Official Notice of Class Name Change & Brand Repositioning
Date:  October 2025

Official Notice of Class Name Change & Brand Repositioning

To the Australian Nacra Class Community and All Nacra Owners

For more than 40 years, Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd have supported and guided the Australian Nacra Class through all the changes, different models and owners of the overseas counterparts.

We have always ensured that:

🔵 Our sailors were supported

🔵 Our class rules were upheld

🔵 Our boats remained strong, competitive, and with high resale value

This history and heritage are something we are deeply proud of, and it underpins our responsibility to the sailors who continue to sail these boats.

Earlier this year, we were formally notified by the overseas trademark owners that our long-standing use of the Nacra name in Australia could no longer continue — a name we have built, supported, and carried for over four decades.

🔵 This came despite 17 years of direct collaboration, where we helped grow their brand, sell their boats, and support their customers across Australia

🔵 It disregards our 40+ years of manufacturing Nacras locally, developing new models, investing in tooling, and building a national fleet from the ground up

🔵 It ignores the fact that we’ve been the face of Nacra in Australia — attending regattas, supplying parts, servicing boats, and supporting sailors long before their trademark even existed

This decision was not mutual. It was imposed — without consultation, without recognition of our history, and without regard for the impact on our sailors, clubs, and community.

We know that for many sailors, the name Nacra carries decades of memories — of races won, friendships forged, and boats built with pride. It’s not just a brand; it’s part of our shared history. Being told we can no longer use that name — despite having built the class from the ground up — has been deeply disappointing. But rather than dwell on what’s been taken, we’re choosing to focus on what remains: the boats, the rules, the community, and the spirit that made this class great. That will never be lost.

While this is not our choice, it is our responsibility to respond in a way that protects our sailors, our boats, and the future of the class. That is why we have spent this year working through the necessary legal and administrative steps — including trademark searches and approvals — to secure a new name for our boats and safeguard the future of our community.

After more than four decades of building and supporting the Nacra Class in Australia, we are proud to announce the next chapter: 🎉

🎉 Our Australian-designed and manufactured Nacra Class catamarans will now be known as

NCA CATAMARANS

This change preserves our heritage, keeps our rules intact, and allows us to move forward together and protect the long-term viability of the locally developed classes.

This is Why the Change

🔵 Disputed trademark restrictions in Australia
🔵 Termination of agreements that ended our ability to support Overseas Nacras under our class rules
🔵 Imposed limits on trade and development of our Australian classes
🔵 Ongoing non-recognition of the Australian Class Rules by European authorities
🔵 The need to protect and secure our locally built classes long-term

Since 1978, Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd have owned and controlled the Australian Nacra Class Rules, written specifically for our locally designed and manufactured boats.

A.3 Authorities
A.3.1 The Australian Authority of the class rules is NA (Marine Importing and Manufacturing).

What’s Changing

🔵 The name of the Association, Class Rules, and Constitution will need to be rewritten through the appropriate channels to reflect the new brand identity in a timely manner for the class to move forward
🔵 Changes apply exclusively to catamarans designed and manufactured in Australia since 1978
🔵 The new brand name and logo trademarks are approved from 22 September 2025 and will be implemented immediately thereafter
🔵 All official documentation, branding, and event materials will be updated accordingly

What’s Not Changing

⛵ The boats themselves — apart from the name — will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future
🔧 We will continue to support Overseas-designed Nacra models with our extensive stock of parts and service, as we have since 2001
✅ All warranties and service commitments remain intact
⚓ The Class Insignia, logo will remain unchanged

Class Rules

Since 1978, the Australian Nacra Class Rules have governed a true one-design class, written specifically for our locally built boats.

In 2001, we began importing European-designed Nacras and over time introduced more than 11 models into the country. Each of these were welcomed into our class rules, allowing them to compete as part of the broader Nacra family. We backed this inclusion with full parts supply and service, ensuring they were supported and integrated into the community.

Unfortunately, recent restrictions now prevent us from continuing this arrangement under our class rules — which, under A.3.1, remain under our control. These rules were always written for Australia, and the 2001 adjustments that allowed the European boats into the Australian class rules are now effectively revoked.

Despite this, our commitment remains strong. We will continue to support all Nacra catamarans with extensive parts availability, decades of technical knowledge, and dedicated service.

Built in Australia, Backed by Service

🔵 Maintain a robust inventory
🔵 Reduce costs
🔵 Eliminate overseas supply delays

💡 With our hands not tied but free, we are able to:
🔵 Offer more products to sailors at very competitive rates
🔵 Expand innovation and development of new designs without external restrictions
🔵 Strengthen partnerships with clubs, sailors, and associations across Australia
🔵 Ensure Australian sailors have access to the best equipment, service, and value possible
🔵 Manufacture most components compatible with Overseas designed boats imported into Australia

Backed by decades of technical expertise and deep product knowledge, we can offer parts at significantly more competitive prices, without compromising on quality.

