Six years ago Kevin Duncan woke up and realised he’d had enough. After 20 years as a regional and technical manager of a construction related multinational firm, he wanted to spend more time with his wife and two kids. He also wanted to pursue another big love of his life – boats.
First he launched a pre-owned boat business, buying and selling upgraded pre-loved boats. Then two years later he moved up a gear to launch his own high-end boat design, build and installation business called Atomic Power Boats, a newly-established player in the recreational boatbuilding sector.
The net result is that Duncan has motored full circle, eternally moored to a deep love of boats and open water. “I grew up on boats in Struisbaai,” recalls Duncan, speaking to SABBEX at his Cape Town home. “My dad built our first little boat on the back stoep in the 70s in Stellenbosch. I think I was in a boat before they put me in a pram.”
Fast forward half-a-century or so and Duncan is riding the wave of boatbuilding success. Atomic is making its presence felt with a popular monohull range that features a distinctive ‘flatter’ hull shape – modelled partly on US varieties. Duncan bought the mould four years ago and has focussed attention on layout and deck design, with an emphasis on customer specification.
“Atomic has very specific differences compared to some of the monos of 70s and 80s, and the demand for monos seems to be coming back pretty hard,” he says, adding that the mono was in his opinion ‘a more exciting ride’. “It can turn on a dime,” he adds.
Duncan is now approaching 25 boats produced since the Company officially launched two years ago. Production is at a facility in KwaZulu-Natal and fitment in Cape Town.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing, however; Duncan acquired his moulds one month before the first Covid lockdown: “I sat with nine used boats in stock, and I had to dump everything just to find things.”
“It certainly has been a journey.”
But one well worth it.