ibinews.com International Boat Industry | AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 11
Recently I saw in a marina in the Mediterranean some peculiar
construction which brought up the question: Are these add-ons at the
boats’ skeg already called “hydrofoils”?
Why is the answer to that question important? EU Directive 2015-53-EC
(known as the ‘RCD’) under which the CE label is given to watercraft, has
some exemptions, one of which is “hydrofoils”.
This means that all ‘hydrofoil’ watercraft are outside of the scope of
the RCD. Regrettably RCD does not come with a definition for that type
of craft.
When it comes to CE assessment and certification of craft the EU
market surveillance, notified bodies and manufacturers can certainly
agree that a hydrofoil is something in-between a motor craft like the one
shown in the picture and some flying sailing dragsters like the America’s
Cup AC45 F. But when does ‘hydrofoiling’ start?
Now first series production boats, be it the Figaro Beneteau 3 or
catamarans like Nacra 17, are arriving on the market. Are they both
hydrofoils trying to fly or do they just have some support to increase
hydrostatic stability after a certain speed? There’s no clear line yet.
Regulators and standard writers will have to find a way to deal with
these boats soon!TALKING POINT
HYDROFOILS
Uli Heinemann When is a hydrofoil not a hydrofoil?NEW ZEALAND Extreme Boats,
a new name in the European
trailer boat industry, is in the
process of appointing dealers
across Europe to sell its export
range manufactured in New
Zealand.
Extreme builds over 450
aluminium boats a year ranging
in size from 5m-11.85m and has
received numerous awards in its
home country, including four
major awards this year at the
highly competitive Hutchwilco
Boat Show. These includeNZ builder to expand European distribution network
winning the best new model,
specialist fishing boat up to 7m,
specialist fishing boat up to 8m,
and also winning the overall
boat of the show. With over
20 different models from the
5m Sport Fisher right up to the
1185 Game King, the Extreme
range meets a wide variety of
applications.
Aluminium boats are
particularly popular in New
Zealand, Australia and
Scandinavia, as they are
lightweight in comparison toGRP craft of similar length,
making them very suitable for
trailing and ease of launching,
qualities which Extreme are
hoping will also be appreciated
more widely in the rest of
Europe in future.
Extreme Boats EU
Limited will be the European
distribution hub based in
Coventry in the UK with
offices and a showroom in
Southampton. It is currently
in the process of establishing
a dealer network in over 15European countries, including
the appointment of up to six
main dealers in the UK to
service their prospective clients.
A number of regional territories
are still open to interested
parties. Europe-bound ExtremeMixed 2019 Q
results for Suzuki
JAPAN Suzuki Motor Corp has
released its 2019 first-quarter
results, revealing lower overall
sales and profits attributed to
a sagging Indian automotive
market offsetting gains in
the company’s marine and
motorcycle business.
Overall net sales for the
quarter ended June 30, 2019,
were reported as ¥907.5bn,
a decline of 8.1% from the
¥987bn in sales reported for the
first three months of FY2018.
Overall operating income also
declined to ¥62.7bn, a year-
over-year drop of 46.2% from
the ¥116bn reported in Q1 2018.
Net income decreased YOY
by 52.8% to ¥40.5bn for thequarter, producing gross profits
of ¥261.1m compared against
gross profits of ¥294.5m for the
previous Q1.
The company’s motorcycle
business fared a bit better; net
Q1 sales increased by 2.0% YOY
to ¥65.6bn.
Net sales for Suzuki’s marine
segment meanwhile increased
by 9.9% to ¥24.8bn for the
quarter, driving operating
income for the business unit to
¥5.8bn and a YOY gain of 16.5%.
The strong marine segment
performance was attributed
directly to demand for large
outboards, and in particular it’s
DF350A model, in the surging
North American market. Strong demand for big outboards is driving marine sector growthIMCI, the leading Notified Body for CE certification under the Recreational Craft
Directive is managed by Uli Heinemann, CEO since 1999. With over two decades of
experience Uli has comprehensive knowledge of the marine industry.