52 | Stabicraft Marine MARINE Fi Innovations is a leading New Zealand specialist in 3D additive manufacturing, composites and resin applications. Phone: +64 3 216 6650 Email: info@f-i.co.nz Website: f-i.co.nz Address: 38 Otepuni Avenue Invercargill 9812 3D PRINTING & SCAN FIBREGLASS FLOORING BOATBUILDING POOL REFURBISHMENT RHINO UTE LINERS Turning great ideas into reality. WWW.GARMIN.COM 0800 255 638 Proudly supporting Stabicraft Marine for over 30 years Leading supplier to the Aluminium Boat Building industry. Now offering router cutting from our Christchurch operation. Newmodels enhance boating experience Stabicraft has expanded beyond New Zealand with boats are sold in Australia, Europe and the United States. T T Russell Fredric Stabicraft Marine added three new models to its range in 2025, extending a philosophy built around aluminium chambered hulls, positive buoyancy and rough-water performance. The 2050 Frontier, 2350 Ultra Centrecab and 2350 Ultracab WT were launched at the 2025 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show, adding layouts to established hull platforms. The 6.32m 2050 Frontier is a centre-console fishing boat with a raised casting deck incorporating 600 litres of storage, while the 7.17m 2350 models use the proven Supercab offshore performance hull. The Ultra Centrecab combines a walkaround deck with a forward-leaning windscreen that increases cabin volume, while the Ultracab WT has a full-width cabin and central forward door for direct bow access. Both offer multiple cabin, deck and transom configurations, reflecting a design emphasis on adapting the boat to how it will be used. Underneath those differences is Stabicraft’s chambered aluminium hull design. Sealed positive-buoyancy chambers form a ‘life ring’ around the hull, allowing the boat to remain level and afloat when filled with water. The chambers also contribute to stability, while internal hull bracing adds strength through the structure. The reverse-chine form of the chambered life ring reduces side-to-side roll when the boat is stationary, an important consideration when several people move around the deck. The result is a hull architecture designed to combine buoyancy, stability and strength rather than treating them as separate features. The 2025 models also show how Stabicraft continues to develop different uses around the same engineering. The 2050 Frontier has a 5mm hull and 3mm-plus-3mm life ring, while the 2350 Ultra Centrecab has a 6mm hull and more than 2000 litres of sealed chamber volume. The 2350 Ultracab WT has 1870 litres of sealed chamber volume. That engineering combined with Stabicraft’s well-established reputation has supported Stabicraft’s expansion beyond New Zealand. Its boats are sold in Australia, Europe and the United States, with North America being an important market. The company established manufacturing in Port Angeles, Washington, to reduce the logistics challenges of supplying that market from New Zealand. Its wider manufacturing network has also expanded in New Zealand, with facilities in Invercargill, Auckland and Hamilton supporting production. Southland suppliers also contribute to its manufacturing capacity, while outsourcing has freed specialist welding capacity for larger, more complex builds. The international market has influenced product development as well as manufacturing. The forward-raking cabin used on Stabicraft’s larger models, for example, provides more internal space and is suited to colder conditions where protection from wind and spray matters is an important design consideration. One of Stabicraft’s less visible technologies is Closed Cell Baffling, developed from work that began in 2015 to reduce the noise and vibration caused by water moving against an aluminium hull. Polyurethane is injected into the airtight life-ring chambers, where it expands into a closed-cell, watertight foam. Besides reducing hull noise, Stabicraft says the material provides insulation and an additional layer of buoyancy protection if a chamber is compromised. The formulation was developed with FI Innovations and modified for the marine environment, including resistance to moisture and the potentially corrosive combination of saltwater and aluminium. The technology adds another layer of engineering to a hull design that remains central to its boats and the high level of confidence their users have in them.
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