We are expecting the arrival of a container load of new boats in February, 2018.  Many of the boats have been pre-ordered, but we have included one Cytec clear coat single in each of the most popular sizes – 60kg, 68kg, 75kg, 85kg & 95kg .  We will also have a 65kg-80kg Cytec pair / double.

Cytec is a high modulus carbon fibre, which is both lighter and stiffer than our conventional cloth.  We have been able to obtain these at the same price point as our traditional weave.

All the new boats come with our new modular rigger, carbon fibre foot stretcher and our premium shoes.  Project B® shoes are also available.  The boats all come with padded, fitted Burnham Sunbrella® boat covers and rigger bags.

We will be handling a range of Burnham’s other products, including high quality boat trestles and oar travel bags.

We expect to delivery pre-ordered boats in Brisbane the beginning of March and we will be at Sydney International Rowing Regatta in Penrith from 19th March.  Call or email to book a demo!

Fluidesign will be at the Australian Championships from Sunday, 13th March until the end of the regatta.  We will have 60 kg, 75 kg 85 kg and 95 kg sculls to demo either at SIRC after racing or, alternatively, on the Nepean River.  Please visit the Current Inventory page to see the current stock. We have some excellent values in demo / used boats and in our Fluidfirst range.

For current Fluid owners, we will have spare parts and fasteners, including a new foot stretcher that is more friendly for special arrangements, such as BatLogic systems.

At the time of this writing, the Australian dollar hovers around $0.70 USD.  Fluidesign boats in North America are priced in US dollars. Although they are manufactured in Canada and the Canadian dollar is also weak against the USD, most of the component parts are sourced in the United States.  The United States is the largest market, by far, for the finished sculls.

In the past we have purchased and imported the full range of single scull models in the most popular sizes and at least one boat (usually a clear coat elite) in every size.  Given the current position of the Australian dollar, that will no longer be possible.  From now on all new boats will have to be special ordered and priced according to the exchange rates at the time.  We will need a minimum of 10 boats to justify a container.  Therefore, there may be a considerable lag between when the boat is ordered and its delivery. Boats commingled with other freight in containers has proved expensive and greatly increased the chance that the boats would be damaged in transit.  The freight often takes circuitous routes, is unloaded and reloaded several times before it reaches Australia.

At current exchange rates, prices in AUD inclusive of GST would be somewhere in the order of:- Blue Max: $19,150, clear-coat Elite: $16,500, painted Elite (any automotive colour with painted or clear-coat decks): $14,150, Fluidfirst (white only): $12,600.  These prices will, of course, fluctuate with the exchange rates.  There is currently a tariff of 5% on boats imported from Canada.  GST is applied to the value of the goods including the tariff and to the freight cost.  Shipping charges are priced in US dollars and average USD $7,500 for a 40 foot container.

Current inventory will remain at the old prices while supplies last.  The Fluidfirst boats in stock are an exceptional value at $2,500 below the equivalent quality domestic offerings and they are faster!  They share the same hull shape, construction, fittings and speed of their elite counterparts.  The only differences are the track foot stretcher adjustment and the paint only carbon fibre cloth.

We will be attending the major regattas in NSW, the Nationals and the Masters Nationals during the current rowing season.

Congratulations to Blaine Heseltine, from the University of Queensland Boat Club, for being selected as a reserve for the Australian U21 Rowing team.  Blaine trains and competes in a 68kg Super Lightweight clear-coat Fluidesign 1x.

Fluidesign Australia will be in Penrith at the 2015 Australian Championships all week from Saturday 21st. All are welcome to stop by and have chat. If you’d like to trial a boat during the week, I plan to launch from the Nepean Rowing Club most afternoons after racing. I’ll have boats ranging from 60kg crew weight up to 90kg available. In the current inventory I also have 2 heavyweight singles (90kg average) and a  stretch heavyweight for big guys over 100kg.

While you’re at the event try the Coffey Simulatoar , which is a dynamic sculling erg.  Better still, put your coach on the machine.

We understand that committing to the purchase of an elite racing shell can be daunting or even out of the question.  Scholarship holders might have the use of a boat that doesn’t fit properly or has a hull shape that doesn’t quite suit.  Club racers may be allocated second tier equipment or club politics restrict them to trainer-racers.  Parents may be eager to help a talented son or daughter, but wonder how quickly he or she will grow out of a particular hull size.  An athlete may simply want to have access to a quality boat for an extended time to see if it is the right shell.

