RS Aero production taken in-house after builder enters administration
RS Marine Group is moving the production of its RS Aero in-house after the current builder, MTAG Composites, went into administration.
The RS Aero, which turns 10 this year, is an enduring British-built single-hander. RS says the dinghy has sold 3,600 boats worldwide in over 60 countries since its launch a decade ago.
After 10 years of MTAG building the RS Aero, the Lincolnshire manufacturer went into administration on 12 July 2024, and a buyer is being sought for the business.
The RS Aero will now be manufactured by the RS Marine Group’s team at the firm’s facilities in Cowes, Isle of Wight, alongside the RS21, RS400, and RS500.
RS says the move will ensure even tighter quality control, outstanding final products, a lower carbon footprint and decreased build costs, which will be passed onto the customer. New hulls will start being manufactured from Cowes in the autumn of this year, ready for delivery in early 2025.
Alex Newton Southon, co-CEO of RS Marine Group comments: “I’ve been lucky enough to spend time racing in the RS Aero fleet, be on the ground at the Olympic Trials and be a part of the team that designed the boat from the outset, it’s been humbling to watch the RS Aero go from strength to strength over the last decade.
“Manufacturing moving to Cowes is a proud moment for RS Marine Group and presents us with an opportunity to reinforce the qualities that the RS Aero build is famed for: performance, durability and modern building techniques.”
Looking into 2025, the RS Aero Class has a full winter of training ahead. In the UK, there is a busy Youth Programme comprising seven weekends of coaching and two online sessions.
The 7th RS Aero World Championship and Youth World Championship are also set for 28 July to 2 August 2025 in France on the Quiberon peninsula, hosted by Ecole Nationale VSN. The RS Aero UK National Championship will follow on later from the 28 to 31 August at the home of British dinghy sailing and hosted by Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy.
Next month, four members of the RS Marine Group team will undertake a cycling challenge in memory of their colleague, Maciej Nowaczyk, who passed away earlier this year from cancer.
From 11 to 13 September, the team will cycle from Coningsby in Lincolnshire to the Southampton International Boat Show in Hampshire, covering a distance of 200 miles over three days. The challenge will be intensified by the need to tow an RS Aero dinghy between them throughout the journey.
