Invincible Boats makes its mark on Australia

Invincible said it was not surprised it has been selling boats in Australia, despite the lack of boat shows, sea trials and travel imposed during the heights of the coronavirus pandemic, and the maker of both monohull and catamaran fishing platforms, is not surprised, having specifically targeted the country back in 2019.

“Australia is very cat-oriented anyway; whether it be sailing cats or large power cats, or even commercial, it’s very cat-oriented,” Invincible international business vice-president Ian Birdsall told boatsales.com.au.

According to Birdsall, Invincible has written six new boat orders in Australia in the last 90 days, with the Invincible 33 catamaran proving popular.

“A lot of customers want twins (twin outboard-engined boats); they’re a little nervous about quads – fuel prices, servicing costs and what have you, and most of the larger cats are not great – even if you can configure with twins, you probably wouldn’t want to,” Birdsall said.

“The 33 was designed from the ground up to be twins.

“Invincible has sort of filled a niche there because a lot of the tinnies stop at 26 or 27 feet. The 33 bridges a gap between the larger cats we’ve been seeing an interest in from Australia, and the smaller domestic stuff,” Birdsall said.

And on the subject of larger cats, Invincible introduced the new 46 Pilothouse, designed for extreme conditions and as a more affordable, manageable sportsfisher, at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS).

“There is a fully enclosed cockpit with AC, heaters, generators, dropdown windows should you need that,” Invincible chief executive John Dorton said.

“People like the ability like with a monohull; to step down into the hull and actually have a stand-up head, and we were able to build that into this boat as well. 

“Other people maybe like to fish overnight, so here is a full berth where they can sleep; have a comfortable little kitchenette in there, and have a very comfortable day like you might in a big sportsfish, but the Sportsfish are so much more expensive, harder to operate and so much slower,” Dorn said.

Invincible believes the new boat will extend the boating/fishing season in many markets worldwide, as well as create more opportunities for owners to fish. 

“Often it’s the speed issue because maybe your fishing waters are 60 to 100 miles out; with our boat, you’re out there and back in maybe a couple of hours, not all day, and that can make a big difference on whether people can go fishing or not,” Dorn said.

That speed comes from the 46-foot long, 12-foot beam Morrelli & Melvin hull, rated for quad 450s, but available with 300s or 400s, and starting in the neighbourhood of $US1.5 million ($A2.3 million), a fraction of the cost of a comparable sportsfisher.

“The boat is designed to get up on plane quickly and run with minimal resistance, so your efficiency versus other options for fishing can be easily upwards of 30 per cent more efficient,” Dorn said.

He said the efficiency extended beyond the hull. “You don’t need a full crew to run it; you’re able to get out with just a captain and a mate and having a really stable fishing platform in rough seas because of the beam,” he said.

Birdsall credits part of Invincible’s early success to the Australian boaters, who he said came armed with a lot of knowledge.

“We have to be able to show the customer that what you see is not what you get, you get much more than what you see," he said.

"Showing the customer that ours is such a superior build quality than what they might be used to, so it immediately seals the deal.”

Birdsall said that when Invincible shipped a boat, it was not an “American-speced” boat being shipped overseas, but a boat specified for the destination market, with proper electrical and other conversions, as well as service after the sale.

“When it gets here is it fully warranted," he said. "Does Mercury warrant the engines, for example, which in most cases it would not.

"but in our case, they do, because we have an exclusive agreement with Mercury to do that. We are supplying a product that has the full package,” he said.

“We have a really good partnership with [Sydney-based Australian distributor] Boat Monster. The team there are on it: they understand the sport, the people; great service, back-up and support.”

Invincible currently has two boats plying Australian waters, a 35 and 37, in Melbourne and Sydney. The first was sold sight-unseen in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.