Alloy Boats
In Part two of our series on trailer boats, we look at the proliferation of aluminium boat brands, which make up the majority of trailer boats sold in New Zealand. We also take a look back at how it all started.
In 1971, only two production aluminium outboard trailer boat brands were available on the local market. Fyran offered two open runabouts; the Fyran 14 (4.26m/14ft) and Fyran 13 (3.96m/13ft). Parkercraft had the Pacer 14 (4.26m/14ft), which like the Fyrans, was a front steer model with a small screen,
Today there are over 90 alloy boat manufacturers around New Zealand offering trailer boats from 4m through to 10m, and it is growing. When researching this feature, it seemed that every day we would find new brands, and while our listing of alloy trailer boat manufacturers is as up-to-date as possible, we still need to catch up on a few. On top of our upwards of 80 brands of outboard/sterndrive boat builders, there are still at least another dozen or more jet boat builders. So overall, the total number of aluminium trailer boat brands is closer to 95.Â
Current trends are for mid-range and larger hardtops. A few manufacturers have also embraced the amphibious route, filling this gap with boats from FC, Senator, McLay, Oceancraft, Fenton, Stryda and the originators’ Sealegs.
LOOKING BACK
Fifty years ago, there were no pontoon boats, centre consoles, hardtops and certainly no cabin boats built in alloy. Despite being such a boating nation, New Zealand needed to catch up to getting into aluminium trailer boat construction. It was not until 1931, however, that aluminium alloys were developed that were sufficiently resistant to saltwater corrosion. If you wanted a small boat, your choice was usually timber or something larger, even steel. It wasn’t until the 1950s that the boat-building industry embraced GRP (fibreglass)as an alternative to plywood and wood.
New Zealand’s earliest introduction to aluminium boats was in the early 1960s from companies such as the Wellington based, Hawker Siddeley International NZ Ltd, who built the Australian De Havilland range of dinghies from the 2.7m Topper through to the 4.27m Tempest.
However, Samuel Parker Ltd put the aluminium boat on the map with its Parkercraft range. In the mid-1960s, the company offered four models, the 8′ (2.44m), 10′ (3.05m), 12′ (3.66m) and 14′ (4.27m), all offered in a variety of colours or unpainted. Parkercraft became so iconic that anyone who talked about an aluminium dinghy automatically called it a Parkercraft – much like Zodiac was to RIBS and Hoover was to vacuum cleaners.
Parkercraft, under the leadership of Roger Arkell, sold thousands of boats throughout the country and, for many years, was the dominant brand in the market. De Havilland slipped off the scene, only to have its space filled in by a new player, Fyran, which was to become one of New Zealand’s most recognised alloy boat brands.
Fyran, a new company started in 1969 by Trevor Fyfe and Graeme Ransom – two guys from the sheet metal industry who had a keen interest in boating – hence the name Fyran.Â
“We just built a 3.5m dinghy for ourselves, and it snowballed from there”, says Ransom. Within the next few years, the brand grew, and so did the size of the boats. Parkercraft was still the primary builder of alloy boats, but its time at the top was under severe pressure.
It took a little while before Ransom and Fyfe realised that there was a market beyond the dinghies, so in 1971, they released the Fyran Futura. With the introduction of the Fyran Futura runabout, the future of aluminium trailer boats in New Zealand changed forever. Not only was the Futura the first big runabout it was one of the first to be fully welded from pressed plate. At its peak under the ownership of Ransom & Fyfe, Fyran was producing upwards of 350 boats a year, up to 5.0m. Interestingly, the Parkercraft brand was eventually bought by the owners of Fyran and marketed under the Fyran name. Both names have now been resigned to history, but their place in the market was quickly filled.
Pontoon Boats Arrive
By the early 1980s, the number of aluminium boat builders throughout the country had increased dramatically, with, for whatever reason, a considerable number in the South Island.
One was Stabicraft, an Invercargill-based company destined to become New Zealand’s biggest aluminium boat manufacturer.
In 1987 Paul Adams and Bruce Dickens built the first rigid-hulled aluminium pontoon boat – a Stabicraft 3.5 dinghy. It didn’t take long before others saw the pontoon boat concept’s benefits and popularity, and they joined the market. Local Invercargill based Kiwi Kraft was a prime example, and, like its neighbour, Stabicraft is still a strong player in the business today.
Stabicraft came about from the needs of the local commercial paua industry for a rugged and reliable boat that offered all the best attributes of a RIB but without the soft tube sides that would not stand up to the rigours of commercial divers.
A first for Stabicraft was the introduction in 1991 of the D-Tube section, and 1996 saw Stabicraft unveil the 550XC – the forerunner for the XR Sport range. Since Stabicraft launched the brand over 36 years ago, many others have imitated them. Today, the aluminium rigid hull market is strong, with nearly 20 manufacturers offering over 150 models.Â
ICONIC BRANDSÂ Â
In 1986 a new name came to the aluminium boat market in the form of Ramco. Established by Hamilton-based Bill Mackrell, the brand was born through the frustrations by Mackrell of not being able to find an alloy boat to suit his fishing needs.
Mackrell called on the ex-Fyran founder, Graeme Ransom, to help with designs, and the first was the 4.2m Ramco Seeker, the boat that launched the brand that was to become one of New Zealand’s most recognised aluminium boat names.
In the first year, Ramco built about half a dozen boats, and at the height of the market in the mid 1990s, the company made over 500 boats annually. Under the Mackrell stewardship, Ramco produced a staggering 7000 boats, the last of which was in 2002.
