Page 65 - Tropic Magazine Issue 19

TROPIC • MANUFACTURING

The team at Ocean Blue

Buoyant ride

MANUFACTURING HUB
The local boat builders who are also making waves as first-
class metal artisans.
Words Renee Cluff

Vince and LeaAnne Cassaniti began passion for decorative metal work,
crafting custom made aluminium leading to a spin-off business creating
boats in Cairns in 2003, when they architectural art.
opened their Ocean Blue Boats “We were seduced by the weight,
workshop. But the passion began feel and versatility of water-jet metal
much earlier, when a young Vinnie cutting,” Vince said. “So, we decided
would spend his days exploring in his to start our own metalworks shop for
father’s tinnie. “We’d start pestering artistic, functional architectural objects.”
Dad about going up a notch, getting a Their portfolio of work includes
better boat,” he said. “‘Learn to fix this everything from screens to gates,
one first’ he’d say. ‘Do it up right and garden sculptures, letter boxes and
then you’ll know what you really want signage. It’s a body of work now
when you’ve got some money together.’ complementing the boat building
I guess you can say that’s why I build business. “It shows the versatility,
boats now.” accuracy and flexibility of what we can
Ocean Blue has quickly earned a do,” Vince said. “But because there’s
reputation for quality and customer so much you can do, sometimes it’s
service and the business has grown overwhelming for our customers
from a two-person operation to a team and our ability to talk them through
of nine master craftspeople located at the process is something we’re
a bigger premises in Lyon Street. “We complimented about all the time.
tend to build really good relationships We’ve been doing it for awhile now, so
with all our customers so we have we know how to turn that idea in your
repeat customers,” LeaAnne said. “The head into something real.”
clients are always in visiting, they The water-jet technology Ocean Blue
regularly come in and check out their uses can cut almost anything, including
boat, make modifications throughout thick titanium and stainless steel as
the process and they seem to be able to well as other materials such as glass,
enjoy that. We like that custom kind of marble, rubber, plastic and wood.
work, the out-of-box stuff.”
The couple’s love for boats and boat- MORE: oceanblueboats.com.au
making has since morphed into a

65 • tropicnow.com.au