Kudos for New Zealand yacht builders with international awards

by NZ Marine Export Group Inc on 25 Oct 2011 Kiwi yacht builders and marine industry suppliers feature among the finalists of two significant international design awards with the winners being announced later this month.

The peer-reviewed International Superyacht Society (ISS) has listed Auckland-based boat builders Alloy Yachts, Diverse Projects and McMullen and Wing, as finalists from the hundreds of nominations from shipyards around the world for their 2011 international design award competition.

The ShowBoats design awards, backed by Boat International Media, also feature Alloy Yachts and McMullen and Wing alongside New Plymouth’s Fitzroy Yachts among this year’s finalists from more than 250 nominations.

Owen Rutter, chairman of the New Zealand Marine Export Group and managing director of specialist superyacht uniform supplier Events Clothing, says: 'It’s significant for the New Zealand marine sector that so many of our export-oriented businesses are once again featured as finalists in two of the world’s most highly-regarded design awards.'

Fitzroy Yachts and Alloy Yachts – known for their aluminium-built sailing yachts such as this year’s contenders Zefira, Imagine and Kokomo – have consistently starred as finalists and award winners in recent years.

Rutter notes, 'And it’s also significant that two New Zealand-built motor yachts, the 31.6m Black Pearl from Diverse Projects and the 45m steel and aluminium luxury expedition vessel Big Fish from McMullen and Wing feature in this year’s awards. McMullen and Wing has starred in international awards before and it’s encouraging to see Diverse Projects now also coming into the limelight.

'With the quality and workmanship of both sail and motor yachts being built in New Zealand now being recognised the world over, we can be proud of the hundreds of talented, skilled personnel who complete these multi-million dollar projects.

'I’d also like to acknowledge Southern Spars, LOMOcean Design, North Sails, SP-High Modulus and Events Clothing which are among the many New Zealand marine equipment and service providers which contributed to these and other award finalist superyacht projects during the past twelve months.'

Alloy Yachts, based in Henderson, Auckland, is a finalist in the ISS award for the best sailing yacht over 40m in length for the 44.2m sloop SY Imagine, which is one in a series of successful design-build collaborations with UK-based Dubois Naval Architects. Imagine also appears on two finalists lists for the ShowBoats awards, for exterior design and styling, and for naval architecture. Earlier this year, Imagine also won the award for the best sailing yacht 30-45m in the World Superyacht Awards.

SY Kokomo, another Alloy Yachts-Dubois project, was selected a finalist in multiple ShowBoats design award categories, namely sailing yacht interior design, sailing yacht naval architecture and sailing yacht interior layout. Launched in 2010, the 58.4m Kokomo won the 2010 ISS award for best sailing yacht over 40m in length. Alloy Yachts were also recognised for their technical achievements with Kokomo at the 2011 World Superyacht Awards.

Fitzroy Yachts features strongly in the ShowBoats design awards with one of their most successful superyacht creations, Zefira, named 2011 World Superyacht of the Year in May. Zefira is a finalist in all four categories for which she was nominated: sailing yacht interior design, sailing yacht exterior design and styling, crew and service areas and bespoke furniture.

Michael Eaglen, McMullen and Wing’s commercial manager, says Big Fish was one of the most talked about yachts of September’s Monaco Yacht Show. 'Her faultless ‘as-new’ presentation was particularly notable given she has travelled 40,000 sea miles since being launched last year – including a trip to Antarctica – reflecting well on McMullen and Wing’s yacht-building craftsmanship. We are very proud and grateful for the exceptional recognition she has received to date, and honoured by earning our place amongst the finalists again in this year’s awards season.'

As well as being up for the best motor yacht in the 40-65m category for the ISS awards, Big Fish is a ShowBoats finalist in five further categories: exterior design and styling, naval architecture, interior layout, design and technology, environmental protection.

McMullen and Wing, based in Mt Wellington, Auckland, is also one of seven finalists in the ShowBoats tender design category for Triple Ripple, the custom-built tender vessel for Big Fish, which has already received a World Yachts Trophy, a special judges’ commendation at the World Superyacht Awards and been named the most innovative motor yacht at the 2010 Asian Boating Awards.

John Vitali from Diverse Projects, based in central Auckland, says: 'Using our ongoing strategy working as a ‘virtual shipyard’, which builds at cost in conjunction with owners, we are proud to be selected as a finalist for these superyacht awards. The selected subcontract companies who made this project an absolute success from start to finish are also delighted that everyone’s planning and execution has achieved this result. Our owners, who have already cruised almost 10,000 miles in nine months, are currently in the northern reaches of Papua New Guinea and have furnished us with an excellent report card. All very happy!'

Southern Spars – with its head office and custom projects manufacturing facility based in Avondale, Auckland and one of the world’s best manufacturer of carbon fibre mast and rig packages – contributed technology-leading masts, booms and rigging to the New Zealand-built yachts Kokomo, Imagine and Zefira.

'Southern Spars’ rigs are now in use on the following ISS design award finalists: the 28.6m sloop Kiboko from Southern Wind Shipyard in South Africa, the 46m ketch Christopher built by Pendennis in the UK, the 54.6m classic ketch Marie from Vitters Shipyard the 57.5 Twizzle from Royal Huisman in The Netherlands and the 44.2m performance ketch Mari Cha III recently refitted by Derecktor Shipyards in the US,' says Southern Spars’ director Mark Hauser. 'We’re also very proud to see our rigs feature on ShowBoats award finalists Kokomo, Twizzle, Marie, Imagine, Zefira and Vitters’ Lady B.'

The ShowBoats awards – represented by a gold Neptune statuette – are presented in Palm Beach, Florida on 25 October, while the ISS awards are presented on 27 October in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Both presentations take place while hundreds of marine companies from all over the world are present at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show which features at least 14 New Zealand companies.

New Zealand Marine Export Group (NZMEG)
NZMEG is the export-focussed sector group of the New Zealand Marine Industry Association and works on behalf of its member companies through various export and foreign exchange earning-related activities such as representation at international boat shows, international marketing and industry profiling overseas.

More information is available via the website www.nzmarineexport.com