Name: Kim Clifford

Position: Managing Director, Incat Marketing Pty Ltd

Age: 50

Zodiac sign: Taurus

Civil status and family: Independent with two adult children

Place of birth: Hobart, Tasmania 

Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

I am proudly Tasmanian.  Whilst I work in a predominantly male environment, I’m pretty decisive and not afraid to ensure my point is heard.  I mix well with people from all walks of life, from the shipyard to the corporate table.

What were your ambitions when you were young? Did you expect to work in your father’s business?

I started my working life as an apprentice chef, travelled the world, settled in Melbourne changing work tack, working for a large Australian company in international chartering never imagining I would return home.  But pressure mounted, family called and here I am 25 years later!  Some days wishing I had never taken the call!

You have grown up with Incat; what has it been like to witness the growth of the company?

Dinner times were never boring in our house, we were encouraged to have a business opinion from an early age.  Often our weekend activities with our father was spent at various shipyard sites.  I launched my first boat at five and to now look out my office window and see our latest 100m vessel directly outside my office still gives me a sense of enormous pride.

More than 10 years ago, Incat had a simple, yet clever advertising campaign starring yourself. It highlighted the superior performance of Incat’s wave piercing catamarans compared to that of monohull and trimaran designs. Is your father still sceptical about the trimaran design, or has he recently changed his mind?

It was such an effective advert, and for a five-minute photo shoot, resonated around the high-speed global community. The advert would be just as on-point today. You only need to look at the numbers of wave piercing catamarans built compared to that of a trimaran.

Could you explain the rationale behind the modified wave piercing bow which we have seen in Incat’s latest designs?

With the latest refinements, a radical change has been adopted, primarily to further reduce the maximum vertical accelerations. This is achieved by shifting effective bow volume forward to provide a greater lever arm to control pitch motions, and through a change in the bow geometry.

Adoption of hard chines and near-vertical sides to the bow aids in separating water run-up flows on the bow and demi-hulls and allows a larger underside flat area than was previously possible. This reduces the number of slamming incidences by increasing the effective bow clearance through a larger open area between the centre bow and the demi-hulls

Incat has a healthy order book. Do you believe COVID-19 could jeopardize your business in the short to medium term?

In the short term, we have been fortunate to have little production effect with COVID-19, the majority of our workforce adapting well to social distancing procedures. Medium to longer term issues will become apparent as we try to commission and deliver Incat Hull 094, currently scheduled for October 2020.

When the first car-carrying aluminium wave piercers came on the market in the early 1990s, people wondered about their lifespan. Thirty years on, most of these craft are still around. Is this because many craft operate either in calm waters or in the high seasons only?

Aluminium, looked after is as strong and as durable as steel.  The hulls of our 30-plus year vessels are still as good as the day they were launched.

There are rumours that Incat is working on a big project outside of its ‘comfort zone’. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, or are these just unfounded rumours?

There’s a reason we’re still in business.  Keeping ahead of the trend is always something we have done.

You were on board Incat vessels alongside US military personnel for a while. What was that experience like?

I lived aboard Incat Hull 050 in the direct aftermath of 11 September 2001, as owner’s representative.  I witnessed the vessel being pushed to its limits, from Norway to Spain, outrunning a tropical storm, into shallow waters testing its capabilities and even flying on/off the helicopter deck whilst the vessel was doing 30-plus knots.

What do you do to escape from the business?

At 5:30am most mornings you’ll find me out in a rowing scull, enjoying the waters of the River Derwent.

What is your favourite Incat-built craft?

Hull 050 holds some special memories, but all of them feel like your kids leaving home, when they sail down the river.  It’s great to visit them but you hope they don’t come home too often!

What was your childhood dream job?

Being 50 and working for your father probably wasn’t high up on the list!

What is your idea of a perfect holiday (something we can only dream of in COVID-19 days)?

The summer plan was a group of mates sailing in Montenegro, something to put back on the list for next year.

What music do you like?

Keith Urban, I always thought he married the wrong Australian!

What is your favourite dinner and drink combination?

Japanese, but with a Cosmo in hand!