McConaghy Boats establish New Zealand office

by Ellie Brade on 12 May 2014 McConaghy Boats are to apply their race boat acumen and technology to the superyacht sector with a dedicated move into the large yacht market. This new focus will complement the company’s ongoing work in the sub 30m sector, where they are known as the world’s leading specialist composite boat builders.

Previous high profile superyacht projects from McConaghy Boats include the multi-award winning trimaran Adastra and Mike Slade’s racing heavyweight Leopard 3. The company is now looking to build on this experience and actively market themselves as builders of high quality performance focused carbon superyachts.

Part of this strategy includes the establishment of a New Zealand office to add to the company’s existing presence in Australia, where the company is headquartered, and Hong Kong. The New Zealand office will be run by highly experienced superyacht personnel Rodney Martin and Paul Vivian, both formerly of Fitzroy Yachts, and they will be joined by a team of six to eight experienced design and engineering staff. The New Zealand team’s prime focus will be on marketing the company within the superyacht sector and working on design programmes for the McConaghy Group.

'New Zealand has a well deserved reputation as a country of yachtsmen and of driving advances in the sailing sector,' said Rodney Martin. 'The new McConaghy New Zealand office will perfectly complement the existing McConaghy facilities, and ensure that customers are on the receiving end of both New Zealand’s and McConaghy’s world-class innovation.'

Managing Directors of McConaghy Boats, Mark Evans and Jono Morris are delighted to have secured two such well known names in the superyacht industry. 'Rodney, Paul and their team have a wealth of experience and expertise in the superyacht industry, the recent projects that they have managed have been recognised as setting new standards for quality and finish,' said Morris. 'Mark and I see great potential for projects in both Sydney and China in both the commercial and recreational marine sectors with this level of expertise within our organisation.'

Composite construction is increasingly the build material of choice for those owners seeking fast sailing yachts capable of winning results in the ever-popular superyacht regattas. With such a strong history and their newly strengthened superyacht team, McConaghy will present a hugely attractive and affordable option for superyacht owners.

Founded in 1967 McConaghy Boats has built a formidable reputation as a yacht builder and on the race circuit, with consistently high results in high profile races including 64 podium finishes in the iconic Sydney to Hobart Race. Continued investment into R&D, technology together with world-class facilities and an expert team has cemented McConaghy’s market leading position.

The company was further strengthened in early 2014 with the signing of an investment agreement with Hong Kong based Tiger Group, Investments a prominent commercial marine company led by keen yachtsman Graham Porter. The new partnership with Tiger Group will provide capital for investment in new state of the art machinery and equipment at McConaghy’s facilities in China and Sydney.