| 51 MARINE Brin Wilson Boats ▶ Full Repaints ▶ Touch-Ups & Repairs ▶ Antifoul & Propspeed ▶ Varnish Work 021 555 506 roweboatpainters@gmail.com roweboatpainters.co.nz SPECIALIST MARINE PAINTING & REPAIRS Marine painting specialists Since 1952, Brin Wilson has built more than 100 yachts and launches for both local and international clients. We specialise in refits and restoration projects, and have earned a reputation for quality. Proudly supporting Brin Wilson Boats 09 424 1719 info@brinwilsonboats.co.nz www.brinwilsonboats.co.nz PO Box 148 Whangaparaoa, 0943 Auckland New Zealand T T Hugh de Lacy Demand keeps business thriving Brin Wilson Boats works from 1200sqm premises on Auckland’s Gulf Harbour Marina. Its history is scarred with tragedy, but Auckland company, Brin Wilson Boats, will next year celebrate its 75th anniversary as an icon of the New Zealand industry, initially building new boats before turning to just boat repairs 30 years ago. While many of the hundred or so yachts and launches that founder Brin Wilson built are still in service, the company today is regarded as the country’s leading practitioner in repairs and refits, be it in composite or wood, for anysize craft. Sited on Auckland’s Gulf Harbour Marina, where it was the first tenant when it opened formally in 1995, Brin Wilson Boats works from 1200sqm premises, which allow it to work in any conditions. Brin Wilson was a talented and highly regarded boat-builder, who, when he died in the early 1970s, passed his business on to his sons, Bob and Richard, who in turn sold it in 2000 to Nick Saull, who had started with the company as a 16-year-old wood-working and boat-building apprentice in 1994. In the same year Nick bought the company, his wife died, and he went on running it by himself until teaming up with and eventually marrying Jan Saull, who continues to run the company today. It was a happy partnership in the thriving business, but tragedy struck 10 years ago when Nick was killed by out-of-control rigging on the yacht Platino when it was struck by four-metre waves 550km north of New Zealand. Another crew member, Steve Forno, was swept overboard and his body lost at sea; three other people survived. “It was a pretty awful time – Nick was a beautiful man – but our shared commitment to the company helped me pull through it without any damage to the business,” Jan says. “It’s a bit unusual for a woman to be running a male-dominated business, and I had to overcome some initial scepticism. “However, demand never eased and we’re intensely busy these days with our osmosis repairs on fibre-glass boats, our continuing repair work on wooden boats, and our exclusive agency of the Flexi-Teek synthetic teak decking.” In the boat-building industry, osmosis refers to the physico-chemical degradation of a fibreglass hull, resulting in the build-up of osmotic pressure that produces blisters on the surface. Repairing and recoating the damaged hull surface, making it completely and permanently immune to water pressure, is a major specialty of Brin Wilson Boats. Another is replacing worn or rotting decking timbers with the synthetic Flexi-Teek, which looks just like the increasingly rare and expensive original teak timbers. With high resistance to both ultra-violet light and staining, Flexi-Teek won’t crack or fade, and it weighs as much as 35% less than other non-oil-based composite deckings. Brin Wilson Boats’ Gulf Harbour Marina facilities include berthing for 20 super-yachts with 24-hour security, and competitive rates. Jan has a lot to look back on as the company reaches the three-quarters-of-a-century mark. “I don’t yet know how we’ll celebrate our 75th anniversary next year,” she says, “but celebrations there will certainly be.”
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