CLIVE EMDON LUXURY BOATS on export to the US brought in R960 million in 2006. Veda Raubenheimer, MD of the SA Boatbuilders’ Business Council, confirmed last week that the industry turnover was of the order of R1.2 billon. 80% of this total was exports to the United States. Bruce Tedder, chairman of the Cape Town Boatbuilding Initiative (CTBi), says one Western Cape boatbuilding company, Matrix, has sold a 76ft (23m) luxury sailing catamaran for R20 million (US$3.5m) and is currently building two more. The industry currently builds 200 luxury vessels a year for the US, mostly power and sailing catamarans. He says 80% of the trade is from boat builders in the Western Cape.
