Alloy produces 'modern classic'

A German yachtsman who searched the world for a yard to build his dream "modern classic" yacht did little to disguise his delight as he took delivery of the Auckland-built Happy Four in early December.
Now living in Cyprus, and a keen racing sailor for 35 years, he confesses he had no knowledge of Kiwi boatbuilding skills until he put the plans for the 31.95m (105ft) Hoek design out to tender to more than 30 yards worldwide.
"Certainly we got some interesting offers from New Zealand and from other parts of the world. I had no idea of New Zealand yards, so I travelled here and took a look at some. I liked them so much that I opted for Alloy Yachts - a decision that at no time have I regretted," declares the delighted owner, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"I am very happy with the outcome, and especially with the excellent co-operation I had with Tony Hambrook (managing director at Alloy) - he took care of every little piece himself. "It was quite a remarkable experience working with Tony and Alloy Yachts. I can only sing their praises - a very efficient operation."
After taking possession of Happy Four in early December, the owner and friends enjoyed a week-long cruise around the Auckland coastline before flying home. Happy Four will then be based in the Mediterranean.
The owner describes the yacht as a "modern classic", and for Alloy Yachts, the Happy Four commission was a significant departure from the range of Ed Dubois-designed, ultra-modern-looking superyachts for which the yard has become internationally recognised.
"I think the factors which swung the commission our way were the fact that he liked dealing directly with the owner, that we had a number of technical advances, we are on top of sail-handling systems - and we're good value for money, particuarly compared with the European yards."
The German owner was impressed with Alloy's expertise in developing such vital systems as the Orca electrical system, the flush stainless steel hatches, captive winches, mainsail furling and foldaway anchor system.

Apprentice numbers grow in boating industry

Strong growth in the boating industry and promotion of the wide range of careers available have seen a dramatic boost in the number of trainee boatbuilders in New Zealand - with more to come, according to Boating Industries Association president Peter Busfield.
The number of boatbuilding trainees has increased from 97 to 271 in just two years, Busfield says. This number is set to increase further as the BIA begins a major initiative to develop new training courses and publicise the options available to school leavers.
"We have over 40 professional boat designers in New Zealand, and they are supplying designs to 200 boatbuilders. There are a lot of new and exciting designs that need to be built," says Busfield.
Busfield says the latest initiative was founded in 1994, when boatbuilders recovering from the economic recession found there was a shortage of qualified people to build boats.
"Our research tells us that 10 per cent of the people working as boatbuilders are now trainees. This is in line with internationally recommended trainee to fully qualified personnel ratios," he says.
The BIA, as the government's accredited industry training association, is now developing a new curriculum, which will extend formal training into areas such as naval architecture, marine electronics, spar marking, brokerage, and marina operations. It is working alongside the Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland, which runs the only professional boatbuilding school in New Zealand. The new curriculum includes specialised training in "high-tech" areas such as carbon fibre and aluminium construction. Busfield says the BIA's research showed that young people training as boatbuilders were proud of their choice of career, and felt - correctly - that they could get a job anywhere in the world after training in New Zealand.

New Line Seven range

Marine clothing manufacturer Line Seven has developed two new ranges specifically for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, in support of the company's sponsorship of the Steinlager-Line Seven grand prix match race event.
Line Seven says the event clothing range is designed to project the image of modern match racing, with styling and colours to match the excitement of the event. For example, stripes have been used to reflect action.
"Like the sailors who compete successfully in local and international regattas, Line Seven is in an ever-changing market and has to keep pace with the latest developments," says Ross Munro of Line Seven. "International research into trends and styles is blended with New Zealand's own unique looks, and the Line Seven range is constantly updated to remain a leader in the fashion world."
Research and development findings from the racing clothing crosses over into the casual range. The cotton cloth Tactel, which has been used in activewear, is now used in the recreational garments. Its two-layer performance is said to draw sweat away from the skin to leave the inner layer dry and comfortable.
In the past, Line Seven has supplied clothing to Team New Zealand, One Australia, Ross Field's Yamaha crew, and the KZ7 team.

'Ruggedised' laptop from NZ company

KiwiTech Marine Solutions Ltd has developed the Rocky laptop, said to be the rugged hardware solution for boat owners wanting to enjoy the benefits of boating software such as onboard performance analysis, chart plotter, weather fax, and boat management programmes.
Said to be water-resistant and impervious to sand and dirt, this Pentium 100 with an 810Mb or 1.2GB hard disk drive, and up to 32MB of RAM, can be used for all-weather computing on the water, in the car, office, or anywhere in the outdoors.
The Rocky exceeds the US military standard 810e, which means it can withstand 100mm of rain per hour. It also means the Rocky has been tested with high volumes of dust, dirt and oil, which can be simply be hosed away after use. It has also been tested against vibration, shock and vertical drop (760mm).
There is an optional 12 volt power supply and additional external battery for operation for long periods away from mains power supply. Screens are daylight-viewable and large: 260mm active colour (800 x 600 pixel) or 240mm mono.
Standard issue with every Rocky are two COM ports (one switchable between standard socket or built-in infrared data association communications port), external floppy disk drive, internal battery, speakers, microphone, keyboard cover and carrier bag.
KiwiTech Marine Solutions Ltd can be e-mailed on sales@kiwitech.co.nz.

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