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New Catamaran Builder in Brazil Launching in January 2006
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Avante Yachts is a dedicated and well experienced North American - European team with many years in the Marine Industry opening a new boatyard in Brazil. The primary aim of the company is to build innovative, sail and power multihulls using the latest eco-friendly, cost-effective marine technology on the market.
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(PRWEB) November 2005 -- Avante Yachts Ltda (https://www.avanteyachts.com) - a Brazilian company is set to launch their new boatbuilding operation in a facility near Recife, Brazil in early 2006.
The well experienced North American - European team, with many years in the Marine Industry, are primarily aiming to build innovative, sail and power multihulls using the latest eco-friendly, cost-effective marine technology on the market.
"We feel that Brazil is a viable option to building boats in China - as so many other boatbuilders in the industry look east," stated Allen Brown, an American partner in the new venture. "And that's for a number of great reasons... including the outstanding government support mechanisms in place to support boatbuilders in this country," he added.
Company co-founder Brown attended MIT in the sixties and has been a boatbuilder for over 20 years - bringing a wealth of innovative and creative engineering to the company.
"Not only do we feel that using emerging technologies to drastically save on the cost of, or completely eliminate fossil fuels (it may be inevitable), makes sense... I think it's simply smart boatbuilding to use what tools and products we have available to build better, more efficient boats," said Richard Kastelein, Brown’s partner. "And the fact that we can build boats that are more environmentally friendly in an increasingly more sensitive ocean environment also adheres to our ethos."
Like so many areas of technology that are growing exponentially due to the general explosion of knowledge in the information age - incredible advances in alternative and more efficient marine industry alternatives for power, design and communications are very real. And very exciting.
"What was not feasible three years ago is very possible now," added Kastelein."At the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) show in Amsterdam this year it was clear that cutting edge composites, prepregs, moulds and resin infusion are the answer when it comes to requirements for stronger and lighter laminates, less wasteful production, better use of labour and cleaner working environments."
The company owners stated they plan to build a variety of boats using hybrid diesel-electric and straight electric drives for propulsion in their catamarans in order to capture market share in what they feel is the next wave in the industry due to the rapidly rising cost of fuel and pollution-restricting legislation.
"Imagine an electric day charter sail catamaran for a hotel that is plugged in to shore power every night and runs every day without a drop of combustible fuel," stated Kastelein. "No pollution affecting sensitive reefs, lowering of operational costs, less noise, and no offensive diesel fumes - it’s a win, win situation."
The group not only has day charter catamarans on their mind - but has also been discussing the production of cruising power and sail catamaran lines with several designers. With a startup five-axis CNC plug maker in Paraguay offering affordable moulds, Avante Yachts are looking towards capitalizing on the latest technologies in yacht construction to fuse efficiency, strength and quality in their boats. The incredible success of The Catamaran Company, who sold over 250 boats last year has also caught their attention.
"After ten years in the vibrant Caribbean industry, it became clear that catamarans would take over many of the markets including day charter, term charter, and the cruising crowd," said Kastelein. "The incredible success of catamarans.com is a clear litmus test of what's to come. Baby boomer's are entering retirement and have comfort in mind... and hands down, a catamaran wins when it comes to chartering, living aboard and the cruising life."
The advantages of building in Brazil include - a government program allowing for duty free importation of quality marine products from overseas for boatbuilders that export their final product out of the country, a large pool of talented craftspersons, competitive salaries, low cost of living, vast array of fine products such as farmed hardwoods, resins, composites, fibreglass and much more... all produced in the large and diverse country of over 200 million people.
Brazil recently put a rocket into space, they build jets that compete with Boeing and Airbus, refine uranium and are now making moves towards joining the G8 - which dispels the common idea that it is a 'Third World' nation.
Access to the American market from the bulge of Brazil is thin as Trinidad in the Caribbean lies a mere 1200 miles north of the facility. And the Caribbean lies on the doorstep of Miami, Florida - the heart of the global boating industry.
Brazil's boating industry is in its infancy - with little over a 1000 pleasure boats built per year. And, in Brazil, there is only one boat for 1,600 people, compared to one boat for 20 in the US or 1:7 in New Zealand.
However, a mature supply chain with a surprising amount of cost-effective products and services such as hardwoods, fiberglass, resins and composites, metal products and fabrication (aluminum and stainless are subsidized by the Brazilian government), as well as marine grade wiring, marine lighting, and a slew of other products are readily available.
For more information please visit www.avanteyachts.com .
Warm Regards
Richard Kastelein
Avante Yachts - Brazil
https://www.avanteyachts.com
mailto:[email protected] |
I don’t know about the rest of you but I pour over countless plans for my next boat but lately I have been looking at the price of lumber more than the merits of the design. In boat building that is a sin. Now can we have a chance to look at designs and go back to the 1960’s for the price of lumber. That should be a huge difference in price. I am so sure that this is going to work I have a gentlemen sending me plans to build a trailerable saw mill. It will be long enough to cut the longest logs to beams and lumber. Now I am disabled and I am going to build the model saw mill that can cut the lumber and beams in a day and then transport it back to where each co-op can dry and store the lumber. I would not go through all of this trouble if I did not think that this could provide the best tool for a co-op model. I am also willing to front all the money to build this mill and do a full review on how well the system works.
