Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Key classes of
Yachts in India
Type
Requirement of Sail cloth
per Yacht in square metre
Laser Centre boat 7.06
Laser Radial Centre boat 5.76
470 Centre boat 9.45
YAI estimates the total fleet of sporting yachts in the country to be around 800. The laser type
of boats are the most common types of yachts in this fleet and are estimated to be 140 in
number.
The performance of Indian teams in the international sailing events has shown continuous
improvement which is likely to result in the increased popularity of the sport.
There are no domestic manufacturers of these sporting yachts. The yachts are imported for
sporting purposes and are exempted from the high import duties, but, imports involve a long
lead time which is a discouraging factor.
• Non motorized Fishing boats
These sail boats are used by small fishermen who can not afford the motorized fishing boats.
These boats are propelled by sails made of natural fibres. The canvas sails are being
substituted by hand plastic sheeting or sacking.
Market size and future forecast
The requirement for synthetic sail cloth is very small although it has tremendous potential in lieu of
the long coastline and the rising popularity of the sport. The sporting yachts are the key driver for this
industry. The sail cloth is required for the new yachts as well as for the replacement demand of worn-
out sails.
There are no yacht manufacturers in India and hence they have to be imported even though the import
tariffs are very high. This gap in the value chain of sail cloths is the most important obstacle in the
development of the Indian market.
The current fleet size in India is very low and hence, the replacement demand is abysmally low. YAI
has tried to source the product locally but the small market size is a huge impediment. The demand of
synthetic sail fabrics is entirely met through imports.
The market for sporting yachts is expected to increase at a greater pace as compared to growth over
the last 5 years. YAI has plans of sourcing around 200 sporting yachts in the next couple of years. The
Indian navy has also floated a tender for sail boats in 2008-09. The fleet size of various sporting
yachts is expected to double by 2012-13 to 1500. It is assumed that the fleet increase will be spread