Whangarei Boat repairs and maintenance one year on
In March 2014 we had a substantial amount of work carried out at Riverside Drive Marina, Whangarei, New Zealand. There are three principal tests of marine contractors:
1. How satisfied are you at the time the work was carried out?
2. How satisfied are you with any follow up work or service?
3. How satisfied are you 12 months later?
Here are our ratings on a scale of 1 (Very dissatisfied) to 5 (Very satisfied) for the various contractors:
1. Riverside Drive Marina – haul out, hardstanding and pontoon - at time: 5; no follow up required; 12 months later: 5.
2. Calibre Sails – new main and new genoa – at time: 5; follow up: 5; 12 months later: 5.
3. Ray Roberts Marine – engine service and windlass service – at time: 5; follow up: 5; 12 months later: 5.
4. Palmer Canvas – new bimini, cockpit enclosure mods, dinghy cover repair – at time: 5; no follow up required; 12 months later: 5.
5. C Spar – new standing rigging, new guardwires, new spinnaker pole – at time: 5; follow up: not required; 12 months later: 5.
6. Pacific Gloss – bottom paint – at time: 4 (final touches when boat in travel hoist average); follow up not required; 12 months later: 4.
7. Brian Oliver Painters – Propspeed applied – at time: 4 (seemed a bit late in the day for painting but assured it would dry quickly_; follow up: 1; 12 months later 1 – the reasons are that after 10 months the prop was covered in large crustaceans (the worst we have experienced in 9 years with the boat), the Propspeed did not work and there has been no reply to our complaints.
Overall, Whangarei is a great place for boat work with superb skills and experience and a ‘can-do’ attitude – just don’t bother with Propspeed.