The History of Nacra

The history of Nacra is long and Rich.

🔵 Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd (MIM), trading as Nacra Australia has been the longest-standing party in this history

🔵 Nacra catamarans have been continuously built in Australia since 1978 — by us for over 40 years, over this period we have lived through all the changes and owners of the overseas counterparts. With this we have always shared openly our designs and knowledge to strengthen the global Nacra family.

🔵 Over the decades, we have maintained and built the Australian Nacra Class into something strong, unique, and highly respected.

🔵 Our commitment has always been to the sailors, their experience, and the integrity of the class rules we control

🔵 We have proudly led the Australian Nacra Class, ensuring continuity, excellence, and innovation which has shaped generations of sailors and strengthened the Nacra community across the country

Nationals

🔵 The 2025 -45th Nationals at Airlie Beach in October. All Nacra boats — regardless of origin — are warmly invited to participate.

After the Airlie Beach Nationals:
🔵 Australian-built boats will compete under the new NCA Catamarans name
🔵 Overseas built Nacras will continue to be welcome, but only as associate members

Australian-built boats, including those that still carry original Nacra branding, will compete under the new NCA Catamarans name as full members.

👉 We warmly invite all Overseas-made Nacras to continue participating in future class events under the NCA banner. Their contribution to our sailing culture is valued and their presence will always be welcome on the start line.

Looking Ahead

Since 1985, we’ve proudly led the development of Nacra in Australia — shaping not just the boats, but the community around them.

We’ve engineered nine distinct catamaran models; each designed for sailors and conditions in Australia — from 11-foot entry-level boats to 36-foot performance cruisers.

Beyond the boats, we’ve:
🔵 Organised countless national and state titles
🔵 Supported sailing clubs across the country
🔵 Nurtured the next generation of sailors
🔵 Attended 40 Nationals and 40 State Titles in a row

Unlike overseas suppliers, we are right here beside you — at regattas, in workshops, and on the beach. We don’t just build boats; we sail them with you, we fix them with you, and we celebrate wins with you.

After a very long and challenging year of restrictions, this repositioning is not about letting go of our past — it’s about securing our future. Our focus is firmly on moving forward together.

Moving Forward Together

For over four decades, we have invested our time, resources, and passion to build and support this class in Australia. The changes before us were not of our choosing — but they do not change who we are or what we stand for.

By supporting the locally built boats, we ensure that we remain in control of our own class here in Australia, free from overseas restrictions. Only in this way can we provide stability, protect the legacy of the class, and safeguard the interests of our sailors into the future.

We know change is not easy, especially after decades under the Nacra name. But the reality is that circumstances outside our control have forced this step.

Without your support, the class risks fragmentation and loss of continuity. With it, we remain one strong class, united under NCA Catamarans.

What we can control is how we respond — and the best way forward is together.

With your support, we can protect the legacy we’ve built, keep our class strong, and ensure that every sailor continues to enjoy the same racing, camaraderie, and service they always have.

The only change is the name. From this day forward, our legacy continues as NCA Catamarans — proud of our history, proud of our achievements, and proud to lead the Australian class forward.

Thank You

We thank our loyal customers, partners, and sailing families for your continued support. The wind is shifting — and we’re ready to sail into the next chapter with you.

Yours in sailing,
Roscoe, Cheryl and Warren Guinea
Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd
16 Blivest St, Oxley, Brisbane QLD 4075
07 3375 4911
roscoe@briscatamaran.com.au
www.ncacatamarans.com.au

 

 

📌 Trademark Context & Legal Position

Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd have used the Nacra name in Australia since 1985 — well before the overseas entity entered the market in 2007 and registered their trademark in 2016. Our business name and domain have been registered since 2001, and our commercial use of the name has been continuous, public, and acknowledged throughout our 17-year working relationship.

The class rules — written specifically for our locally designed and manufactured boats (Pertaining to Australia)— have been owned and controlled by Marine Importing and Manufacturing Pty Ltd since their inception in 1978. These rules remain entirely under our authority and are not subject to external ownership or control.

While we reserve all rights to assert prior use and challenge the scope or enforceability of the overseas trademark, we are choosing to reposition under a new name to ensure clarity, continuity, and long-term stability for our sailors and our community.

This change does not create a new class — it preserves the one we built. The name may be evolving, but the class, the rules, and the legacy remain firmly in our hands.