No wrongs with the Tongs
Nigel and Ester Tongs were kept busy at the recent Auckland Boat Show, showing people over their impressive production sedan cruiser, the Cummins-propelled Elite AT43.
“It’s the only boat we build now,” said Nigel Tongs, director of Allan Tongs Boatbuilders, adding there was “heaps of interest” in the vessel at the show.
The 13.2-metre Elite AT43 is a collaboration between Bill Upfold, New Zealand’s prolific powerboat designer, and Allan Tongs Boatbuilders, one of the country’s longest established and most respected builders.
At his yard on Auckland’s North Shore, Allan Tongs began custom-building launches in 1983. Today, the business is headed up by Allan’s son Nigel, who served his apprenticeship with his father after he left school in 2000, and Nigel’s wife Ester.
Around five years ago, the decision was made to move from custom-build to production boat building, and Nigel and Allan started working with Bill Upfold on a possible design. The Tongs already had a business relationship with Upfold, building many custom Upfold designs in the past as well as their custom 12-metre Elite launch.
“There are several reasons we switched from custom-building to a production-style boat,” said Nigel.
“We need to be able to compete price-wise with the rise of production imports. We’re competing on a world stage in New Zealand with boats coming in from Taiwan, China, Europe, Australia and the US, so pricing needs to be competitive.“Most buyers these days also prefer a production-style vessel, where they can actually walk on board and see what they’re getting rather than going through the whole design process,” he added.
A customer’s boat named Zambuka – the second AT43 built – was displayed by the Tongs at the Auckland Boat Show.
“Our first AT43 was launched in December 2019, the sixth is now under construction and we have orders for a further five which will take us out to 2026,” said an enthusiastic Nigel. “Attention to detail is everything in our design and build.”
The Tongs have set their moulds up to accommodate either a single engine set-up for the AT43 – a 600hp Cummins QSC with a shaft drive and bow and stern thrusters for manoeuvrability – or a twin-screw set-up of twin 425 hp QSB engines. With a displacement of 11 tonnes, the AT43 has a top speed of around 27 knots with the single 8.3-litre Cummins QSC, while a top speed of 32 knots is achieved with the twin 6.7-litre QSB engines.
“We have a very good business relationship with Cummins,” said Nigel. “Cummins produce a great engine and we get fantastic support from Keith Hitchcock and the service crew at Cummins.”
The single-level, three-cabin layout of the AT43 is attracting buyers who want to take their children or grandchildren cruising or fishing, and who enjoy a large cockpit area for entertaining.
“Our buyers know what they want. Some have come from a yachting background or a much larger launch. They’ve decided they want to turn a key and they prefer one level rather than having to negotiate the climb to a flybridge,” said Nigel.
As Boating New Zealand magazine concluded in a review of the AT43: “An all-Kiwi production launch is indeed a rare bird, but we’re very pleased to report that it is far from extinct!”
