New Zealand manufacturers gaining worldwide recognition - Naiad
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MANUFACTURING
New Zealand manufacturers gaining
worldwide recognition
G Now, in collaboration with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
iven New Zealand’s geography —
two main islands surrounded by
about 600 smaller islands roughly (NZTE), a spotlight is being shone on New Zealand manufacturers
1,500 kilometres by sea to the next major
country — it’s not surprising that New who have been expanding into international markets...
Zealand manufacturers are world leaders in
terms of developing innovative products for
the marine industry. Now, in collaboration
with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
(NZTE), a spotlight is being shone on
New Zealand manufacturers who have
been expanding into international markets,
including Canada and, more specifically,
British Columbia.
As part of their mandate, NZTE assists
NZ companies who are looking to grow
beyond the domestic market. And it was
to that end, that NZTE’s Head of Public
Sector — Canada, Rod McDonald, invited
a B.C. contingency to the New Orleans
International Workboat Show this past
November. In addition to a number of
networking events, representatives from
B.C. were given the opportunity to learn
more about New Zealand’s marine manu-
facturing sector through one-on-one inter- The HamiltonJet team (with Americas Region General Manager, Tom Latham, far right) was
views with senior company representatives. pleased to introduce their new HTX-30 model.
Through the discussions, it becomes appar-
ent very quickly that indeed, NZ’s marine With regard to performance, the HTX- contribute to the stability of the vessel and
technology sector is proving popular with 30 offers 19 per cent more bollard pull and has superior handling capabilities in rough
mariners around the world. seven per cent more high-speed efficiency. weather. We have become very popular with
Here then, are just a few examples of NZ The improvement in bollard pull allows police and patrol operations as well as nav-
companies of note breaking new ground in for a minimum speed improvement of up ies and coast guards.”
marine manufacturing and gaining world- to two knots, while greater high-speed effi- One of the key differences with Naiad
wide recognition as a result. ciency points to greater thrust and lower RIBs — the use of foam instead of air in
full burn. In fact, top speeds of 55 knots are the collars — was actually triggered by an
HamiltonJet possible, depending on hull form. incident during a weekend training exer-
During a recent meeting with HamiltonJet The HTX-30 is the first of a series of cise with police. “It was a Saturday night
representatives Tom Latham and Ace new products HamiltonJet has in the works. and the boats had been stored when some-
Backer, BC Shipping News learned that the “We do have a progressive product develop- one broke in and slashed the fenders. That
company has launched a new model — the ment cycle in play right now and hope to awakened the industry to the risks of inflat-
HTX-30 — with greatly enhanced features. have a number of exciting announcements ables. Now, virtually all of our patrol boats
As the next step in the evolution of water- in the next few years,” Latham said. have foam instead of inflatable pontoons,”
jets, Tom Latham, General Manager for Cowan said, adding that Naiad still offers
HamiltonJet’s Americas Region, explained Naiad Design Ltd. inflatables and an inflatable pontoon will
that the HTX-30 was the culmination of Director John Cowan reported that the absorb a bit more of the pounding in heavy
extensive research and rigorous testing. “We 40-year-old company who has developed an seas but, with lower maintenance require-
have incorporated new hydrodynamics, innovative design for rigid-hull inflatables ments (“the foam is basically indestructible
combined with greater cathodic protection (RIBs) has been seeing dramatic growth and will last the life of the boat”), he’s seeing
and a new gimbal steering system, to create over the last seven or eight years. “We’re a definite trend toward foam collars.
a package offering improved performance, very different from regular inflatables,” he Whether filled with air or foam, Naiad’s
while also being highly reliable and easier to said. “In addition to the aluminum hull, the collars are removable and replaceable. “This
install,” Latham said. inflatable part of the RIBs is designed to is a must-have for military and professional
March 2019 — BC Shipping News — 33
MANUFACTURING
Essentially, Jacobsen had figured out how
to attach a high-silicone coating to metal.
“The issue for any underwater metal is get-
ting something to stick to it,” said Rusty
Morgan, Oceanmax’s Technical and Sales
Support rep. “The application process is the
key to the success of the product — you start
with bare metal, clean it with Propclean
and then apply Propprep which is an acid
etch which helps the primer adhere to the
metal. Following two coats of Propprep, a
clear silicone top coat is added and a chem-
ical reaction occurs as it continues to dry
and cure together,” he said, adding that it’s
“like putting an M&M candy shell around
all your metal. Nothing ever sticks to it
because of how slick it is.”
