Bella Boats from Finland lands in Australia

When Dan Hanoumis dipped his toe in the choppy waters of boat importation, naturally, he was cautious. But he needn't have worried, as the Compass centre console dayboats he shipped over from Greece soon proven popular. They have, in fact, now led to a business expansion.

The shortcoming that became apparent for the adventurous Hanoumis was that the Compass yard has only have two workable models for the Australian market in its range. (Read about them in the above link.)

So enter Bella from Finland and its four brands and 30-odd models! Backed by Hanoumis' new aptly-named Euronautica business, Bella has plenty to offer those wanting a European and Scandinavian-styled boat built from fibreglass, aluminium or both.

"This was a project spanning some two years. I visited a lot of manufacturers and Bella came up trumps. Their restyling of Flipper and Bella will have broad appeal for the Australian market," Hanoumis says.

FALCON BR6 AND FLIPPER
Bella Boats launched the Falcon brand at this year's Helsinki boat show. Comprising four bowrider models, Falcon uses an interesting foam-sandwiched 5083 plate-alloy hull and a glass top to give boaters the best of both worlds.

The Bella factory is just finishing the first Falcon BR6 for Australia now.

"We will do extensive testing and conduct further refinements for the local market as needed," Hanoumis adds.

In what is said to be another bold move, one of the first Flipper boats to arrive is a 600 Sport Top. The Sport Top is a break from tradition - with a long full-length cabin emanating from well aft in the cockpit. It's certainly of Scandinavian design.

The style of the BR6 is completely unique and new to our market, but the boat offers a lot of functionality and something altogether new for a six-metre hull, Hanoumis enthuses.

BOATS ON DISPLAY
Meantime, Hanoumis says Bella is committed to the Australian market and open to fitting options for local buyers. Although new here, it is said to be one of the largest boat manufacturers in Europe and part owned by the Brunswick Group.

Locally, Euronautica has partnered with Chapman Marine Group to retail the brands in NSW, with negotiations commenced with dealers in other states.

The Flipper 600SC and 600SC are on display at Chapman Marine Group, Rozelle, Sydney Harbour. Something different and new.

FOUR BIG BRANDS
The Bella Boats' (Bella-Veneet Oy) product portfolio consists of four different brands offering wide range of boats to suit different needs. These brands will be rolled out locally in due course…

FLIPPER: A modern, quality brand that enjoy enormous respect worldwide. The Flipper range from 6m to 8.5m delivers high quality, sporty performance and functionality.

BELLA: The Bella boats from 5m to 7m push the design envelope, with unique cabin cruisers, bowriders and centre consoles.

FALCON: Measuring 5m to 7m, the Falcon line-up includes four bowrider models each built from foam-sandwiched 5083 on a plate-alloy hull. Their fibreglass cabins add comfort, style and an upmarket feel.

AQUADOR: Unique Scandinavian designs from 7.0m-10.5m, offering fresh thinking from Finnish boat-building, and high-quality materials.

More at Euronautica.