Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo 2023 M600 LEADERBOARD

ILCA shakeup delivers a new focus on quality to the class

by Greg Ross 18 Jun 2021 02:09 PDT
Elements 6 Evolution (E6E) © Greg Ross

Only two of the three former Laser builders ILCA builders remain.

Of the five new builders, in the opinion of many, Elements 6 Evolution (E6E) near Bangkok, Thailand, stands out for high-end manufacturing experience.

Set up in 2016, the three E6E principals are Pom Green, John Higham and Pramote Indranoi, had already worked together at Composite Marine International (CMI) before deciding to set up a new purpose-built facility for One design performance craft.

E6E certainly brings a lot of experience to ILCA dinghy manufacturing. As Pom Green says, 'It is a matter of applying the collective skill set in all areas of setup, design production and control to do the best job possible which is always our aim.'

Pom Green - yes, Green Marine was the family business. He studied yacht design at Southampton, a boat builder with extensive experience in composites, a big boat sailor, and a former Youth world champion and 470 Olympic campaigner.

John Higham and Pom, while working on yachts projects in Italy, researched locations for cost-effective manufacture, they ended up in Thailand in 2005, in a joint venture, CMI, between themselves, other well-known industry professionals and Cobra.

Pom explains, 'In Thailand, CMI set up to build medium-sized boats like the Rogers IRC46/ Class 40s, after GFC in 2008 we introduced smaller one designs and dinghies. We were building significant volumes amongst them many RS models, but we did not have the time to introduce the upgrades in technology we really wanted.

'We sold our interests in 2013 to establish a much more advanced technology marine composite entity E6E in 2016. We consider ourselves as a high-end composite product and parts builder rather than just a boat builder. Clients who come in here see it is very different to a typical small boatyard. It is automated and clean. Quality control is front and centre, and repeatability is crucial.

'Our technology span is big, we build the Olympic Nacra 17, the Nacra 15 and 20, Goodall designs, foils for Nacra, Hobie, Starboard and others, as well as aerospace and automobile products employing a variety of processes, prepreg, RTM, Infusion, pressure moulding and automated lay ups and now we have added the ILCA dinghy."

'The polyester open mould process used in the ILCA build is a blast from the past when we have been so focused on close mould, infusion, automation and pre-preg cleanliness, but we have no choice under the strict ILCA build rules. We are, however, as automated as we can be under the build rules and have applied the same build standard and QC processes to the ILCA that we do with all our other boats so, we are turning out a consistent and well-finished product'.

Now to John Higham production engineer and big boat sailor. He sailed the 85/86 Whitbread 85/86 on Phillips Innovator. He raced, and project managed boat builds in Europe for more than 25 years and now with Pom races on Kevin Whitcraft's Thai based TP52.

'We at E6, are a high-performance composite OEM manufacturer with a highly skilled and loyal workforce. Twenty per cent of our staff are engineers. We deal in complexity; our typical composite performance catamaran has about 240 machine-cut parts, between fabric and core, with sixteen separate resin shots.

'For Olympic and top O.D. boats, you must go the extra mile. There is a lot of detailing, and you need to combine automation with a lot of exceptionally good hand labour, and that we have. Also, Quality control of all parts pre-assembly is paramount to ensure essential repetitive high standards.

'When it gets to ILCA, we cannot change the manufacturing processes. They are mandated, but we are exceptionally good at a consistent quality. Every bit of core, every fabric piece is the same dimension and weight.

In the set-up we also focused on the shopfloor environment for the workforce, keeping the processes separate, clean and ventilated by installing treatment and extraction systems in each area including extractors for the ILCA laminating that is being built right now. The waste is all treated including the styrene before emission. We always aim to minimise wastage and reduce single-use plastics in the production and the packaging.

Pramote Indranoi, originally an aerospace engineer, focuses on running the technology for E6E, including all the CNC production, including moulds and fabric.

He added, 'Thailand has a large composites production industry, and we have excellent resin availability locally. Ambient temperature outside of our ten temp/ humidity controlled booths is a consistent 28-32 C deg. all year round so, this makes our ILCA open mould manufacturing output very consistent. The moulds and tooling we make are of the highest quality, and our precision CNC cutting machines production provide high-level accuracy. All fabric pieces come off the machines, labelled with overlap lines drawn, which allows us to deliver precision, repeatability and quality".

The E6E team specialises in high-performance componentry, so it is very precision focused so the resulting ILCA dinghy quality will undoubtedly be a winning formula.

E6E have appointed some key ILCA distributors already, and the first boats have already left for the USA, Australia and Europe as manufacturing enters full swing and welcome conversations with distributors around the world.' Contact , FB; Element6Evolution.

Related Articles

Bulwarks and Bulldust – watch Episode One
Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running Episode One - Wes Moxey, CEO of Riviera Motor Yachts - is now up and running Posted on 8 May
Newport International Boat Show gives back
Premier northeast boat show announces support for local nonprofits The Newport International Boat Show, presented by BankNewport announced today it will be giving back to the local community. Posted on 8 May
TowBoatUS Pittsburgh ready to assist boaters
New owners for TowBoatUS Lake Anna, VA The 24/7 on-water towing and assistance service for recreational boaters with ties to nationwide fleet of more than 600 towboats has come to Pittsburgh's Three Rivers. Posted on 8 May
MasterCraft reports fiscal 2025 Q3 results
Net sales for the third quarter were $76.0 million, down $8.0 million, or 9.5% MasterCraft Boat Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCFT) today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 third quarter ended March 30, 2025. Posted on 8 May
Demand slows as market watches economic indicators
NMMA's Monthly Recreational Boating Industry Data Summary report New data from NMMA's Monthly Recreational Boating Industry Data Summary report paints a complex picture—defined by ongoing retail softness, cautious optimism, and a watchful eye on economic indicators that continue to shape consumer behavior. Posted on 8 May
VMAR files electric marine powertrain patent
For advanced software-based overload protection The patent introduces smart software within the Company's E-Motion™ HV Electric Marine Powertrain that continuously monitors electrical conditions of the cooling-pump motor. Posted on 7 May
American Sportfishing Association urges action
A summary of news relevant to marine businesses across North America ASA President Glenn Hughes sent a letter to Trump Administration expressing support for its efforts to address global trade imbalances and strengthen U.S. competitiveness, while urging swift action to provide greater certainty and relief for ASA members. Posted on 7 May
Bulwarks and Bulldust – new Vodcast Show launches
Join us as we pan for the gold dust, whilst sifting out the bulldust. Bulwarks and Bulldust looks at the serious subjects from inside the world of boating, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. The show covers off everything from Off The Beach to Superyachts, Powerboats to Ocean Racing, and the marine industry itself Posted on 6 May
Sea.AI adds radar perception to machine vision
Collaboration will dramatically enhance object detection, identification, and decision-making Sea.AI is making significant strides toward next-generation situational awareness by integrating award-winning radar perception software, Tocaro Blue's ProteusCore™, into its AI-driven navigation platform. Posted on 6 May
Revolution Marine Group opens new offices
Supporting a growing international clientele with offices in Fort Lauderdale and Vienna Revolution Marine Group (RMG), a dynamic yacht consultancy and brokerage, is redefining luxury yachting by seamlessly blending deep technical expertise with comprehensive client services. Posted on 6 May
Selden 2020 - FOOTERRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERAllen Dynamic 40 Footer