Fastmount has been recently acquired by Auckland-based Nautical Group Holdings (NGH) and Kelly will be succeeded by newly appointed general manager Keith Pratt. Kelly founded Fastmount in 2004 to realise a solution for hidden panel mounting on superyacht interiors. Now in 2022, the business has 38 global distributors and plans to further expand into adjacent markets under NGH ownership.

“It has been an incredible journey to lead Fastmount to where it is today. It has been nothing but fun to grow the business alongside our distributors and customers over the past 18 years. I’ve been working closely with Keith for the last 6 months to hand over the keys, and I’m confident that he and the NGH team have what it takes to bring Fastmount to the next level,” comments Kelly.

Pratt brings industry experience with him, having held previous roles in superyacht interior design and retail design. “I’ve been a longtime fan of Fastmount – since working at Alloy Yachts when we embraced the first Fastmount clip developed by Gregg. I have championed the product ever since and am proud to be a part of the team taking Fastmount into the future,” says Pratt. 

An underappreciated part of the superyacht construction process, the ability to mount, and crucially remove, interior panels can have significant impacts on the smooth operations of a vessel.  Fastmount is an innovative Kiwi company. The latest development from Fastmount is the Stratlock Rail System. Comprising an aluminium extrusion profile and three cast aluminium connectors, the Stratlock Rail System has been designed to be a flexible process for framing walls and installing interior panels. 

For any crew or guests that have ever had the experience of a falling deckhead panel at sea, or had to break down an interior to access an air conditioning unit, the benefit of a strong, efficient and flexible mounting system is paramount. As superyacht interiors increase in size, in step with the gross tonnage of the fleet, mounting these increasingly intricate interiors, around more and more onboard tech, will require matching levels of innovation. Fastmount will hopefully continue to rise to the challenge. 

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