McConaghy Boats’ already proven expertise in racing and composite construction is seeing it enter the superyacht sector. The Australia-based builder has established offices in New Zealand for this purpose.
For a bit of background, McConaghy Boats was founded in 1967. It’s well-known for building powerful racers—some of the fastest ones around, in fact. They range from Mach 2 foiling moths to America’s Cup competitors and more. If you follow races like the Transpac and Sydney to Hobart, you’ll recognize the yard’s work. Racing maxis like Wild Oats, Leopard 3, and Alfa Romeo I, II, and III all came from McConaghy Boats. In addition, in the megayacht world, there’s Adastra (pictured). She’s the 139-foot (42.5-meter) trimaran engineered for fuel efficiency and global cruising. Adastra was delivered in 2012.
McConaghy Boats plans to concentrate on megayachts exceeding 98 feet (30 meters). It also plans to build performance-oriented megayachts in carbon composite. The material is increasingly being used for sailing superyachts that either occasionally enter regattas or regularly race. Construction will take place at its existing facilities in Australia and China. The new office in New Zealand houses design and engineering staff, plus marketing staff, solely for megayachts. Some of the personnel were hired from the recently shut down Fitzroy Yachts. Among them are Rodney Martin, who was managing director at Fitzroy Yachts, and Paul Vivian, who was design manager at the yard. Jon o Morris, co-managing director of McConaghy Boats, says, “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 recognized as setting new standards for quality and finish.” He adds that their collective experience should also benefit the commercial side of McConaghy Boats.
For further information directly from McConaghy Boats on potential performance-oriented projects, please fill out our contact form.
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