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Someone told me the dyed mullet blew forward and the person formally known as KM thinking he was blind has reinvented himself , a bit like Prince did a few times. Only time will tell..

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Can they (whoever 'they' are) use that land for non boat use? Surely there's some land ring fenced for 'marine' use down there?

And if pier 21 is not used (in the future) as a haulout facility - then Westhaven is down to one facility (apart from floating dock).

And whats to stop Orams going?

 

And then there's none?

No point having a boat in Westhaven if you can't haul it easily.

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Was working in Westhaven when Pier 21 building was first built - for marine related activities - yeah right. Could not get tenants that fitted profile (surprise surprise) and was suddenly full of advertising companies, a de facto pub on ground floor and various bit players a few  of which were possibly marine related.

Like the new bar/nightclub moving into the new building ex J marina carparking - marine related?  

Insidious but relentless, the facility that was originally funded by boat owners buying into the concept of a boat harbour for boaties through the old Harbour Board has been turned into a cash cow with the boaties having to now play third fiddle to "Commercial Reality "and public good dodging pedestrians, cyclists and increased traffic.

 

 

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Pretty sure that once you're on your boat you don't have to dodge pedestrians or cyclists. And quite a few of us with boats in the water at westhaven go to an from by foot or bike.

But I agree - it keeps getting harder and more expensive to keep a boat suitable for cruising the gulf - and losing another local hardstand would be a real challenge.

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I've hauled out there today.

Passing ORAMS on the way - not a single "normal" yacht on the hard, and only 3 "normal" launches. They seem to only be interested in hauling superyachts now they have their 800T travel hoist.

Pier 21 was pretty quiet too, but plenty of mid sized yachts and launches with work going on.

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4 hours ago, DoT said:

I've hauled out there today.

Passing ORAMS on the way - not a single "normal" yacht on the hard, and only 3 "normal" launches. They seem to only be interested in hauling superyachts now they have their 800T travel hoist.

Pier 21 was pretty quiet too, but plenty of mid sized yachts and launches with work going on.

Pier 21 was far from quiet last week! Boats were double parked in the yard! Its been the busiest July in years so far

 

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17 hours ago, DoT said:

Passing ORAMS on the way - not a single "normal" yacht on the hard, and only 3 "normal" launches. They seem to only be interested in hauling superyachts now they have their 800T travel hoist.

Unfortunately economic reality for them, a lot more money to be made from hauling and working on superyachts than a typical 12m yacht/launch where the owner does most of the work

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The marine services industry is another NZ paradox to me. Over 20yrs of small boat (35-50ft) ownership in NZ I've experienced catastrophically bad service experience so many times that the number of providers I trust to work on my boat can be counted easily on one hand. Even if you've had a few fingers amputated. And I'm not alone judging from trusted friends' own experiences plus the marina banter about lawsuits from disgruntled owners who have run out of patience.

But at the other end of town the NZ superyacht industry allegedly enjoys a worldwide reputation for great service. I use the word "allegedly" because I have no first-hand experience of owning & servicing superyachts nor any friends with superyachts. So my perspective is mainly based on what I've read about in the NZ media (possibly questionable self-promotion?) plus the quantity of superyachts I see coming to Auckland / NZ for work each year (looks like more solid evidence).

So if we believe that both NZ small boat servicing is mainly sh!te whilst at the same time big boat servicing is world-class - how does this happen? Normally when you have a sector doing really well at the top-end then you enjoy some trickle-down of quality to mainstream. But not here, in my experience.

So when a yard decides to reduce small boat work and chase the bigger market do the fairies pay them an overnight visit and sprinkle their workforces with extra talent and diligence to set them up? Otherwise, what gives?

Tongue-in-cheek I know but you get the question....

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15 minutes ago, Fogg said:

So when a yard decides to reduce small boat work and chase the bigger market do the fairies pay them an overnight visit and sprinkle their workforces with extra talent and diligence to set them up? Otherwise, what gives?

 

I suspect its the capital fairy.  Like any business, when you are working hand to mouth the niceties go by the wayside.  If you are billing on big items and have bigger capital backing you can afford to hire, train, resource and most importantly manage well.  Like everything, there are exceptions.  But small businesses tend to stay small for a reason...

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1 hour ago, aardvarkash10 said:

I suspect its the capital fairy.  Like any business, when you are working hand to mouth the niceties go by the wayside.  If you are billing on big items and have bigger capital backing you can afford to hire, train, resource and most importantly manage well.  Like everything, there are exceptions.  But small businesses tend to stay small for a reason...

Yes. Up to a point. Many of the gripes I’ve had with shabby service would not actually cost anything to fix. These are real examples that would not cost a small business anything extra to improve but make the difference between me being happy or unhappy with the service:

1. Contractors not turning up on time with no courtesy call to explain why they’ve wasted 2hrs of my time to travel to/from my boat. But they have no problem charging me for their travel time FFS.

2. Contractors going to my boat in my absence (usually after they started a job when I was there but have to come back to finish off) and leave debris, dirt or damage eg gouges in my coamings from dragging a dirty metal toolbox onboard lazily or leaving their grubby boots on whilst working onboard or leaving debris from their work lying around (I’ve found nails, screws, wires, crimps even tools left behind).