Propspeed is very different from trad-
itional anti-foul coatings which will dissolve
over time. “Because it’s difficult to get them
Naiad’s rigid-hull inflatables use foam collars that are removable and replaceable, an innov- to attach to metal, they rub off quickly,”
ation that is becoming popular with military and professional users. said Maitland, adding that Propspeed is
unique on the market despite attempts by
users,” Cowan said. “They could be at sea quite crowded,” he said. “But we’ve been others to duplicate its effectiveness. He also
and in a remote location so if they need to seeing great success in China, especially for noted that there are all sorts of applications
replace the collar, they don’t want to have pilot boats.” for Propspeed in addition to propellers:
to go back to base or require special tools.” As for the future, Cowan noted that “Because it is an environmentally friendly
Another difference with Naiad’s boats is founder and owner Steve Schmidt loves product, we’re seeing it used for other initia-
that each one is custom-built specifically innovation and is always looking for new tives — for example, researchers are using it
to meet a customer’s needs. Indeed, one of ventures. “For example, we’ve just built for shark tags.”
Naiad’s tag lines is “high-performing boats three 30-passenger vessels with Sealegs While Propspeed will traditionally last
customized to your requirements.” Cowan wheels attached — this required a spe- one or two years before requiring an addi-
highlighted the fact that customers will cially designed hull,” he said, adding that tional coat, Morgan emphasized that lon-
usually start with a standard design but there are additional plans for growth in this gevity will often depend on the type of
make modifications based on their unique area, including an electric-hybrid version of water, the type of boat and frequency of
needs. Sealegs and a high-speed, high-end recrea- use. “We were up in British Columbia last
When asked about the choice of alum- tional boat that will be powered with elec- month checking on an application we did
inum for the hull, Cowan noted that it tric energy storage systems. “We’re at the three years ago and it still looked brand
was better suited for one-off builds versus concept stage on that but once the technol- new,” he said, noting that B.C.’s water is
fibreglass. He also emphasized that Naiad ogy catches up, we already have interested much clearer than say, Florida, where the
continues to put a big focus on hull shape customers.” water is more shallow and harsh.
development — so much so that they were In addition to Propspeed, Oceanmax
one the first to introduce a stepped hull Oceanmax recently launched a new product —
which helps to break the friction of the According to National Sales Director LightSpeed — the first transparent foul
water and provides for greater efficiencies. James Maitland, the idea for Oceanmax’s release coating for underwater lights.
“It’s like the foundation of a building — get high-silicone-content coating for propellers “Underwater lights can get all kinds of
the hull shape right and you’ve got the foun- was borne out of frustration. Owner Guy material and organisms growing on them,”
dation for a successful boat,” he said, adding Jacobsen, a sport-fishing enthusiast, was said Maitland. “Customers started using the
that more recently, they have introduced a tired of hauling his boat out to clean the clear silicone that comes in the Propspeed
notched bow which carries the keel line propellers every time he wanted to go fish- kit and applying it to underwater lights and
further forward, resulting in an increased ing. “He got together with a paint company it’s worked really well. So we took it a step
waterline length when in heavy seas. and developed Propspeed — a foul-release further and redesigned the coating to create
Looking at the growth of the company, system that stops barnacles from growing a full system that adheres to the lens of the
Cowan said that, in addition to Australia, on underwater metal,” said Maitland. Turns light to prohibit growth.”
New Zealand and China, they are see- out, there were additional benefits as well. With no other product on the market
ing positive results in both the U.S. and “More speed, less fuel,” he said. “You pick that duplicates the success of Propspeed,
Canadian markets. “We’ve steered away up a knot or two and burn about three to Oceanmax’s reputation as a superior foul
from the U.K. market because it’s already five per cent less fuel.” release coating is, so far, unmatched. And
34 — BC Shipping News — March 2019
MANUFACTURING
to add to that, Oceanmax is committed to
providing support for shipyards using the
product. “It’s not difficult to apply but it
is particular and the better the application
process, the more successful the results,”
said Morgan.
