Rob Brennan speaks to SABBEX about the rejuvenated yard
SABBEX: Tell us a bit more about the genesis of the new model. Has it always been your idea to introduce a slightly smaller model?
[Rob] Duncan and I discussed refreshing the St Francis Brand and the possibility of expanding the Factory to enable us to build more than one model at a time. We decided that a slightly smaller 46ft boat would be right for the market although we also had ideas for a fully customisable 62ft Catamaran. We ultimately decided on 46ft. After the sad loss of Duncan it took a while to recover but we are now fully focused. The factory is in full production and we are currently building four ST Francis 50’s and have signed orders for another four.
SABBEX: Could you tell us a bit more about your target market for the 46? Are you hoping to tap into the current market buoyancy and trend towards a more mobile / younger client base?
[Rob] The market is really buoyant at the moment and there is definitely more interest from the so-called ‘Millennial Generation’ who are mobile and can work from home — with all the Lockdowns and restrictions why not make that home a St Francis 46 Catamaran and be able to get away from so called hot spots?
SABBEX: Are you feeling more settled now after a couple years in the saddle? What for you were the biggest challenges?
[Rob] I am really enjoying my time here. Three years has flown by. For me it’s the best of both worlds: I am doing something I love, and am not retired — which I could not handle. One of the biggest challenges has been finding suitably qualified people to fill key roles within the organisation so that we could implement the advanced production methods, quality systems & procedures required . St Francis Bay does not have a massive available skilled labour pool so we have had to look further afield to find the required skills. This has been done now and we are already seeing the benefits.
SABBEX: We’re into wave three but if we can get the vaccine roll-out going there could be an end in sight. How has Covid impacted your staff?
[Rob] We have been lucky so far. We have been very tight on Covid controls and implemented very strict health & Safety rules within the company, for our employee transport and for all visitors. Most embarrassingly I have been the only employee who has actually had Covid and was quite ill for a while but thankfully I am fully recovered now.
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ABBEX: Regarding SF 46, can you tell us a bit about tooling / possible pre-orders etc. What are the timelines / targets?
[Rob] We are starting with tooling for the hull & deck in July and our aim is to have the first two boats available for the 2022 Annapolis Boat Show and the 2023 Miami show. We already have holding deposits and a list of potential clients who are showing interest. The aim is to initially build four ST Francis 46’s per year building up to 10 per year once the extension to the factory has been completed.
