PRO-SET laminated Maguire Exocets take all 17 top positions at 2018 Moth Worlds
by Epoxycraft 4 Jun 2018 12:00 BST
Paul Goodison winning the International Moth Worlds 2018 in Bermuda © Martina Orsini
Soon to be celebrating the creation of their 100th Exocet Moth, the team at Hampshire-based Maguire Boats are flushed with the success of recent racing results.
Maguire-built boats took all 17 of the top positions from a fleet of 45 entrants at the Moth Worlds in Bermuda earlier this year and this winning streak seems set to continue.
However, a quick tour of their modern production facility in new Milton, a few miles inshore from the UK's central south coast reveals the reasons for this success. Essentially, a combination of almost obsessive attention to detail and the use of PRO-SET® epoxy with ultra-high modulus carbon fibre are giving the Maguire boats a definite edge.
"We have had an ongoing relationship with the technical team at West System International (WSI)," explained MD Simon Maguire. "When we were establishing our infusion methods, we were able to visit their research lab and find effective processes for our particular needs. The WSI team has also shared experience and techniques from other projects and this has helped us develop production systems that give us mouldings with a very high strength-to-weight ratio. The hull components, for example, are made from a sandwich of ultra-high modulus (UHM) carbon fibre with a very thin foam core. When hand-laminated using PRO-SET LAM 125 epoxy resin with LAM 226 hardener, the result is a rugged hull section that weighs in at just 10kg."
The all-important foils are infused in solid aluminium moulds using PRO-SET infusion epoxy INF 114/210/211 with UHM carbon cloth.
Maguire Boats has continued to strive for a complete consistency of product, but from the outset has also offered each customer full support throughout their ownership of the boat. At international race events, for example, the Maguire technical team will be on hand to make repairs after the inevitable high-speed (up to 30-knot) crashes and keep the competitors racing.
A recent addition, set up in April 2018, is an online shop for a range of some 125 spares, from simple pulleys to a full foiling system. These spares are mostly made on site, and stock levels are kept healthy. The team also offers factory upgrades so owners can keep their Exocets at peak performance as the product goes through all those minor refinements based on feedback from customers and staff alike.
Despite the huge demand for new boats, currently with a 3-4 year waiting list, production remains at just 24 boats a year, built in batches of four. "If we start making more than that, there is a risk to the quality," Simon said. "We pride ourselves on the consistency of the finish and performance of each boat, which makes them so sought after. This means that a Maguire Exocet Moth can cost more to buy second-hand than new, but we'll not change our production policy. Quality is everything – and as the results show, it wins races."
More information at www.maguireboats.com. Tel: +44 (0)1425 621866