Enter Fluidesign Australia’s updated lease / lease to buy programme.  We will lease a single to an athlete for $1,000 for 3 months (minimum) plus $1,000 deposit.  The deposit is refundable provided the boat, when it is returned, doesn’t require repairs in order to make it salable.  The lease rate after 3 months is $300 per month.  Here comes the best part!  All lease payments can be applied to the purchase of the boat provided the lease is still in effect.  That’s right! No interest!  The only stipulations are that the lessee must carry insurance on the boat, that all payments must be paid at the beginning of each period and the option to buy must be exercised within one year.  We also expect the boat be transported to and from regattas in its fitted cover and proper care be taken, particularly in regard to rinsing off salt water.  The boat remains the property of Fluidesign Australia until full purchase has been made.

If an athlete would like to rent a Fluidesign single to race at of one of the regattas we are attending, we would be happy to oblige.

If any of the above sounds appealing, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thank you to all those who stopped by the booth at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta.  Once again we received may positive comments on the quality and design of the boats.  It was good to see 6 Fluids racing throughout the week.  I would like to acknowledge Hugo Burgin particularly, who took delivery of his boat on Friday afternoon and began racing in it on Sunday.

I would also like to thank Tim McLaren, Nick Purnell and Nick Garratt for their feedback.  If all goes well I hope to see a couple of very fast Mosman scullers in Fluids at the upcoming trials.

Once again I would like to remind everyone that we are currently putting together a container for delivery next spring.  For a full explanation of the options visit the Canadian site.

Clubs who are looking for an all carbon, durable, single for their competitive scullers should consider the FluidFirst line of racing shells. The FluidFirst line combines the winning attributes of our Elite models; utilizing the same shape, the same design and the same fluid dynamics, but takes advantage of less costly paint only fiber materials and the inherent production efficiences gained in our manufacturing facility. Longitudinal stiffness remains the same; our bow mounted sculling configuration remains the same; our lifetime warranty remains the same. The only thing that has changed is the prices… they’re lower! We are passing our savings on to our customers.

In the meantime there are 2 lightweight boats and an 85 kg clear carbon demonstrator remaining in the Current Inventory.  At the current exchange rates, these boats are extremely competitively priced.

For anyone who saw the quality and fit of our boat covers and wondered if they are available for other brands, the answer is YES!  We can offer considerable savings on shipping if your cover is included in the container.  So, if you are tired of the the plastic and all the tape for the long trip home, please phone or email to discuss the options.  Zip Cover has the measurements for most boat brands already.  Alternatively, we can instruct you how to take the relevant measurements.

Finally, I am planning to attend 2 more regattas in the next couple of weeks before I will be heading back to North America.  Drummoyne Masters on Sunday, 6th April and Queensland Masters in Rockhampton 12th – 13th April.

As always, please feel free to contact us.  After 1st May please email rather than phone.  For those who require spare parts, we have the more common parts here in Australia that can be shipped out immediately.  Others will be sent directly from the factory in London, Ontario.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth at the NSW State Championships. We received many positive comments on the quality and design of the boats. I had the added good fortune of taking my first scull up the Nepean River gorge on Friday before the regatta stared.  A quick look at our Inventory page will reveal that the current stock is shrinking fast. While we will make every effort to keep prices competitive, the fortunes of the Australian dollar makes the current stock particularly attractive.

We are planning to fill a container for delivery sometime next spring. For those who wish to order the boat of their dreams a full explanation of the choices available are on the Canadian site. In brief the boats come in 3 flavours – clear carbon, the painted elite and the new club boat, the FluidFirst. The painted elite can be ordered in any colour. We recommend an automotive colour to make it easier to match if it needs to be repaired. Clear coat decks (canvases) are available at no extra charge. Anyone who saw Francis Snelgar’s cranberry – clear coat scull at Small Boats or the NSW Championships knows what a stunning combination that can be.

The FluidFirst is the latest offering from Fluidesign Composites. It is available in red, white or blue. It is a full carbon shell and includes the same components as the elite models. It includes tracks for foot stretcher adjustment making it an ideal club shell. It should be expected to come in 1 kg heavier than the elite models.

Finally, we have booked our space for the Sydney International Rowing Regatta 24th March 2014 to 30th March 2014. This will be the last chance to trial a Fluidesign before next season.