Will electric propulsion become the norm? - Australian MarineBusinessWorld.com newsletter
by Peter Rendle 9 Jan 2020 14:00 PST
Frauscher Shipyard's new fully electric 740 Mirage Air powered by Torqeedo's Deep Blue 100i © Christian Brecheis
A break in the weather conditions have given authorities a window of opportunity to clear up some of the mess created by the fires in Australia. However, with further extreme conditions predicted the crisis is not over. And while the US and Iran sort out their differences the marine industry holds it breath hoping that the fall out is minimal.
This week's industries news emphasises the global nature of marine business and while Australian manufacturers continue to export, European products continue to be imported in record numbers and electric propulsion is likely to make an increased impression.
Quad Marine is pleased to announce that they are gearing up to start production of the Quad 44 electric Catamaran in France beginning in 2020. France is home to many of the most advanced and experienced shipyards, which ensures that the Quad 44 will be built to a world-class standard of quality. The Quad 44 is a revolutionary new design that's fundamentally superior to traditional catamarans according to the builders, with dramatically improved performance, safety, and accommodation space. Their updated website has complete details on the boat that's been hailed as "an exciting development and a big step forward for yacht design."
Meanwhile Axopar have launched the all-new 37 range. Every millimetre of the new Axopar 37 range has been redesigned from the hull to the handrails, yet the dimensions are the same. With 380 changes in this new and improved model, there is more space, speed, efficiency, performance, visibility, versatility, silence, sharp turns, higher and flatter, multifunctional social areas, onboard functionality, comfort, light, volume, openness, innovation, modern, unique, leisure, adventure, options. From a far, the changes are subtle and it's not until you start to look closer you see the work that has gone into the new boat.
Not to be outdone, an outstanding showcase of seven luxurious, master-crafted motor yachts from Australia's premier motor yacht builder Riviera, will take pride of place at the prestigious Miami Yacht Show in February 2020. Exceptionally designed and handcrafted, all of these renowned motor yachts are finely suited to Florida's famed sun-loving nautical lifestyle, which mirrors that of Australia's Gold Coast, the home of Riviera.
In South East Asia, Simpson Marine was announced as Fairline Yachts' new dealer for Hong Kong and the Philippines in June 2018. Following a successful 18 months, the partnership will now expand within North and South East Asia. David Walder, Fairline Yachts Sales Manager at Simpson Marine says, "Extending Simpson Marine's representation of Fairline Yachts throughout North and South East Asia makes perfect sense and is a natural progression for us as a regional company."
Back in Australia, The Boat Works has welcomed its latest onsite partner, third generation boat builder, Whittley Marine Group, representing close to 70 years of boating expertise and craftsmanship. Whittley Queensland Sales is the Whittley Marine retail sales arm in South East Queensland. Proudly Australian-made since 1953, the company produces a number of series across sports boats, fishers, cruisers and day boats across a 13-model range. The new undercover retail showroom and service facility stocks a large range of turn-key Whittley fiberglass boat packages, exclusively supplied with the Group's leading partners, Volvo Penta stern drives, Yamaha outboards, Mackay trailers and Garmin and Fusion electronics.
Keeping up with technology, C-MAP, a leader in digital marine cartography and cloud-based mapping, recently announced the launch of the C-MAP Web Maps Tiling Service (C-MAP WMTS) for developers. C-MAP WMTS, available via developer.navico.com, allows companies to build their own map-aware applications based on a worldwide collection of C-MAP marine charts from Navico. The tiled Professional+ database has scale ranging from an overview of the entire world to highly detailed coastal and harbor charts. The chart and value-added data originate from official government bodies and commercial companies, and is produced, controlled and regularly updated by Navico's professional cartographers.
Technology improvements are not restricted to navigation advances. Fusion have launched the successor to the highly popular MS-RA205, the new MS-RA210, packed with revolutionary Fusion Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology and a new aesthetic design, offers users an exceptional audio experience in a compact form factor. Designed to deliver quality sound with a powerful feature set at a competitive price point, the MS-RA210 features a 2.7-inch optically bonded colour LCD display, built-in Class-D amplifier, Multi-Zone™ technology in two zones, and Fusion-Link™ integration. The brilliant, full-colour LCD display offers colourful album art with metadata, displaying information of the current track playing such as artist, album and track title - adding enhanced aesthetics to the helm. Meeting both IPX6 and IPX7 international standards for water resistance from the front panel, the MS-RA210 is built to last, even in the harshest marine environment.
Aveagooden,
Peter Rendle peter.rendle@sail-world.com