RIBsYARD VISIT Bay Industrial
Building for Brunswick
SINCE THE BEGINNING boats under its own rafts for the US market; most manufacturing
of the relationship, Bay LodeStar brand (including and government patrol now takes place in China
has produced more a small series of branded boats for African and under the supervision
than 160,000 boats for tenders for Swedish Asian markets. of Korean-Chinese
Brunswick under the builder Nimbus). Sales, marketing managers who facilitate
Mercury and Quicksilver Other important and administrative adherence to the quality
brands, plus a small activities include the functions are managed standards that Bay
series of Sea Ray and production of tubes in from the home office in requires and ensure
Bayliner branded both PVC and Hypalon Seoul, Korea. A small smooth communications
tenders. Bay has also for UK luxury RIB tender manufacturing presence between the factory and
manufactured 35,000 builder Williams; river remains in Korea but the headquarters.
ABOVE In the Neoprene-Hypalon assembly hall, area. While low cost mass market boats of Far Eastern suppliers to deliver high
stacked boats undergo a 48 hour pressure check. have been available from Korea, Taiwan quality goes up and as costs remain a
The black boat in the foreground is a prototype of and China for more than two decades, central driver — it is evident that it will
a self-inflating assault craft in development it’s now clear that the bar has been be more challenging for mass producers
set higher for companies serving the in the west.
to chemical products such as fuel. In volume markets. Furthermore, the low-cost producers
addition to the laboratory, Bay has an High quality craft such as those built in lower cost areas will feel more
outdoor test tank where it performs by Bay are evidence that high volume pressure to raise their standards in
drop and stability tests as required by
the EU’s Recreational Craft Directive.
A less scientific but possibly more “We are not the cheapest manufacturer
realistic test involves leaving finished
boats and sample parts to weather but we’re convinced we build the
outdoors for months at a time. highest quality boats”
Custom and semi-custom builders
such as Cheoy Lee have understood
the attractions of the Far East for years, market demands can now be served. order to survive. High quality, low cost
but it’s only been recently that higher Beyond the inflatable sector, companies manufacturing operations such as that
levels of quality have been available such as Brunswick’s Sea Ray division evidenced by Bay Industrial should
from mass market builders based in the have opened Chinese operations. Sea be set to thrive in a an increasingly
Rays with CN-serial plates can now be competitive sector.
seen as far away as Australia, Europe All this could be good news for BELOW Small RIB hulls are built using RTM in
specially reinforced molds, one of which can and Latin America. dealers and consumers and — to
be seen on the right. The hulls stacked in the It’s probably fairly safe to say that borrow a phrase from an old Chinese
foreground are awaiting trimming after which western boat manufacturers will curse — ‘interesting times’ for
hardware will be installed prior to tube assembly continue to survive but — as the ability competing builders.
" August/September u0s www.europeanboatbuilder.net
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