Following the downturn of aviation manufacturing in the late 1950s, the Australian subsidiary of de Havilland looked to produce products utilizing the skills and knowledge available to the company.
It found a ready market in the production of a range of small aluminium boats made using techniques similar to those employed in the aircraft industry.
de Havilland Marine's designers were initially headed by Frank Bailey, the Vampire Production Engineering Manager, starting in 1959.
[2] By the end of the small boat production in the 1970s over 55,000 had been produced de Havilland Marine (Large Craft) (registered company number F11799) was located on the waters edge at 5-7 Burroway Road, Homebush Bay.
Following the end of the war, the Australian company diversified into an aircraft sales agency and engineering and marine craft manufacturing.
The brand name Topper was also adopted in 1960, intended initially to demonstrate that these lightweight and strong boats were suitable for transporting on a car top.
In 1960, de Havilland Marine also obtained a license to produce a power boat using a water jet propulsion system developed by Bill Hamilton,[5] founder of C.W.F.
The first stage in the manufacturing of aluminium boats was to cut out the hull skins and the other sheet metal parts such as the seats using templates under a radial arm router.
The company logo was similar to other members of the de Havilland group in that the letters D and H were superimposed on the wings of an aircraft, which in turn were overlaid onto the design of a ship's anchor.