Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Volume 29
Number 5
March 2003

Offshore Log: Kiwi Spars, Hatches, and Pumps

From the most traditional polished metal galley pumps to the latest carbon fiber tech, New Zealand has a good grip on the marine gear marketplace. Nick Nicholson continues his series.

The sheer scale of the Leisure Furl boom on the 130-ft sloop Alithia suggests how daunting the task of reefing a big mainsail used to be.

With New Zealand's yacht construction industry booming, it's inevitable that associated industries such as sparmaking should enjoy parallel growth. New Zealand has long been a leader in composite construction of one-off boats for both racing and cruising. That same expertise, coupled with the advantage of a relatively low labor rate, has spilled over into the sparmaking sector in a big way.

Carbon Spars from New Zealand: Marten Spars and Southern SparsTwo of the New Zealand companies benefiting from this growth are Marten Spars and Southern Spars, cross-town rivals with global markets. The key to growth for both companies is the increasing demand for carbon fiber rigs for increasingly larger sailboats.…

Subscriber Login
Purchase selection, or begin your FREE 14-day trial subscription to practical-sailor.com.
Click Here to download Adobe Acrobat

Say Yes to 14 Days FREE of Practical Sailor

Subscribe NOW and get instant access and all the benefits of Practical Sailor online FREE for 14 days!

Email:

First Name:

Last Name:

Address 1:

Address 2:

City:

State Zip: