Alpha, Stabicraft's first-ever US-built model, revealed
The boat that kicks off NZ-based boat maker Stabicraft’s push into the US has launchedThis is Alpha. It's Stabicraft's first new US-built model as part of the brand's push into export markets that extend well beyond the brand's local neighbours, including Australia.
Alpha hull number 001 is based on a Stabicraft 2250 Ultra Centrecab, a flagship model launched in 2020 as a tough offshore alloy plate boat with a walkaround cabin with a forward-raked windscreen.
The 6.9-metre boat is heavy, weighing in around 1800kg but giving it a ride and feel similar to a fibreglass boat.
The boat, teased on social media, wears a sticker saying "Built in USA".
According to Stabicraft, the boat will be targeted at owners keen to do everything from offshore ocean fishing to cruising lakes and rivers.
No details were provided on how the US model differs from the one made at Stabicraft's home in Invercargill, New Zealand.
Stabicraft's newly established US factory is based at Port Angeles in Washington State.
The brand has previously exported boats to North America, with its first deliveries sent to British Columbia, Canada in 1988.
However, supplying Stabicraft boats to the North American market has always been a tough ask for a company that is half a world away, with the NZ factory unable to meet demand for its alloy chamber boats in the US.
The Alpha line of boats will be a special build of the 2250 Ultra Centrecab to mark the first 100 hulls built in the US factory.
The first 100 owners will be introduced to a "Limited 100 Club", with the first boat sold to a Montana-based family chasing an offshore fishing boat.
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