International Boat Industry – August-September 2019

(Nora) #1

54 AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 | International Boat Industry ibinews.com


Markets & Regions


BOATBUILDERS | SOUTH AFRICA


again by Anton du Toit. The biggest was
a commercial project, a 110ft ‘day-charter’
vessel MY Le Cerf, which completed for
summer 2019. She is bound for service
in the Seychelles, can carry up to 275
people, and was recording ‘lightship’
speeds of 21kt during her June 2019 sea-
trials. Her builders confidently proclaim
that this US$3.5m contract as the biggest
composite cat ever to have launched in
Africa. Other recent big cats include the
2012-launched 75ft powercat MY Quo
Vadis, the 2013-delivered 75ft SY HQ2,
the 2014-delivered 75ft SY Skimmer, the
2015-delivered 75ft and 80ft powercats
MY Adventum and MY Ultra Vires, all
for South Africans, the 2016-delivered
full-carbon 60ft cruiser SY Flydi, which
was commissioned by a German client,
the 2016 delivered 85ft powercat MY
Cake commissioned by a Canadian, the
late 2017-delivered 69ft day-charter boat
SY Carnival for service in St Lucia, and
another 70ft day-charter sailing cat with
capacity for 170 people that handed over to
a Jamaican company in June 2019.
It has also built two sports-fishing cats
recently, one 44-footer that delivered
in 2018 and a 46ft variant for a 2019
completion.
And Two Oceans Marine has recently
secured an order for seven ORC (ocean
rescue craft) powercats from South Africa’s
NSRI (National Sea Rescue Institute). It
will deliver two a year from late 2020.
Beyond that it also builds a 23ft-46ft
range of mostly outboard-powered
powercats for leisure-fishing and light-
commercial use under its Magnum brand.
These mostly deliver locally or to other
African markets. “This really is bread-and-
butter activity for us that fits nicely around
the custom projects,” says managing

director and founder, Mark Delaney.
“The orders are always there and we don’t
have to push that side too hard... We do
between five and 10 a year.”
Also interesting for the future is a recent
deal with Phil Berman’s The Multihull
Company, which is investing in tooling
that Two Oceans will use to build either
a 48ft sailing cat, or 51ft day-charter and
powercat derivatives, all under the Balance
brand. Once again Anton du Toit was the
preferred designer.

KNYSNA YACHT COMPANY
The Knysna Yacht Company employs 45
directly at its facility in Knysna, which lies
around 230km east of PE. It is presently
delivering three to four yachts a year
and up until now has only sported one
constantly evolving model, presently
known as the 500SE. Prior to its present
rendering, it was known as the Knysna
500 and before that the Angelo Lavranos-
drawn Knysna 480, which was created
from the old St Francis 440 tooling. St
Francis built 42 of those 440s and the hull
numbers have run sequentially ever since.
Thus far Knysna has delivered 47 of its
versions, which have delivered to and have
been cruised literally all over the globe – a
fact beautifully illustrated in the firm’s
lobby, where a world map records present
locations of every boat with coloured dots.
Australia has proved a really strong market
for Knysna over the past year or two,
according to Craig Boshard, who acquired
the yard with his brother Grant in spring
2018 from Kevin and Rika Fouché, who
started the business in 2002. Hull #87 SY
Private Island, #88 SY Bahati and #89 SY
Stand Fast all delivered to Australians. All

sales are direct, although the Boshards
still make use of the Fouchés as sales
consultants and brand ambassadors. As
of June 2019 the next three 500SEs were
at various stages of construction: #90 SY
Salsa was close to handover to her Swiss
owner, who is based in Cape Town, but
intends keeping her in the Seychelles, #91,
which is bound for the US in September
2019, and #92 which is still available for
a late 2019/early 2020 handover. Quoted
delivery slots for #93-#97 extend to
January 2021. As of summer 2019 prices
for the 500SE begin at US$895,000,
but a usual delivery will be around the
US$1.2m mark. What’s new for Knysna is
the all-new Anton du Toit-designed 550
Fly. Four delivery slots are quoted on the
company’s website. The first one, which is
already sold to Kevin Fouché and a partner
as part of their exiting agreement with
the Boshards, should complete for late
2019, but will probably push back beyond
that stated slot. The second, third and
fourth slots are presently promoted as
June 2020, November 2020 and January
2021 respectively. Certainly the 550 is big
in comparison to the 500SE and is not
necessarily going to be an easy transition
for the yard. “There’s an extra metre in the
beam and that metre is causing us all sorts
of problems,” says Craig Boshard, “not
least as regards getting local government
permission for local launches – and not
all those issues have yet been resolved.”
Basic prices are from US$1.6m. “Four boats
a year has been a comfortable level for
this business,” says Craig Boshard. “For
instance, three delivered in 2018 and four
deliver this year... But our short-term goal
is to pump things to five a year when the
new 550 Fly kicks in and for the long-term
goal we would like to sustain a consistent
production plan of 10 boats a year, which
to us means a properly sustainable
business. At the moment we have around
3,000m^2 of covered facility, but we have
already acquired the 7,000m^2 site next
door, which will provide the necessary
capacity as and when required; we’ll rent
it out until we need it.” The Boshards had
previously been involved in less appealing
industries in Jo'burg, so speak with
experience. But not everything is about
money. For them their Knysna investment
is also about rebooting family life away
from what they view as a ‘toxic’ home city.
Knysna’s beautiful.
 The Knysna 500SE is nearing completion

CRAIG BOSHARD, CO-OWNER
KNYSNA YACHT COMPANY

Four boats a
year has been a
comfortable level
for this business.
Three delivered in
2018 and four will
deliver this year
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