Yacht importer launches new wave

By ROBIN BAILEY

New Zealand's boatbuilding reputation has moved firmly into the realm of superyachts. New yards at Whangarei and Whenuapai and the established big-name builders such as McMullen and Wing, Alloy Yachts, Sensation and the rest have taken our creations around the world.

As the big-boat segment of the industry received a boost through the America's Cup and all the spin-off activity it generated, another sector, production yachts, almost disappeared.

Boats such as the Cavalier 32, Young 88, Lotus, and the Bruce Farr-designed 1020 and 1220 range from McDell Marine had substantial production runs.

That ended because of the price rises brought about by the 1979 Muldoon boat tax and the drop in duty rates to 7 per cent from 40 per cent, which caused the rundown of the industry here.

So, while our superyachts are going offshore, imports are filling a gap in the recreational yachting market because they can be landed at prices only big production runs allow.

One man responsible for the modest boom in this area is Roger Wilson, principal of International Marine Brokers at Westhaven, Auckland, who is bringing in the Bavaria range from Germany.

Wilson moved into the marine industry in 1975 as a broker, aiming to build his recreational interest in sailing into his business. It's a career choice many have attempted but quickly discovered the lifestyle choice was one that involved much hard graft.

Wilson: "I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I felt the right approach would work. By 1989 it seemed obvious there was an opportunity to bring production yachts from around the world to this country.

"I believed they would be competitive on price as well as quality because our yacht-building yards could not compete in a market as small as New Zealand against the large European and American yards."

In 1990 he began bringing in imports including models from Jenneau, of France, and Catalina from the United States. These were great cruising boats but our fluctuating currency meant they became too expensive for New Zealand.

"In 1997/98 I went back to Europe to try to find the yacht I felt would be right for this rather special market," Wilson says. "I decided Bavaria was the answer.

"The Bavaria facility is one of the biggest in Europe, turning out more than 2000 yachts in the 31ft to 50ft range each year. The company uses top designers, and quality is unsurpassed. Modern production methods ... are combined with a skilled and motivated workforce. This gives Bavaria a price advantage that makes the yachts attractive to New Zealand and Australian buyers."

The Bavaria range offers aft cockpit models starting with the 31, which has two cabins, with a price here including GST and freight of $222,000. The Bavaria 50 tops the aft cockpit range with 3/5 cabin configurations and a price of $665,000. Between come models 34 ($262,000); 37 ($297,000); 40 ($368,000); 44 ($424,000); and 47 ($532,000).

The centre cockpit Oceans models start with the two-cabin 40 at $434,000. Next up are the 44 ($547,000) and the 47 ($720,000). All Bavaria boats are built to Lloyds certification.

Wilson emphasises that communications advances mean New Zealand clients can alter layouts to suit their requirements. The ability to use e-mail to rearrange design features is particularly useful.

His company has already sold two Bavaria 40s, two 42s and two centre-cockpit 47s. On order are another two new-model 44s (which supersede the 42) and a 37. He will be using the New Zealand Boat Show next month to promote the range, with the 40-footer Amalfi showing the flag.