Boat business profile
Whangarei specialist marine aluminium joinery company Seamac Aluminium Ltd is in expansion mode after securing contracts to supply Riviera – Australasia’s largest luxury boat builder – with sliding windows for its newest models.
Seamac
Managing director Shamus Macinnes says the sliding windows are for Riviera’s newest models – the 395 SUV and 39 Open Fly Bridge – scheduled for launching next year. Riviera’s vessels use fairly large sliding windows – up to five metres in length. The builders liked the custom extrusion and sliding concept Seamac designed for the new models, in particular the sliding windows’ freeflowing movement.
The expansion comes hot on the heels of a significant change at Seamac. In June Shamus and his sister Bonnie purchased the company from their father David Macinnes, who established it in 1994. “We are grateful that Dad built up a fantastic little business with a great reputation, and through a bit of innovation and design things are progressing quite nicely,” says Bonnie, the company’s general manager.
“We’re focussed on quality aluminium joinery for the marine market, but we like to think we also have a reputation for flexibility. A lot of our work involves customised solutions to tricky designs – and this often works around structural considerations. Shamus has a wealth of experience and he loves a new challenge.”
An example of this adaptability is the Given T9 catamaran Vaiterupe III – featured in Boating New Zealand’s August issue. The owner requested a custom design – a ‘pillarless’ open space requiring a redesign of the saloon’s large rear window. It is now removable and, with the adjoining door opened, the flow between cockpit and saloon is seamless.
Surtees Boats, one of the country’s largest production alloy boat builders, is also embracing more of Seamac’s products. The company has used Seamac joinery for its hard tops and enclosed cabin boats for many years – specifically doors – but recently added hatches and sliding windows to the order list.
The company also caters for the commercial marine market, where the joinery carries a heavier specification. Recently-completed jobs include windows and doors for Auckland Fullers’ two new ferries – Tōrea, and Kororā (built by Whanganui’s Q-west) and a new vessel for Fullers’ Great Sights (Bay of Islands) built by Nelson’s Reliance Engineering.
“Working with these clients is particularly gratifying for us,” says Bonnie, “because they reinforce a message we’re passionate about. The jobs have been won in face of stiff competition from domestic and overseas manufacturers – and it proves that contracts are not only about price.” BNZ