8 October 2012
New look KJet soon to appear on the water
The KJet team at Queenstown’s Frankton Marina has been busy delivering a “sharp” new look to its fleet of eight Jet
boats.
The company’s experienced in-house engineers have been working on the project for the past few months, fitting out all
boats with new upholstery designed to deliver a more comfortable ride for passengers, and re-painting and re-branding
them all with KJet’s thrilling new look.
“We’re proud to do all the work ourselves and the last couple of boats should be on the water in the next month or so,
in plenty of time for the lead up to the Christmas holidays,” said KJet Director Shaun Kelly.
“The whole fleet is looking sharp and will really stand out on the lake, rivers and in Queenstown Bay.”
Mr Kelly said the revamp of boats, vehicles and signage was the final “piece of the puzzle” in a massive re-branding
exercise over the past six months that has seen the introduction of a new look logo as well as updates to imagery,
website and brochures.
“We’ve had this brand for 12 years, and we’ve been in business for more than 50 years in total, so our branding and
signage has spread far and wide,” said Mr Kelly.
“It’s been quite an undertaking to find everything that needs updating, even down to our 300 lifejackets which all need
to represent the new look and style. You’d be amazed where old logos keep popping up.
“We’ve methodically gone through every aspect of the operation to refresh it. This runs into quite a cost but it’s
something we see as very valuable in keeping the experience fresh for our customers.”
Originally established in 1960, KJet is the world’s first commercial Jet boat operation and recently changed its name
from Kawarau Jet to KJet as part of the re-brand. These days the company boasts the largest capacity in New Zealand,
able to carry 140 passengers at any one time.
Mr Kelly said the revamp was based on listening to customer feedback and giving the customer what they wanted. As well
as the company’s most loved trips offering the thrill of Jet boating both the Shotover and Kawarau Rivers, the company
also offers niche products to targeted markets, and innovative trips such as airport transfers.
“We’ve always placed an importance on tailoring products to suit the market. We work hard to be flexible and innovative
and as always we’re developing plans for some new products on the horizon,” said Mr Kelly.
KJet has recently welcomed the new Jet Boat Licencing requirements introduced by Maritime New Zealand that sees
compulsory licencing for commercial Jet boat drivers.
“This is great to see. We’ve been working with Maritime New Zealand for the last decade on getting a licencing programme
in place for Jet boat drivers, even though of course we have our own stringent in-house systems, so it’s really good to
see it happening.
“We have ninety per cent of our drivers licensed with Maritime now. We have 12 months to get the licences in place, so
it won’t be long before they’re all in place.”
ENDS