Kelsall Catamarans at the Auckland International Boat Show 2009 - A Designer's Report

Kelsall Catamarans was the only design company exhibiting at the show. NZ is not a large market for us, but we do like to support the local industry where we can. In these uncertain times, as a number of boat builders in the area are closing their doors, we were keen to guage the mood of those attending and of other exhibitors. I have to say that we detected no lack of optimisim from those we talked to. Time will tell, but at this stage we are optimistic.

We are optimistic for our design business for three basic reasons.
1. We are working in the ever expanding field of catamarans (power, sail and commercial, in many parts of the World.
2. Our unique KSS building methods offer the boat builder (both professional and owner builders) the only efficient entry method into this field, without the usual huge investment in tooling.
3. Our record, the custom design service, and the wide range of designs we offer.

After a long break from mono design, where we have concentrated on twin hulls, we are just completing a mono sailing design for KSS build. Our future plans include a range of power and sailing monos for KSS build.

Established since 1965. The materials we pioneered in the mid sixties are now preferred by everyone. They have been proven around the World - literally in sailing around the World. Our general all round expertise in boating matters gives us an edge over all competitors, whether on the water, in the design office, or in the boat building shed.

The interest in our KSS boat building workshops remains high. We will check back with these contacts to confirm interest. Based on feedback we have changed the date for the next workshop in our facility close to Waihi. The workshop is now being held from April Thursday 16th - Sunday 18th. Check www.kelsall.com for more details.

The main talking point at the show was build time efficiency, where the time consuming alternatives are no longer viable for most builders. The detail of the resin infusion technique that we have developed and refined for our KSS table methods was a popular topic. The attraction of clean, quality laminating is obvious, but we see the need to stress the difference between the simplicity of working on a flat table compared to the same in a mould. The example of what KSS can achieve is illustrated by the range of catamarans produced by Cata-Ballotta in Peru (www.cata-ballotta.com).

As usual, a few boat builders talked of their experience of the different resins and as is typical of so many shows we have attended, two visitors were no longer involved in boat building due to having developed a sensitivity to epoxy resin. We recommend either vinylester or polyester, both of which have served us well, particularly the polyester, for more than 40 years, with never one reported health issue or, for that matter, any single durability issue.

Balsa core was discussed with others. Three visitors reported their accounts of balsa having caused serious problems in boats that they were involved with. We are moving forward with a test program on bonding assembly and we hope to get some of our methods onto a more scientific basis with the help of students at Auckland Uni. Two other popular topics at the show were our designs for Modular assembly and our Kisskat beam system for trailer cats.

At this stage in my career I do have some suggestions to make to the industry. A year ago, I remarked on the number of imported yacht models at the show. After ten years in NZ, I know the country as a country of custom boat builders. With our particular interest in catamarans, my question then was, - the brokers would not be here if there was not a market, but why cannot this country fill this market? Five years ago, every town seemed to have its custom boat builders of which a majority that I came across seemed to be building for the overseas market. The NZ dollar value rose substantially and NZ was no longer competitive using the traditional labour intensive methods. Hence a big swing from exporter to importer. There is an obviious conclusion to be drawn - the market is too small to warrant the huge investment in series production tooling for each size. The industry needs to look at efficient custom build methods.

It just so happens, that build time efficiency has been the basis of my forty + year career. This year we see a reduced number of imported craft on offer. However, they are still there, and those on offer are mostly aimed at the charter fleets of the world where the catamarans reign supreme. This does not make them great yachts for the family owners. Their designs concentrate on packing in the maximum number of berths and facilities for 8 or more charterers at a time. They are expensive, way overweight and they are slow. The family owned catamaran needs two reasonable cabins and a single berth or two. A very different boat, with a lower price tag and enjoyable preformance.

NZ has the skills and the facilities in abundance. In my view there is a change of approach needed by the boat building managers. Efficient custom build methods can compete with series production methods, where tradional methods cannot.

KSS - Kelsall Swiftsure Sandwich is not some new gimmick. It has been decades in development and refinement, with many of the most effective innovations added here in NZ. It uses resin infusion for 95% of the laminating, for neat clean working conditions and the best quality and applies to a stylish range of designs. The proof is there in results both in NZ projects and worldwide. Take away the cost of writing off the initial investment in tooling, the cost of shipping around the world and removing some of the excess gear in the typical specification and the NZ boat builder can compete on price.

Having been involved in moving an order for a rig for Peru, from the US to NZ, saving substantially on the cost to the builder, we see no reason why NZ canot supply all of the market for completed boats for the home market. The current economic situation has not discouraged us from our next major promotion. We can be found again in the superyacht pavilion at the Australian Sanctuary Cove boat show. This is a wonderful location with a show atmosphere every boatie would appreciate.

Derek Kelsall, FRINA, Kelsall Catamarans Ltd, NZ.