3. Contractors do poor job. I turn up after they’ve left and see problem. Call them back (or their boss if AWOL) and boss turns up all defensive. Then they see problem, fix it in minutes but with begrudging attitude and with no sign of any service recovery ethic eg. “Sorry yes I agree that wasn’t very good was it - but I hope you’re happy that we’ve fixed it now?”

I could go on. But the point is none of these issues require technical skill or deep pockets to fix.

Yes I’ve had issues with technical incompetence by people who should have known better. But that’s a different complaint. And I’ve never had a problem with anyone who admits “Actually I don’t know the answer to this one but I’ll find out.” I understand that sometimes even experienced and competent professionals learn on the job. In fact that’s a good attitude to have. But I hate it when they pretend they know - screw it up - and then get defensive when you call them out on it.

In summary, the problems seem to be more more about pride and work ethic than technical competence. Why is this is absent in this niche area in NZ (small marine services)?

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2 hours ago, Fogg said:

Yes. Up to a point. Many of the gripes I’ve had with shabby service would not actually cost anything to fix. These are real examples that would not cost a small business anything extra to improve but make the difference between me being happy or unhappy with the service:

1. Contractors not turning up on time with no courtesy call to explain why they’ve wasted 2hrs of my time to travel to/from my boat. But they have no problem charging me for their travel time FFS.

2. Contractors going to my boat in my absence (usually after they started a job when I was there but have to come back to finish off) and leave debris, dirt or damage eg gouges in my coamings from dragging a dirty metal toolbox onboard lazily or leaving their grubby boots on whilst working onboard or leaving debris from their work lying around (I’ve found nails, screws, wires, crimps even tools left behind).

3. Contractors do poor job. I turn up after they’ve left and see problem. Call them back (or their boss if AWOL) and boss turns up all defensive. Then they see problem, fix it in minutes but with begrudging attitude and with no sign of any service recovery ethic eg. “Sorry yes I agree that wasn’t very good was it - but I hope you’re happy that we’ve fixed it now?”

I could go on. But the point is none of these issues require technical skill or deep pockets to fix.

Yes I’ve had issues with technical incompetence by people who should have known better. But that’s a different complaint. And I’ve never had a problem with anyone who admits “Actually I don’t know the answer to this one but I’ll find out.” I understand that sometimes even experienced and competent professionals learn on the job. In fact that’s a good attitude to have. But I hate it when they pretend they know - screw it up - and then get defensive when you call them out on it.

In summary, the problems seem to be more more about pride and work ethic than technical competence. Why is this is absent in this niche area in NZ (small marine services)?

unfortunately it is not just the little guys nor is it just the marine industry. It is really a case of finding some good guys and sticking with them. That being said one employee from a local boatbuilder is banned from ever setting foot on my boat again, still have the glue stains and other damage he left behind

A mate had a new engine fitted to his launch, brand "C" (so you get 2 guesses), there were some minor problems that required attention, and altho he could have repaired them himself, he insisted the supplier attend to them, the number of visits it took to resolve was ridiculous. Look at the attitude of Yanmar in relation to their sail drive issues, just do not want to know.

Then take your gripes and instead of the word "boat", insert the word "house" and think of all the issues of trades not showing up, bad workmanship, overpriced work.

Then think about cars and the issues people have getting problems addressed - the old "wow, first time we have seen that" when a quick internet search finds it is an endemic problem.

I see the same in the construction industry, crap work and people not wanting to rectify their screwups but still expecting to get paid.

It is much the same in Australia.

Mindset of many seems to me to be one of "entitlement", basically (and of course I generalise) the view is if they show up and do something they have the expectation to get paid whether work done correctly/problem fixed or not.

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4 hours ago, marinheiro said:

Then take your gripes and instead of the word "boat", insert the word "house" and think of all the issues of trades not showing up, bad workmanship, overpriced work.

That sentence reminds of my nephews plumbing problem, rang a plumber ,2 young guys turned up and walked straight through house in dirty boots, Matt asked which one of you is the tradesman.1st one was 1st yr apprentice 2nd one yr 2 apprentice. Matt rang company and said if I am paying tradesman wage I expect a tradesman to accompany apprentices. He went else where.

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6 hours ago, harrytom said:

That sentence reminds of my nephews plumbing problem, rang a plumber ,2 young guys turned up and walked straight through house in dirty boots, Matt asked which one of you is the tradesman.1st one was 1st yr apprentice 2nd one yr 2 apprentice. Matt rang company and said if I am paying tradesman wage I expect a tradesman to accompany apprentices. He went else where.

Reminds me of a very expensive generator oil change back in 1999 we were billed for on a superyacht . Ironically right next door to pier 21 , it was the generators first service so the well known Company that supplied the kit sent the apprentice down to do it .

invoice came in at $1200 bucks for oil and filter +plus a run up to check all was good . Skipper gave them an earful and I guess it worked the invoiced was reduced substantially and the company is still going and still one of the bigger crowds in the field .

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11 hours ago, marinheiro said:

Mindset of many seems to me to be one of "entitlement", basically (and of course I generalise) the view is if they show up and do something they have the expectation to get paid whether work done correctly/problem fixed or not.

must have been lawyers in another life eh...

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