Business South October 2020

48 | MARINE Stabicraft Newmodel proving popular Stabicraft’s export growth has been strong, with significant growth continuing to come from North America. T T from page 46 38 Otepuni Avenue, Invercargill Ph 03 216 6650 www.f-i.co.nz Beat the summer rush and get your boat into us now • Fibreglass and wooden repairs and modifications • Injection foam for buoyancy • Custom moulding • Gelcoat repairs and rejuvenation Stabicraft ingeniously created an internal inset in the top part of the coaming which allowed for plentiful seating around the bow of the boat, as well as a standing platform. “That’s just transformed the way that people can use their boats in this fourteen-footer.” A benefit of the arrow pontoons is that they have produced a much softer ride. Feedback from the new model’s owners has been “super-positive”. A surprise has been the overwhelming acceptance of the 1450 series in the Austral- ian market. “The Aussie guys went nuts for it. They love that little boat. I think we came up with a rug- ged solution that meets probably a hole in the market that wasn’t being serviced very well by current players.” The 1450 is an extremely versatile craft, at a price that is within the reach of many, Daniel says. A fantastic diving platform, it is also a great easy-to-launch family boat for sheltered coast- lines or on lakes and is small enough for duck shooters. The Australian market remains solid, with new dealers coming on board, with the launch of the 1450 further bolstering last years release of the award-winning 2250 Centrecab series. Stabicraft’s export growth has been extremely strong, with significant growth continuing to come from the North Ameri- can market. Despite this, Daniel and the Stabicraft team recognise the current global situation and economy is a challenging environment to be involved in, making forward planning particularly difficult. However, 65% percent of global recreation- al boating is United States-based which means a market share of just 1% would be a large windfall for any business. “The 2019 year was a record for us in the US, but 2020 is going to blow that out of the water. “We’ve had such a positive response this year, even amid the pandemic. We are already in excess of 2019 figures at this point in 2020.”