Coordinated superyacht chartering procedures in the main South Pacific countries, eased border restrictions, safe cruising, diversity of sights, and new marina and refit facilities, have created irresistible cruising in the world’s most undiscovered destination; the South Pacific. Earth’s playground is open for business. New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji and Australia have coordinated superyacht procedures for ease of cruising across this ultimate destination. Each country boasts widely-differing and interesting cultures, sights and cruising grounds, but with the added bonus of closely aligned charter and entry rules. This allows yachts to enjoy multiple seasons across the vast blue of the South Pacific, including… Read More

Auckland, New Zealand – Propspeed, leading innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, announced today it has received an endorsement from Palm Beach Motor Yachts. The luxury yacht manufacturer applies Propspeed as part of the commissioning of all new models, and recommends the use of Propspeed for existing owners as protection against fouling and corrosion of running gear and underwater metals. “We have been very pleased with the performance of the Propspeed line up,” said Mark Richards, CEO, GB Marine Group. “Our motto is ‘To simply build the absolute best yachts on the water, with no equivocation. If there’s a better way… Read More

Sealegs International has announced a record financial year result with a 152% increase in orders.  The 152% increase in orders is due to record demand for Sealegs craft in New Zealand, Australia, USA, UK and France.                             This unprecedented demand for Sealegs craft has given Sealegs confidence to expand their team, increasing personnel by 23% as well as a 31% increase in production area with the addition of two new sites in Albany’s Parkhead Place. This gives Sealegs over 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and assembly premises… Read More

Nautical Group Holdings Limited (NGH) of Auckland NZ, majority-owned by Oriens Capital Fund 2, has acquired 100% of Fastmount Limited. Founded in 2013, New Zealand-based Fastmount specialises in hidden panel mounting systems for the marine, architectural and industrial industries, and is used by leading superyacht builders and fit-out specialists worldwide. NGH is a new entity that recently acquired New Zealand’s Railblaza Ltd and NTD Plastics and has a vision to increase market position of its niche portfolio brands including Railblaza and NTD by focusing on innovation while maturing governance and corporate structure to accelerate growth. “We are super excited to… Read More

Game Changing Sonar Technology Protected by Industry Leading Foul-Release Coating Auckland, New Zealand – Propspeed, leading innovator of underwater foul-release coatings, announced it has received an endorsement from Electronic Navigation Ltd. (ENL). The innovator in wide-angle sonar technology relied on by anglers and oceanographers alike, ENL has tested the Propspeed Foulfree foul-release coating and found it to be effective for keeping their transducers clean and free from marine growth. ENL Endorses Propspeed’s Foulfree For Wassp Multibeam Transducers “We installed our new WASSP wideband transducer on a 48-foot Riviera in March 2020 and applied Foulfree,” said Gareth Hodson, managing director, ENL Group.… Read More

Auckland, New Zealand – Leading marine manufacturer, Tru-Design Plastics Ltd has expanded its production and research capabilities by relocating to a new 3000 square metre facility at the Airport Oaks precinct close to Auckland’s International Airport. The move which will allow Tru-Design to increase production capabilities and meet growing international demand comes after the company suffered a fire at their old premises, where thankfully no one was injured. “Although the fire was a serious blow to our business at the time, we took the opportunity to take stock of where and what we wanted to look like in five to… Read More

New Zealand-based manufacturers of hidden panel mounting systems, Fastmount, has launched its new Stratlock Rail System ahead of METSTRADE next month. Riding on the success of the Stratlock Range of clips, the Stratlock Rail System provides boatbuilders with a complete, integrated and purpose-built system for building deckhead and wall framework substrates to attach interior paneling to. Comprising of a custom-built aluminium extrusion profile and three cast aluminium connectors to enable absolute installation flexibility, the Stratlock Rail System has been designed specifically to be used with the Stratlock Range of clips, resulting in a complete, flexible process for precisely framing up walls and installing interior panels in… Read More

TNL Pindar recently shipped the new IRC52 racing yacht “Caro” from New Zealand to Spain. In the present climate of increasing shipping rates, lack of space on vessels and Covid Lockdowns this ended up being no easy task but persistence and cooperation from all the parties involved resulted in the yacht leaving Tauranga at the beginning of September. Working closely with Oceanic Navigation in Auckland we secured space on a Kiwifruit vessel sailing directly from Tauranga to Tarragona in Spain. Despite the demand for containers on deck being higher than ever before space was made available for the yacht and… Read More

WASSP releases innovative new W3 integrated  wireless unit for real-time  tender  mapping  within a portable bracket mounted unit.  WASSP releases innovative new W3 integrated wireless unit for real-time tender mapping within a portable bracket mounted unit. Global trailblazer in multibeam technology, WASSP has again come out with game changing innovation with their latest release, the WASSP W3P. Incorporating the successful WASSP technology for 3D real-time seafloor mapping with wireless transmission to a mothership, the W3P offers updated features in a sleek and portable integrated unit. The new product combines the convenience of a complete “all in one” system which will… Read More

Published with permission from Seahorse Magazine, featuring in August edition titled ‘A most robust pedigree’ by Ivor Wilkins. “It began with laying down one Kevlar thread at a time using a converted ballpoint pen… today things are a little different”. – Richard Bouzaid Twenty years ago, in an old-school Auckland sail loft, Doyle Sails’ Richard Bouzaid began experimenting with a new way of building sails utilising an adapted ballpoint pen to direct single fibres onto a substrate in line with the predicted loads. Above: early Doyle Stratis sails, like these on the legendary Whitbread maxi ketch Steinlager 2 were a… Read More