Evolution Marine Manufacturing

18/09/2026

08/09/2026

We in a new tooling cycle 😉

15/06/2026

Very proud to be a part of this amazing project.

Introducing: VMG (Velocity Made Good), a new shipyard focused on high-performance luxury trimarans, has launched with the goal of bringing advanced multihull technology into serial production. With its headquarters in New York, and backed by an international team of sailors, designers and industry s...

26/02/2026

26/02/2026

Welcome to the Team, Nevarra Engelbrecht
I’ve worked with Nevarra previously, across different programmes and different levels of pressure. What has always stood out is her ability to bring structure and calm into environments that can easily become reactive.
She understands manufacturing. Not just schedules and milestones, but how production actually flows, where the pressure builds, and how upstream decisions affect downstream quality.
Nevarra also brings extensive QC experience from high-volume marine manufacturing. She’s been close to the detail, resolving issues, closing loops, and understanding how repeatability and discipline protect both the build and the brand. To us that’s very important!
She joins Evolution Marine Manufacturing in a Project Coordination & Schedule Control role, initially, strengthening the backbone of how we execute. As we grow, visibility, alignment, and process discipline become even more critical, and she brings exactly that.
There’s something meaningful about experienced, values-aligned people choosing to build together again.
Nevarra, I'm so glad you’re here, and welcome!

29/01/2026

Welcome to the Team, Thabit

In late 2007, when I joined Robertson and Caine, I distinctly remember meeting Thabit Jassiem, at the time a Team Leader in Final Assembly in a very demanding manufacturing environment.
What stood out then, and still does today, was his calm, organised approach under pressure. His skill set, curiosity, eye for detail, and the respect he’s earned from his peers speak volumes about the craftsman and leader he is.
So, when the call came from him, it was an easy decision.
What’s been happening naturally is that an old “family” of passionate, talented people is coming back together, to build something special, the right way. The responsibility is real: we’re building people’s dreams, and we do that in a focused, calm, and methodical way, for our team and our clients.
Building an honest boat starts with your people. And it’s only with individuals like you, Thabit, that we can truly deliver on that.
We’re grateful to have you on board, and I’m personally glad you chose Evolution Marine Manufacturing as your next step.

Welcome.

28/01/2026

Composite materials: where marketing narratives and engineering reality often diverge

Scroll LinkedIn or YouTube long enough and you’ll find no shortage of confident opinions on “the right” way to build a composite boat. Too often, these narratives are shaped for reassurance and marketing clarity, rather than grounded in engineering logic, performance data, or life-cycle reality.

In practice, composite materials are not beliefs. They are tools. In industries where failure is not an option, aerospace, Formula One, high-performance marine, and modern superyachts, mixed-material systems are standard practice. Not because they are fashionable, but because they deliver the best performance per kilogram and per euro when engineered, integrated, and controlled correctly.

The same logic applies in boatbuilding.

Glass, carbon, resins, and cores all have a legitimate place. Carbon is neither a silver bullet nor a problem material. Used well, it allows weight to be removed where it matters most, stiffness and fatigue to be controlled, and structural efficiency to improve. Those choices have practical consequences that are often overlooked. Lighter boats sail more easily, sail for longer, and rely less on engines. In real terms, that means better performance, more time sailing, and lower fuel burn over the life of the vessel.

Claims frequently made around comfort or acoustics are also often misunderstood. Carbon structures, like any composite structure, can be noisier when poorly engineered. Noise, damping, fatigue, and long-term behaviour are outcomes of laminate design, core selection, detailing, isolation, and ex*****on, not of material choice alone.

At Evolution Marine Manufacturing, we do not start with material ideology. We start with the system.
Load cases and duty cycles
Stiffness, deflection, and fatigue control
Weight and centre-of-gravity targets
Acoustic behaviour and damping strategies
Interfaces, serviceability, and lifecycle risk

Only then do materials enter the conversation.

Uniform material systems can be the right answer in some cases. Hybrid systems can be the right answer in others. What matters is not simplicity for reassurance or performance for marketing, but clear intent, disciplined engineering, and repeatable ex*****on.

The composite market has matured. Owners are better informed than ever. The real differentiator today is not what materials are used, but why they are used, where they are used, and how confidently they are delivered.

That is how we approach composite boatbuilding at EMM. Calmly, factually, and without emotion.

12/01/2026

THE FIVE-DAY WEEK IS A HABIT. NOT A LAW OF PHYSICS.

In early 2024 we moved Evolution Marine Manufacturing (EMM) onto a four-day week. Not as a gimmick. Not to be “modern”.

Because I’ve spent my life in production environments and I know what the five-day grind does if you’re not careful: it wears people down… and then everyone wonders why quality, safety and morale start slipping.

We decided to try something different. People first.

And the improvements didn’t come overnight — they’ve been steady and progressive, which is what makes it real.

Over the last 12 months we’re sitting at roughly:
3.0% average absent hours
1.5% overtime
and zero major injuries
I’ve been around this industry a long time. Those numbers are not normal in a busy yard.

And there’s another reality we don’t talk about enough.
Cape Town has a drug and alcohol problem. Most cities do. But in production environments, and especially boatbuilding, it can be an absolute Achilles heel. Ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear. It just makes it someone else’s emergency later.

So, we introduced random weekly drug and alcohol testing. Not to play cops. Not to “catch” people. To see what’s really going on…. and to protect the team.

What I’m proud of most is that we’ve been able to support one or two of our guys through rehabilitation and bring them back into the team.
When one of them came back after time off, the shopfloor gave him a deafening round of applause. Proper applause. A few tears I saw in that moment and I won’t lie, I had goosebumps and a tear or two as well.

That’s culture.

Honesty. Accountability. Backing your people, and expecting the same in return.

This matters even more now, as our order book is growing.
As demand increases, our margin for error shrinks. Accuracy, a full complement of staff, and a safe working environment aren’t “nice-to-haves”, they’re going to be critical to our success.
We’re not here to defend the status quo, We’re here to build something better.

Heading into 2026, people are back at the top of my list, because 2025 proved what’s possible when you mean it.

Better today than we were yesterday.

08/12/2025

South Africa is facing one of the biggest skills gaps of our time and it also happens to be one of our biggest opportunities.
I started my own career at 19, with limited formal education but a strong technical curiosity. That journey led me across the world, from composite projects in China, to Antarctica, to GT40 race cars, and even aerospace-grade applications where precision and material science are everything.
After 30 years in advanced composites, I can confidently say this:
Young people don’t need a university degree to build a world-class technical career. They need access, mentorship, and a meaningful starting point.
And right now, the world desperately needs them.
The global shortage of composite technicians has been identified as a critical skills gap, affecting marine, aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, and defence industries. Major manufacturers simply cannot keep up with demand.
This is why Evolution Marine Manufacturing (EMM) is launching a Junior Composite Apprenticeship Program for technically minded 18–25-year-olds.
No matric required (though strong maths literacy helps), just aptitude, discipline, and curiosity.
Selected apprentices will gain hands-on experience in:
· Composite layup & resin infusion
· CNC machining & digital tooling
· Prepreg & aerospace-grade processing
· Structural assembly & advanced QA
· Real-world production of high-performance multihulls
As EMM builds a new advanced composite facility, developing the next generation of South African technicians isn’t just important, it’s essential.
This is more than training, it’s about creating careers, continuity, and a future where South Africans can take the lead in global marine manufacturing.
If you know a young person who is good with their hands, technically curious, or unsure of their next step, this could be their moment.