Emarine (Where E is for Excellent and Elderkin)

by Jeni Bone on 27 Apr 2008 Idyllically located on Roseville Bridge Marina, next to Echo Point café which according to its neighbours is 'a great place to crack a deal', Emarine Australia is the venture of Jed and Evie Elderkin.

Jed’s background is in boat sales, having worked for Noakes Boat & Shipyards for many years, but prior to this 'growing up with boats' as a child in Maine, USA.
'I spent a lot of time in boats in Maine, then Florida and all over the eastern seaboard of America,' says Jed, who moved to followed his heart to Australia in 1993 and soon settled down to create a family life and livelihood on the Sunshine Coast.

He was Sales Manager for Kevlacat Power Boats until 1999, when he returned to Maine and saw the rapid growth of the 'Downeast Style' pleasure boat market. This niche market had grown from a few local builders producing small numbers of lobster boats converted for pleasure use to a design standard being replicated throughout the world.

Knowing how well these vessels would translate to Australian conditions, Jed moved back to Australia with the concept of forming Emarine Australia as the exclusive dealership for Back Cove Yachts.

'In a market of lots of ‘me toos’, Back Cove stands out. I did plenty of market research before I brought them out here during my time as State Sales Manager with Four Winns in NSW. The deal was struck when I was still at Noakes. It was a nice fit and mutually beneficial. But as we sold more boats, it became obvious we would need a dedicated retail presence.'

Thus, Emarine was born and after just one year of operation, the company had sold eight boats, winning Jed and his team International Dealer of the Year award from the brand.

'Back Cove has been very successful for us,' he continues, adding that they consider Grand Banks East Bay range their main competition.

'They are stunning vessels. The build quality is just superb. Back Cove are built to be easy maintenance and extremely fuel efficient, without sacrificing performance.'

As Jed explains: 'They are made with cutting-edge technology and are extremely durable and hardy.'

As for perceptions that US boats are lightly built 'lake boats' or that they aren’t up to Aussie conditions, Jed says 'if you think that, you’ve been seeing the wrong boats!'

The Back Cove range is built in Maine on the coast of Massachusetts, home of the classic lobster boat and location for shooting the film 'The Perfect Storm'. According to Jed, from a dollar comparison, they are 'competitive'. Prices range from the 26 at $190,000 to the 33 at $400,000.

'This is a premium product, with an extensive range of features that come standard.'

Next for Emarine is the addition of the Sabre line of yachts, following a deal that was only officially signed and sealed in April.

'They are so new, they’re not even on our website,' says Jed. And their aim is just as high for the Sabre range. 'We hope to sell at least two Sabre in our first year and then with marketing and the shows, it will follow on from there.'

Sabre Yachts has a 35 year history of creating sail and motor yachts and has built over 2,500 hulls in that time. Sabre currently builds three sailboat models from 38 to 45 feet in length and six powerboat models from 36 to 47 feet.

The target market for the Sabre line is 'high end consumers'.

Marketing will include print, web and boat shows, 'when we get a boat!' says Jed. 'It’s too early for this year, so probably 2009 Sanctuary Cove. At this stage we’re only bringing in motor yachts, but if somebody ordered a sailing boat, we could get it in.'

The Sabre price point is higher, with the 34 Express starting at $500,000 and the 52 Salon Express, which Jed describes as a boat of 'mind boggling quality', retails at around $1.8m.

At Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Emarine will have both the Back Cove 26 and the 33 on display, as well as a special appearance by the company’s VP of Marketing and Sales, Bentley Collins.

More at www.emarine.com.au and www.sabreyachts.com