Seeking Good Tradesmen And Suppliers In Sydney

[Yttrill]

This question applies to repairs, maintenance and also gear vendors.. I'm rather tired of people that say they'll ring back and don't, or go galavanting off to the Sanctuary Cove boat show and can't even tell me the price of the unit I want to buy.

I having trouble locating: a slip that can handle my boat (30 tons, 18m x 5m), an expert metal fabricator that can make some modifications to my rudder and help me mount a hydraulic ram, a hydraulic supplier to supply the ram and motor, and an electronics supplier for various bits including a Garmin AIS600 and VHF300 and possibly some other stuff (water and fuel level sensors, a log, HF radio, a cheap monitor that works as a repeater for my Garmin 5012, and an expensive marine monitor that acts as a repeater for my laptop .. amoung other things). Also seeking a sea-anchor (contacted Para-anchor but no reply yet). I've found a chain supplier but have no idea how I'd get half a ton of chain from Silverwater onto my boat

Although I'm from Sydney, I bought the boat in Brisbane and so I know a few good people in south QLD but not here in Sydney.

Any recommendations, positive or negative?

[delatbabel]

Slip: the one here at Berry's Bay is pretty good. Contact Woodleys Marina, ask for Mark on 0432688136, tell him I sent you. There really aren't that many slips in Sydney, they are all travelifts. Berry's Bay and Treharne's (Manly) and a few smaller ones that won't take your boat are about it. Woodleys is the biggest, they can slip an oil tanker. Treharne's are good when they do the work but you will spend 6 months or longer waiting for them to quote on stuff, and longer again waiting for them to do it. This time of year you should be able to book into Woodley's without much delay.

Metal fabricators are here at Woodleys too. They may or may not be able to do it, but have a chat. Treharne's are the bomb at stainless steel, but like I said you will be waiting forever.

Hydraulics -- I ordered directly from Hynautic in Adelaide. Can't help you otherwise.

Electronics suppliers -- there are two. Aquatronics and Aquavolt (Electric Boat Parts). Google them. Aquatronics is run by a guy called Tony Cardew. I call him Tony Nextweek because if he's due to show up and you're waiting around for him, then you call him asking where he's got to, that's when he says he's going to show up. Don't tell him I said that. 99055655. Aquavolt run a shop called Electric Boat Parts, 11 Babbage Rd Roseville. The guy there is Kurt and he's fairly knowledgeable, but their limiting factor is their opening hours, 9-5 weekdays and weekends only open from 9am - 12 on Saturdays. Aquatronics will do the installations but honestly I can do a better job myself. Aquavolt are just the shop, but will order stuff in for you and make cables on the spot if you need them, and that side of their work is good.

Moving chain? Hire a removalist. Oh, you're on a pick. Well I have a van with 500kg+ capacity, my boat is on a berth here at Berry's Bay, I guess what I can do is load the chain onto my boat, head over to Blackwattle Bay, raft up alongside, and transfer it across. It will mean a fair bit of hand over hand stuff. Perhaps one weekend as I work during the week. I'll have to hit you up for fuel money, Silverwater is a bitch and not in a good way. Either that or if you come up on the slip at Woodleys the guys can load it up for you.

Disrecommendations: River Quays Marina in Mortlake. Did me an antifoul job 2 years ago, it had all flaked off within 4-6 weeks. They also cracked the hull and I was out of the water again. Noakes boat yard at the opposite end of Berry's Bay are OK but they will shaft you with costs. Most boatyards in Sydney Harbour are very expensive, Woodleys, Treharne's and a few up in Middle Harbour are the exceptions.