Posted on 18 February 2009 by Valencia Sailing
[Source: Newstalk ZB] An Auckland boat building company, renowned for building world class racing yachts, is laying off its entire workforce.
Cookson Boats has no future work booked and when their current projects are finished, there will be nothing left for the 62 staff members to do.
The company has been around for more than 30 years, with some of the most notable work building boats for Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup.
Publisher and Editor of Pacific Motor Yacht magazine, Barry Thompson, says the whole boating industry is suffering from a lack of orders. He says when people stop buying boats, they stop buying engines, electronics, fabrics and so on, having an impact on the entire industry.
Mr Thompson is aware of many people who have the money to spend on a boat but are too scared to do so in the current economic climate.
Other notable projects from the Cookson shed include Sayonara, built for Larry Ellison, which won four consecutive world maxi championships,
Steve Fossett’s Cheyenne (formerly Playstation) which set the round the world record in 2004, Larry Ellison’s Sayonara, Roy Disney’s maxZ86 Pyewacket and supermaxi Maximus.
Posted on 18 February 2009 by Valencia Sailing
[Source: Newstalk ZB] An Auckland boat building company, renowned for building world class racing yachts, is laying off its entire workforce.
Cookson Boats has no future work booked and when their current projects are finished, there will be nothing left for the 62 staff members to do.
The company has been around for more than 30 years, with some of the most notable work building boats for Team New Zealand in the America’s Cup.
Publisher and Editor of Pacific Motor Yacht magazine, Barry Thompson, says the whole boating industry is suffering from a lack of orders. He says when people stop buying boats, they stop buying engines, electronics, fabrics and so on, having an impact on the entire industry.
Mr Thompson is aware of many people who have the money to spend on a boat but are too scared to do so in the current economic climate.
Other notable projects from the Cookson shed include Sayonara, built for Larry Ellison, which won four consecutive world maxi championships,
Steve Fossett’s Cheyenne (formerly Playstation) which set the round the world record in 2004, Larry Ellison’s Sayonara, Roy Disney’s maxZ86 Pyewacket and supermaxi Maximus.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:42 am
I think Larry should commission a new yacht to be built there. Afterall, he’s responsible for the biggest economic crisis to hit the grand prix sailing racing industry.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Anon,
I am sure Mr. Ellison would be flattered to think he alone could send the world into recession. Your comment is without true sympathy or perspective.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Not much chance of Larry building a boat at Cooksons as he is setting up a huge boat building operation just north of Auckland, NZ
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
From the initial comment, it appears that the pro-Alinghi are just like the Republicans, unable to recognize the contributions to the mess of their standard bearer.
March 9th, 2009 at 3:58 am
Oracle’s lawsuit with Alinghi, was a contributing factor in the potential fall of Cooksons Boats, but the lawsuit while not beneficial to the race boat industry, it is the best thing for the future of Americas Cup sailing.