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- David Winter the founder of Red Dragon whose advice is still very much sought after.
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- The Scandinavian dory 18 built for Scandinavian cruisers.
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- Ms Liu Hongyan has an eye for details. “Quality has always been our primary concern” says Ms Liu.
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- Fiberglass tooling are made by Red Dragon fiberglass fabricators who’ve been with the company since the beginning.
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- The D5.9 succeeded the D5.8, the first Red Dragon creation with Xiamen cityscape in the background.
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- Red Dragon employees add the finishing touch to the Scandinavian Cruiser 20, a very Nicely Made in China boat.
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- Most parts of a boat are made on site. “Our carpenters are the best you can find” says Ms Liu.
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- The 20ft family power boat with a 140hp Suzuki engine by Red Dragon Yacht Building.
It’s summer, and to get away from the heat in Beijing, Nicely Made in China felt like dipping a toe in the sea. That’s how NMiC landed in Xiamen, Fujian province, to interview Ms Liu Hongyan, Red Dragon Yacht Building general manager, to discuss sails, carbon fiber rudders and the new Chinese consumers who are boosting the recreational marine economy.
Ms Liu, when was the company created?
The company was created in 2003 by Mr David Winter who had long experience in the marine industry working for Taiwanese shipyards. When he arrived in Xiamen in 2001 he was surprised to see no recreational boats at all. That’s why he decided to build a small sailing boat for the Chinese market. A few months later the D5.8 – a reference to the boat’s length – was born. He found a shipyard to build it and when that shipyard did not want to build it anymore, David decided to make it himself, creating Red Dragon Yacht Building. We are today what is called a contract builder or an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Clients from all over the world, like Scandinavian Cruisers, come to us with their design and we build the boats.
