Mutual Trust

Australia is a difficult market for electric trolling motor manufacturers.

Australian fishermen invest heavily in their equipment and are fiercely loyal to brands they trust. Established manufacturers protect their position through technology, marketing and reputation.

Many manufacturers have entered Australia with competitive products but failed to establish lasting credibility.

Once a brand becomes associated with inferior quality or poor service, that reputation is extremely difficult to escape.

"Nobody wants to buy a second-tier motor. In Australia, you're either first tier or you're third tier."

We are not interested in building another inexpensive alternative.

We intend to establish MakoShark as a first-tier brand through silent operation, reliability, exceptional engineering and local service.

Australia has more than 950,000 registered recreational boats. 85% are under six metres. ^{BIA · 2026}

We've demonstrated that MakoShark's 12V 65 lb motor can perform the same practical job as our existing 24V motor on a five-metre boat.

At our normal operating speeds, both consumed approximately 663 watts and achieved virtually identical boat speeds.

This opens a substantial potential market traditionally served by more complex electrical installations.

The relevant market includes suitable existing 24V installations, 12V owners seeking additional capability and boat owners who have avoided the complexity of a 24V system.

Australia's fishing industry looks north.

The northern barramundi fishing community influences equipment choices nationally. Southern anglers invest heavily in boats, electronics and fishing equipment, while many aspire to travel north to target large barramundi.

Major manufacturers and retailers recognise this influence and actively build relationships with northern anglers through fishing trips, equipment, events and personal engagement.

We are part of that community.

We don't need to purchase access or manufacture credibility. We already have it.

And we're prepared to put our own reputation behind MakoShark.

North Queensland is one of Australia's most demanding environments for marine equipment.

Peter services approximately 1,000 electric motors annually, including more than 250 Minn Kota steering box replacements.

He understands how competing products fail because he repairs those failures himself.

Together, we've disassembled MakoShark's motor, examined its engineering and identified improvements to eliminate preventable warranty failures.

We've also discovered exceptional engineering, particularly the remarkably quiet steering gearbox.

The motor already performs the job. Our R&D is about making sure it continues doing that job reliably.

Our dealers won't simply sell MakoShark motors.

They'll diagnose problems, replace individual components and repair customers' motors locally.

Serviceable components must be modular and independently removable within two minutes.

We'll also introduce a trade-in programme targeting existing installations, particularly motors older than three years.

Dealers will accept suitable motors as trade-ins, rebuild them using compatible MakoShark parts and resell them second-hand.

The additional earnings from refurbished motor sales belong to the dealer.

This gives dealers an incentive to actively pursue replacement customers and creates continuing demand for MakoShark components.

We also propose adapting MakoShark's silent steering gearbox to replace failed assemblies in competing motors.

Peter already replaces more than 250 Minn Kota steering boxes annually. If compatibility is achieved, this represents an immediate aftermarket opportunity through his workshop alone.

Our network becomes more than a sales channel. It becomes a national network for sales, repairs, replacement parts, refurbishment and customer confidence.

We bring Australian market knowledge, northern fishing community credibility, engineering experience and distribution.

MakoShark brings manufacturing capability, exceptional components and the ability to supply reliable replacement parts.

Together, we can build a brand whose reputation is earned through the quality of its products and the service behind them.

But there is one condition.

We will not introduce a motor with known, preventable failures into the Australian market.

Our engineering corrections must become part of production before launch.

We are prepared to stand behind MakoShark, provided MakoShark stands behind the quality of what it manufactures.