and shackle spanners. Managing director Rick Hackett bought the business in 1993 as a 23-year-old looking for a career. ‘With a passion for watersports, there was a natural lean towards something in the marine market,’ he says.
Hackett was never going to be content just pressing shackles so he set about expanding and finding gaps in the market. One opportunity arose when a producer of in-boom mainsail furling systems needed some components built. ‘He took me out for a sail to understand the product better. The next day, I bought the company. Now our Leisurefurl booms, suitable for boats up to 24m, account for about 20 per cent of our business.’ The acquisition was an ideal addition to the already established high-performance Racefurlers, which came about when the
Top: Black Jackʼs bowman setting up for a peel at Hamilton Island Race Week. The elegant but robust KZ Racefurlers make these huge sails much easier to handle. Above: new KZ15 offshore furlers and swivels
get one final check over prior to being dispatched to the maxi Rambler 88
2001-generation Volvo 60 teams were experimenting with Code Zero- type sails.
‘They needed something to tame them and we were approached to develop a solution. Illbruck chose our furling system and they won that race. For the following race in 2005- 2006, our furlers were on the entire fleet. We have held that dominance in all the succeeding Volvo Ocean Races and we continue to work with teams preparing for the next Ocean Race,’ Hackett says.
Racing around the world is the toughest testing laboratory and the reliability of KZ Racefurlers proven in that demanding environment has led to a client list spanning 100ft supermaxis, the Maxi72 class, the 52 Super Series and foiling classes from GC32s to the new TF35s and up to the America’s Cup.
The demands at this level are
always about reducing weight and windage while improving efficiency, much of which comes down to materials. With in-house design capabilities and sophisticated CNC machines, KZ Marine can produce components in stainless steel, 7000 series aluminium or titanium. Bearings, even the grease used for lubrication, and details like chafe and friction on the continuous control lines are constantly under the microscope. On the TP52 furlers, for example, ceramic bearings are used for maximum efficiency. At boat shows, Hackett often starts a chat with a customer by setting a TP52 demo version spinning with a flick of his finger. ‘It just goes on spinning right through the conversation. They think we have discovered perpetual motion, but it is just lack of friction from those bearings. It is pretty effective.’ Over nearly three decades this small, tight-knit company has carved a reputation for listening to its customers and responding quickly and efficiently to their specific requirements. ‘We don’t like to say no,’ says Gordon. ‘We like to get stuck in and put our hands to everything that is asked of us.’ Hackett is proud of this can-do attitude that has become embedded within the KZ Marine culture over the past three decades. ‘We come across as easy-going and jovial but at the same time you will not meet a more intense group when the pressure is on. We challenge and push each other all the time and always go the extra mile to deliver.’
www.kzracefurlers.com
q SEAHORSE 69
KZ RACEFURLERS
ANDREA FRANCOLINI
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