Edencraft expands in-house composites services

Edencraft International (Geelong, Victoria, Australia) a manufacturer of fiberglass offshore fishing boats ranging from 6-7.77 meters, announces its move into manufacturing composite plugs for boatbuilders, pool companies and more, further aided by its partnership with ATL Composites (Molendinar, Queensland, Australia).

Edencraft International was founded 35 years ago, originally specializing in racing power boats and offshore fishing vessels, with a strong following for its 233 Formula hull. Now an authorized Mercury and Mercruiser dealership and boating retail store with the ability to service all major boat brands and outboards, Edencraft is linked to Edencraft Marine, which operates as service center for the wider Geelong community, and Edencraft Creative, which has been established to manufacture plugs and molds for boatbuilders and various other industries in-house.

In 2016, Eden International was bought by current general manager Josie Maher-Eastman’s parents, whom switched the company’s focus on timber to composites with investment in a state-of-the-art CMS Poseidon, a high-speed five-axis CNC milling machine. 

Now, at 28 years old, Josie has a pivotal role in the group, overseeing the operations of all three businesses. “The business managers of finance and production report to me, and we recently appointed a business development manager to assist with our marketing and sales, which takes some of the pressure off.”

In 8 years, the businesses have grown from two people to 45 employees. Along with investment in the latest equipment, materials and design, key to Edencraft’s expansion is marketing the brand values of a company with a contemporary image and outlook, and genuine customer support. At the 2024 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in May, Edencraft International launched its largest boat model to date, the 255 Formula, which Maher-Eastman says enjoyed “an incredible response.”

“At 7.77 meters, that model is our new flagship, and it has been successful in bringing new people to the brand as well; people seeking a boat with more luxuries that you wouldn’t usually find in a high-performing offshore fishing boat,” she says. Moreover, the move to composites was crucial. “Because we’re not from the marine industry, we were dumbfounded that people still use timber when [there are] products out there don’t rot and require less maintenance. We brought fresh eyes and a new approach. We offer a 10-year structural hull warranty, so using a high-density composite board or solid fiberglass made more sense.”

Expanding into B2B manufacturing with Edencraft Creative, initially to supply its boatbuilding business, Maher-Eastman contacted ATL Composites to explore the company’s products in the Technirez and Duratec ranges.

“For the plugs, we sampled products from three different Australian suppliers,” she explains. “ATL’s product machined to the nicest finish, and they were able to make a custom blue color for us. It looks great in photos and suits our branding.”

Technirez R2576 is a high-performance tooling paste with optimized machining properties. The epoxy shell is CNC machined to produce a durable tooling surface which will hold vacuum and stand up to numerous pulls. R2576 exhibits low exotherm and shrinkage when applied at thicknesses up to 40 millimeters and is machinable after one day.

Duratec 707-061 EZ sanding primer is also used in the plug preparation at Eden Creative. The primer is an easy-to-sand product that can be sprayed to a high build to eliminate defects and then sanded and polished to a smooth, porosity-free surface.

Since November 2023, Edencraft Creative has secured high-profile clients in the pool industry, working with Summertime Pools, and Australia’s largest boatbuilder, Riviera Motor Yachts. “We are ambitious,” Maher-Eastman acknowledges. “We aim to be number one in large-format composite plug making. As boatbuilders ourselves, we are experts, and the perfect partners for manufacturers in diverse industries. Our next step is export. The Australian dollar makes us cost-competitive with markets like the U.S.”

Looking ahead, Edencraft has an array of innovations on the horizon, including center console models. In terms of Edencraft Creative, Maher-Eastman says they are looking forward to undertaking “more plug work for different industries, pools, boats for us and others, caravans and motor homes, trains and trucks, rockets, infrastructure and architecture, and eventually, government and defense contracts. There’s a world of opportunity out there.”