For boat owners heading north for the season, The Boat Works at Coomera on Queensland’s Gold Coast is pulling out all stops to accommodate vessels of every size for repairs, maintenance and major refits either on the way up to the Whitsundays, or the return trip south.
Following the devastating impact of Cyclone Debbie in late March, The Boat Works experienced an influx of damaged boats from the Whitsundays and, as the storm surge swept south over the week of deluge and strong winds, still more vessels from the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and northern NSW.
Shane Subichin, General Manager at The Boat Works is the only Certified Service Manager (CSM) in Australia. According to Shane, as a result of the 10 days of wind and torrential rain, The Boat Works received 15 large vessels, from 60 to 110-feet.
“Many arrived with substantial damage to hulls and some with entire sections such as hardtops and duckboards ripped off,” he said. “Because a lot of them are charter vessels, their owners need them to be back to work as soon as possible. We operated around the clock, working with owners, skippers and tenants to get the work done.”
Tenants cover power and sail, mono and multihull. They are experts in upholstery and stainless steel, shipwrights, mechanical and electrical engineers, sandblasting, surveyors, watermakers and desalination equipment, chandlery, safety gear, electronics and refrigeration, signage and graphics, project managers and boat brokers.
Foundation tenants, Nautilus Marine Services has 20 years’ experience in the marine industry and can provide complete vessel management, project management, along with 
engineering and mechanical with fabrication facilities onsite for custom work.
Ocean Degree Total Yacht Services offers superyacht-standard services from anti-fouling to complete refit work, with a team of professional shipwrights and technical trades with the skills and vision to carry out all facets of interior and exterior refits.
The Stella Marine Group is onsite, specialising in structural and hull repair to survey and class, aluminium, steel and stainless-steel fabrication, and stabilizer installation and servicing, AC, plumbing systems, gyros, stabilizers, repowers and bowthruster repair and service.
Owners and Captains can deal direct with businesses for any job, from anti-fouling to complete refits, or assign a Project Manager to handle the entire project.
“In addition, the surrounding Coomera precinct is unique in its proximity to manufacturers, suppliers and contractors, meaning further cost-savings for clients and quicker turn-around times,” said Shane.
Word of mouth referral from satisfied customers and Surveyors is one of the main means of promotion of The Boat Works’ cost-effective, professional five-star service.
An 82-foot Sunseeker charter boat from Hamilton Island was the most recent superyacht to arrive for insurance repairs including a full respray after being damaged by debris, and subsequently extended its stay to undertake an internal refit.
“The owners saw the value in taking the opportunity to upgrade the interiors ahead of a busy charter season. Compared to their home base of Mackay, The Boat Works has more than 40 marine businesses on site and is a very cost-effective alternative to other yards.”
The Boat Works has all-weather, climate controlled working environment to ensure boats are protected and work runs to schedule, rain, hail or shine.
Equipment includes the 100 Tonne marine Travel Lift that carries boats up to 110-feet with a beam of 26-feet, a 70 Tonne travel lift and a 45 Tonne hydraulic submersible Sealift which is ideal for the wide-beam catamarans that ply the waters between Melbourne and Sydney on their way to the sunny cruising grounds of north Queensland.
Adding to its complement of 35+ Refit screened sheds are four Prestige Supersheds up to 15-metres in height and can accommodate boats up to 36.5-metres (110-feet), which means no holdups booking space and if work runs overtime, no pressure to relocate.
There is also a new undercover hardstand area, offering true all-weather work environments and a dedicated hardstand storage facility for vessels up to 110-feet. New showrooms on the street-front are the headquarters of Print Image, The Multihull Group and the Australian Marine Wholesale Superstore and Marine Trade Supplies & Chandlery has recently doubled in size, providing all kinds of boating hardware and supplies, from the smallest item to pallets of product for retail customers, trades and manufacturers.
We look forward to the continued expansion which is due for completion with the coming months of yet another Hardstand precinct including additional covered Hardstand allocation along with a stunning showroom which will be the Bayliner Headquarters here in QLD.
The team at The Boat Works is known for going that “extra mile” in every aspect, such as BMW hybrid vehicles being available for provisioning and transport while on the Gold Coast, barbeque facilities, laundries, ensuites and The Galley Restaurant and Café.
