Speaking to the Otago Daily Times while celebrating three million passengers last week, Shotover Jet general manager Clark Scott said given a few years, the company would have "a whole new fleet of seven boats".
"It's an industry first, and industry-leading technology in that we have used carbon fibre for the passenger pod. Where the passengers sit is carbon fibre and all the passenger seats are individual carbon fibre seats so [it has benefits of] strength, weight, and comfort."
He said the new pod design would also make maintenance easier because the whole passenger cell could be lifted out on to a rack after undoing six bolts.
The price tag for the prototype, developed under the working name "T9", would be "heading towards $400,000". Construction of subsequent boats would cost much less.
Mr Scott said the concept was first tabled in June last year, and work was under way by September.
The first details were leaked via Shotover Jet's Facebook page in late January, along with a series of photographs that show the boat in various stages of development, all with "For our eyes only" stamps obscuring much of it.
Christchurch firm Avon Engineering is building the boat. Burnett River Architecture is involved, and Invercargill's Fibreglass Innovations is believed to be undertaking the carbon fibre work.
Although the company was keen to get the prototype running "as soon as possible", Mr Scott said it wanted to get the design absolutely perfect before its launch.
"The moment that it's perfect and we are happy that it's at 100%, we will let you media hounds know all about it," Mr Scott said.
