GILFLITE History

Welcome to GILFLITE® – 50 yrs

GILFLITE® BOATS established 1968. by David Gill and Kevin Gill with the design, development and manufacture of many race winning and record breaking speed boats. In 1967 David Gill developed the first truly stable rear drive runabout, this boat won every major race on the Australian calendar. In 1968 it was the first displacement boat in Australia to break 100 mph in un-supercharged form. During this time David Gill went into partnership with his brother Kevin Gill setting up a factory and establishing their boat building business in Vinter Avenue Croydon Victoria. After producing some of the country’s fastest ever racing boats they established themselves in the ski boat industry where by 1971 they were designing, manufacturing and marketing  inboard ski boats Australia wide, known as Gilflite Boats. Eventually Kevin retired from the business and David continued to innovate and evolve the countries best known ski boats.  In 1989  Gilflite released the first well designed Australian out-board ski boat – the hull specifically designed for an out-board is the benchmark in outboard ski boats with inboard like performance and with an A.W.S.A. approval the outboard sits nicely next to Gilflites inboard award winning A.W.S.A. tournament tow boats. After achieving market leadership within the boating industry along with other innovative fibreglass products GILFLITE moved into the automotive industry with the design and development of the Toolsafe service body. Today GILFLITE remains an Australian owned and operated company designing developing and manufacturing quality products from the new Bayswater premises.

GILFLITE® INNOVATION From timber racing boats to world-class performance ski boats designed and manufactured by the Gill brothers in Australia. GILFLITE® built their reputation on well designed, innovative and quality built products. Back in the day of invention and not just innovation many new products came out of the GILFLITE® factory including the ‘Soft Clutch’ – This clutching system was the first of it’s kind in the world, (in-fact: GILFLITE® coined the term ‘Soft Clutch’). At the same time Gilflite developed a technique and tooling to produce multi-compound curves in perspex windscreens. In 1985 Gilflite designed, developed and patented the swing out stainless steel ski training boom called the Pulse Ski Training bar.  By the mid 80’s David Gill had designed and developed a totally new tournament type runabout built to very fine tolerances and using a minimum of pre-assembled parts. This boat won the Australian boat of the year award (trail-erable, fibreglass, under 8 mtr). This hull (shape) became the benchmark for its type, influencing international design. The team also designed and developed a six metre runabout using a tooling system that allows multi-variations to be produced.  This was followed by the design registration of an easy loading boat trailer incorporating modern styling and production techniques. Development continued of all major underwater hardware and windscreens, including an exclusive multi-position driving seat and many more products that previously were not available on the Australian market such as the 3 piece Telescopic Sky Pole, another innovation by GILFLITE. If you would like more information check out the gallery below  for full range of boating and other fibreglass product history. Including the patterns, tooling and manufacture of fire truck components and assemblies for the Country Fire Authority of Vic.

TOOLSAFE® by GILFLITE® As GILFLITE expanded in the business of boating from timber to fibreglass hulls they identified many opportunities in the fibreglass industry. With their reputation for quality and the ability to design original & unique products Gilflite branched off into various other industries and now produce the GILFLITE TOOLSAFE service body originally designed to service the Tradesman the Toolsafe has been adapted to suit many other businesses, industries and personal uses.

GILFLITE® & TOOLSAFE® are registered Trademarks under the Australian Intellectual Property Laws.

Gallery: GILFLITE ® celebrating 50 years of design and manufacturing excellence