Maitland estimated that Propspeed is
now on 35 to 40 per cent of the propellers
in Australia and New Zealand and sees
great potential for markets in the U.S. and
Canada. “We are on about five per cent
of the vessels in the U.S. so there is a lot
of room for growth. We distribute to 30
countries worldwide and continue to enjoy
great partnerships with distributors, includ-
ing Canada where we work with Western
Marine Company and Land & Sea.” Applying Oceanmax’s Propspeed will stop barnacles growing on underwater metal.
The list continues… their expertise in AIS technology, the Germany, Hella Marine is now head-
In addition to Hamiltonjet, Naiad and world’s first dedicated Virtual AIS Aid quartered in Auckland, New Zealand.
Oceanmax, other New Zealand manu- to Navigation device was developed by With decades of LED product design
facturers are equally gaining market share Vesper Marine (Virtual AIS Station). expertise, Hella Marine lamps are ‘Fit
worldwide. For example: Since then customers all over the world and Forget’ by design, offering complete
• Sealegs International Limited, a part have implemented the Virtual AIS piece of mind and enduring safety at sea.
of the Future Mobility Solutions Group, Station. In 2013, Vesper Marine was the Through ongoing research and develop-
is an icon of New Zealand’s innovative first company to add WiFi to AIS tran- ment, innovative design and use of high
design and engineering capability. The sponders to provide safety information quality materials Hella Marine continues
unique design and technology trans- wherever and whenever it was needed. to set benchmarks for extremely reliable
forms a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats In 2015, the Guardian Asset Protection and highly efficient products.
(RHIBs) into an amphibious boat. service was launched into the USA with • Stabicraft Marine Limited designs and
While much of the Canadian coastline New York Power Authority and is now manufactures aluminium boats with an
is rugged, there is significant application used worldwide to protect cables, pipe- ultra-stable, air-tight, chambered-hull
in low bank, beach, and lake shore ter- lines and port infrastructure from vessel design. The company’s boats range in
rain for these amphibious craft. Sealegs damage. size from four metres up to nine metres
can produce and sell both the complete • Electronic Navigation Limited was in length and sell into the recreational
amphibious boats (in Canada: Kelland founded in 1945 and has earned a solid (boat dealers and marinas), commercial
Watercraft in Nanaimo, B.C.), or Sealegs reputation for genuine service, innova- (fishing lodges, tourism operators) and
can also work with independent boat tion and supply of quality marine elec- government marine sectors (search &
builders to fit the amphibious system tronic products worldwide. The WASSP rescue, police, coast guard, and cus-
(AES) to boats of their own design multi-beam sounder technology enables toms). Stabicraft has proven expertise
(Sealegs International). seabed profiling at up to 100 times in building safe and durable boats for
• Vesper Marine Limited was founded in the speed of conventional single-beam use in tough conditions and its unique
2007 to create innovative marine safety echo-sounders, with improved accuracy design allows occupants to move freely
solutions. Recognizing the benefits of and significantly reduced cost. WASSP about the deck, providing stability even
the AIS international standard, Vesper multi-beam sonars accurately profile the when all occupants stand on one side.
Marine focused on developing AIS solu- water column and seafloor - highlight- • The above is by no means an inclusive
tions for the marine sector. Developing ing reefs, wrecks, fish schools, seafloor list. As a maritime nation, New Zealand
products from the ground up resulted in hardness changes and foreign objects has been at the forefront of developing
breakthrough technology and innovative in the water column or on the seafloor. state-of-the-art technology that has been
products that have been internation- To further improve WASSP perform- borne out of a need to master rough seas
ally recognized. Since the first prod- ance: GPS compass, roll / pitch & and harsh conditions. A quick review
uct launched in the U.S. in March heading, and sound speed inputs can be of the New Zealand Marine Industry
2008, Vesper Marine is now distributed interfaced to improve seafloor-profiling Association website shows close to 500
to over 35 countries. In November 2010, accuracy. members and, while some are inter-
the world’s first dedicated Class B AIS • Hella Marine provides advanced marine national in scope with recognizable
collision avoidance device was launched, lighting solutions engineered for energy brand names, there’s no doubt that New
followed by the first touchscreen AIS efficiency, safety and reliability. Founded Zealand is a world centre of excellence
transponder in 2012. In 2011, leveraging in 1925 by HELLA in Lippstadt, for all things maritime. BCSN
March 2019 — BC Shipping News — 35You can also read
