Corsair 50
Australian multihull builder Seawind Catamarans announced the purchase of Corsair Marine recently and Seawind Managing Director Richard Ward had this to say about the deal: “This is a marriage made in heaven. The two companies have products and manufacturing processes that strongly complement each other. For both Seawind and Corsair, it will signal new growth opportunities in both the manufacturing and sales areas.”
Corsair has been building performance trimarans for 25 years and has launched more than 1,600 boats, with successful export markets including the USA, Europe and Australia. The company’s current range includes the Dash and Sprint 750 models (24ft) as well as the C28, C31 and C37 trimarans. An awesome 50ft performance catamaran, designed by world famous Reichel Pugh design, completes the Corsair lineup.
Established in the USA in 1984, Corsair Marine was bought by Australian Corsair dealer Paul Koch in 1994 but remained at its home base in San Diego, California. Four years ago the company relocated its manufacturing plant to Vietnam from where they now export to every continent in the world.
According to Paul Koch, “This was a good move for the company, resulting in significantly reduced manufacturing costs whilst also improving overall quality due largely to a combination of skilled American and Australian management and a highly resourced and well trained local labour force.”
Mr Ward said Seawind will build on the local knowledge and expertise that Corsair has developed over the past four years to lower its own production costs by outsourcing transportable components to the Corsair facility. Seawind production will continue in Australia at the company’s new $2.5 milllion plant near Wollongong south of Sydney.
“Not only are we joining forces with a multihull production company that has been very successful in its own right,” said Mr Ward, “but we are picking up their manufacturing expertise and tapping into a network of sales agents that stretch around the globe.”