Ramco is now owned by Icon Brands, with production in Rangiora, north of Christchurch, where the Icon and KwikKraft range of custom alloy boats are also built. Icon Brands has utilised the design skills of Christchurch-based Scott Robson Design to come up with an entirely new range of freshly designed boats, although some of the model names have been retained.Â
Another South Island brand that started in 1987 was McLay Boats, although, at that time, it was known as Toko Engineering and later became McLay Boats with Steve McLay at the helm. The first boats were the B1650 and B1800, which proved outstanding successes for the fledgling company and established the McLay brand as one of the most successful southern builders.
“In the early days, we thought we had to make the boats look as good as the GRP competition, so we painted everything, even the bottoms. However, we learnt a few years later we had a unique market that didn’t want the frills and finish of GRP”, said McLay.
In the mid 1990s, the company released an unpainted B1700 at the New Zealand Boat Show in Auckland, and, as McLay describes, “sales went nuts”.Â
However, the most significant input the company had in the aluminium production boat market in New Zealand was the introduction in the early 1990s of 5mm hull bottoms as standard on its larger models to 5.8m. “This was something that certainly gave us an edge for several seasons”, says McLay.
Even today, McLay feels that his boats are all ‘work in progress’. The company built its first hardtop in the early ’90s, and now, they are among its most significant selling models.
Celebrating 50 years in business, Surtees is now an iconic brand in the annals of aluminium boat building in New Zealand. One particular model, the Surtees 5.5 Workmate, designed by founder Neil Surtees, has significantly impacted since the first boat was launched in 1996.
With over 1500 on the water, the Workmate 5.5 is still one of the country’s most successful boats in the 5.5m cabin category.Â
INNOVATION
The one interesting development in the pontoon boat market is the size and the style of boats being built. Today, around 18 manufacturers are offering more than 170 trailerable models from 4m through to 11m and just about anything over 6.5m is a hardtop. There is also a trend towards bigger boats, with hardtop pontoon boats over 7.5m more popular than ever. Examples are the Stabicraft 2850 Supercab (8.70m), Profile 900HW (9.20m) and the Senator RH860 (9.90m).
Hardtop Dominance
Unquestionably, Kiwi alloy boat builders and designers lead the world regarding the style, look, and practicality of the fully enclosed or semi-enclosed hardtop. It’s many years since the first hardtop boats appeared, and we are now used to what they can offer.
Early exponents of the hardtop, such as Ramco, promoted the all-weather boating aspects for the serious fisherman. They were right, and in time, all significant manufacturers followed with their examples. Brands such as Stabicraft, Lazercraft and Southern even followed with fibreglass hardtops as an option.
As pioneers of alu-glass builds, Lazercraft and Southern feature alloy hulls for durability and weight reduction, with fibreglass decks and mouldings for comfort, warmth, noise reduction and exceptional finishing. From humble beginnings as independent Dunedin boatbuilders in the 1980/1990’s (respectively) Lazercraft and Southern came together in 2008 to bring the best of both brands under one roof. Whilst distinctly different brands, the company’s trademark quality finish is evident in all boats.
Today, virtually every manufacturer offers hardtops in its range. Some start as low as 5m, but anything over 6-6.5m is generally considered suitable as a hardtop model.
Going Smaller
The aluminium boat market now seems like a game of two halves. At one end is the hardtop market, which is strong and growing stronger, and at the other, the dinghy market, which is also growing in prominence.
The dinghy market has come full circle, from the first Parkercrafts that started the alloy boat revolution to the new breed of open-tiller steer dinghies that have taken the concept to a whole new level.
The alloy dinghy doubled as the regular tender for bigger boats in the earlier years. They were light, easy to handle and only required a set of oars or a small portable outboard for power. With the arrival of inflatables, that changed overnight. However, a market remained for the small alloy dinghy, especially for those with beach properties who wanted something small and easily handled by the kids or for some close inshore fishing.
A couple of years ago, Fish City’s Ross Christenson introduced to the market the FC range and kicked off a whole new interest in the larger open dinghy. His FC430 (4.3m) was an instant hit, and at under $15,000 for a motor/boat/trailer package, it represented exceptional buying.
“We wanted to introduce a basic, no-frills boat onto the market, but without compromising the build quality, and it also had to be at a price point that made the buying decision easy and ultimately the customer very happy”, he says.
This was the forerunner to a wide range of tiller steer and centre console FC models, and also it started people thinking about how they could go boating. A considerable number of 3.5m-5m open tiller steer dinghies are now available, and they are gaining popularity quickly.Â
The Changing Market
By the late 1980s, aluminium trailer boats comprised only about 5% of the total trailer boat market. Today that’s had a significant shift and is estimated to be close to 80%! Of the 80-plus builders scattered throughout the length and breadth of New Zealand, it is estimated 80% of the boats are built by 20% of the builders. While some have a niche market and particular following, many produce less than ten boats yearly.Â
Regarding who sells the most, Stabicraft is a runaway leader selling over twice the volume of any other brand. In the pontoon boat market, brands such as Profile, Senator, and Osprey also produce a considerable number of boats.
Regarding the traditional monohull, the market leader, based on the number of boats built, is Surtees. However, brands such as Extreme, Frewza, and McLay are all busy with individual build numbers of more than 175-200 boats a year.
Total production annually for all builders is around 3000 boats from 700 plus models.
Like their fibreglass counterparts, the aluminium boat market is booming; The general feeling is that 2023 will be a steady year. Back orders are still in play, but the lead time for a new boat has certainly decreased in the past few months. A good indicator of how the market is tracking will be after the Auckland and Hutchwilco Boat Shows, where a lot of sales are traditionally made.
However, if it hadn’t been for the innovative ideas of those early manufacturers, the industry would not be as strong as it is today.
Local ingenuity and the kiwi ‘can do’ attitude have placed New Zealand alloy boats at the forefront of the world market.
