercial reasons - admitting only that the buyer is a Southeast Asian defence force.

But he is excited about the crossover from America's Cup technology to the defence industry.

"It will be lighter, faster and stronger than any comparable craft and we're using America's Cup scene technology," Winstone says.

"The fact that we are now developing this sort of boat for the defence industry is a huge step forward."

Winstone says Lancer is the only local boat manufacturer involved in supplying overseas defence contracts.

The company's edge, he says, is its American broker and agent Axcess, which has relationships with large shipbuilders worldwide and negotiates spin-off deals for Lancer.

Lancer is also about to deliver two rigid inflatable boats to Australian shipbuilding giant Tenix to be patrol boats as part of a contract with the Philippines coastguard.

This year the company supplied some surveillance interception craft to the Philippine Navy and it is expecting a further contract.

New Zealand also has 80 per cent of the world market in inflatable oil recovery barges.

This was made possible by the Maritime Safety Authority giving Lancer its first order.

Using that experience, local producers were able to step up onto the world stage, Winstone says.

He is at a loss to explain why the Government or Navy do not follow the example with their defence work.

They seldom give local manufacturers much of a chance, says Winstone.

He would like to see the Government include a local content quota in defence contracts, as the Australian Government does.

In its absence, offset deals - where overseas suppliers of defence products help to promote New Zealand (or Australian or wherever the contract is) manufacturers internationally - are becoming an increasingly important part of the defence contract industry, Winstone says.

"Their emphasis is on creating new international markets for local manufacturers.

"We've got about $20 million of exports contracts as a result of the frigate deal."

nzherald.co.nz/marine