SABBEX sadly announces the passing of Errol Plowes, the owner of Gecat Marine in St Francis Bay. Gecat produced a well-known range of power catamarans in the 21ft-42ft range. The boats are renowned for excellent design, impeccable construction and sea-keeping, and are found everywhere from recreational fishing to off-port limit supplies, charter and whale-watching.

Beryl Plowes this week paid tribute to her partner of over 50 years: “He was a remarkable man — always pleasant and was loved by all,” she told SABBEX. “His clients all became friends, so he will be so missed.”

She said Errol started Gecat Marine in 2000 ‘from a small back yard in our village of St Francis Bay’.  “Gecat Marine built a lot of boats for the diamond industry at that time, and went on to build smaller and better boats for the recreational fishing market.”

SABBEX acting executive head Vanessa Davidson said Errol and Gecat had been consistent supporters and members of SABBEX for many years. “I first met Errol when I worked for the Cape Town Boatbuilding Initiative as a Skills Development Manager. I believe the highest altitude Gecat vessel is on the Khatse Dam in Lesotho.”

“Errol was a legend in the boat building industry and his contribution to the development of twin-hull ski boats in South Africa is enormous. SABBEX extends their sincere condolences to his family and friends on their loss,” Davidson said.

An article that appeared in Ski Boat magazine in September 2014 described how Errol grew up fishing with his father on their ski boat in KZN. His boatbuilding career started with a homemade project, a nine metre catamaran which was spotted by a local fisherman: “As (Plowes) was lifting the hull from the mould, a Durban ski-boat fisherman, Greg Holwill, made him an offer for his boat which he instantly declined,” the article says. “However true to the saying that everything has its price, he simply couldn’t resist the final offer and reluctantly parted with his very first boat.”

“Constructed of GRP with super strong corrugated dual panel GRP bulk-heads foamed in between, a first for South African boat builders, she was fitted with twin 115hp 2 stroke Yamaha outboard motors. The very week she arrived in Durban from the Eastern Cape, Errol received another two orders for similar craft which cemented the formation of Gecat in St Francis Bay.”

RIP Errol Plowes.

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