Service Horizon Shores

{07) 5546 1359 www.marineteamaustralia.com.au

admin@marineteamaus.com.au Horizon Shores Marina - Shed G7, SERVICES ■ Complete Antifoul ■ Fibreglass & Gelcoat Repairs ■ Bow & Stern Thruster Installs ■ Custom Refit & repairs ■ Full Detailing ■ Insurance Work ■ All Shipwright Work ■ Marine Plumbing, Engineering and Spray Painting ■ Chandlery Our Dedicated Marine Team will look after You!

We Serviced Our Boat AT HORIZON SHORES

By Tanya Rabe

Ihad heard that Horizon Shores was a good place to go to get your boat repaired: short-term berthing options, fairly priced marine mechanics, and beautiful areas to explore nearby. After four hours of sailing, we knew we were getting close. There were several moored boats scattered around, mangroves with buoys bobbing around them, masts from ships at dock, and sheds that I knew our boat would eventually see. After checking in at the office and getting to our berth, we decided to go for a walk. We stumbled upon Horizon Shores Boat Sales and popped in to get an estimate on the worth of our boat, and to get some recommendations for repairs we could make and what vendors to use.

Luke, who owns and manages Horizon Shores Boat Sales, was a really friendly guy who was genuinely excited about working with us and helping estimate our repairs. The three of us walked down to the boat. After about an hour of chatting and looking over the inside and outside, we walked back to his office and discussed his opinions and recommendations. He said the boat was in pretty good condition, but needed a few things to make it more reliable, comfortable, and profitable. Luke pointed out, for starters, that we needed to replace our engine mounts. He noticed a couple were rusted; if the mounts continued to weaken, then our engine could run out of alignment, which is very dangerous. Next, he suggested that we get the boat out of the water and get it sandblasted, epoxied and antifouled at Morgan Vine Marine. Our boat has a polyester gel coat and while our boat was ok right now, in the long run we would save our boat from environmental degradation if we epoxy it.

Next was the issue with the toilet. When we had the boat up on the hard at Victoria Point, we took the holding tank out and found a few rust spots, which were really weak. We could stick a screwdriver through with a small amount of pressure. We needed a new tank put in. Luke said that Marine Team was the place to go. There were a couple of other things we wanted to get done, and by then we knew that Luke would know where to go and who to ask. First, we needed a new navigation system. While ours was ok, it

MORGAN - REPAIRS

LUKE - BOAT SALES

LET US HELP YOU FIND THE RIGHT BOAT

MISS JANINE IS A STUNNER! ADVENTURE CRUISING FUN CRUISER GREAT WEEKENDER

EDDY - ELECTRICAL

was a bit dated and weathered. Luckily, right next to Luke’s business was Marine and RV Technology, which could help us find exactly what we were looking for. In Marine and RV Electronics, you will find Eddy, who also runs Marinetronics in Hope Island and has more than 20 years of experience in the business. In the store, there were various products from companies such as Raymarine, Victron, Fusion, and Garmin. He told us how important it is to stay in touch with the ever evolving technological world. His confidence and knowledge was reassuring and I knew he was the person to ask about navigation and sound systems. Going through what we want from our devices and how much we want to spend, Eddy helped us work out what was best for us. We left happy and knew we would be back. Our next stop was Morgan Vine Marine. Morgan specialises in fiberglass, boat repair, antifouling and more. We told him we wanted to get the boat out of the water, sandblasted, epoxied, and antifouled. He jotted some things down and asked us if we planned to get any other work done to it. We told him our plans and he said our best bet was to contact the riggers, and line up all the work for the same time. He was super helpful with quotes and made us realize that we needed to have our repairs all lined up before we got the boat out of the water. It would save us time and money. We knew, walking out, we would be back to set the plan in motion. Our last stop was Marine Team, where we met Dave and Jane. They helped us figure out the plumbing and holding tank situation. They also offered fibreglass repairs, detailing, antifoul, and much more. Dave told us if we wanted to we could help them with the repairs so we could learn to do it ourselves. We thought that was awesome! He also gave us a few tips on where to throw our crab pots. We reached the end of Luke’s list and were really excited about our repairs. Everyone we spoke to at Horizon Shores was super helpful and made us feel welcomed. I was happy to be there. The sun was setting over Moreton Bay and it was definitely time to open a bottle of wine and sit on the boat. We would put the plans in motion the next day, but for that afternoon, it was time to relax.

MARINE TEAM - REFITS

80 Cabbage Tree Point Rd. Steiglitz, QLD 4207

Conveniently located between Brisbane & Gold Coast

The SARCA anchor has great aesthetics and will enhance the bow. Used on all Bar Crusher boats.

Rex with the SARCA Excel

ANCHORED RIGHT

QUALITY AUSSIE PRODUCTS

Anchor Right and Bar Crusher Boats have enjoyed a mutually beneficial business relationship for over 20 years. Ever since Rex Francis, founder of Anchor Right, and Peter Cleland, co-founder of Bar Crusher Boats, met at a boat show over two decades ago. Peter was at the show not only to promote his boats but also to find a high quality, strong, highly effective anchor to suit the boats his company was building. Rex reminisces, “Peter was motivated to check out other anchors at that boat show because he hadn’t found anything satisfactory at that stage to hold for Westernport Bay where they were filming to advertise their boats.” Of course, Rex was at the show to promote his business and he offered Peter a couple of his anchors to try out. Peter points out that his company did its due diligence, trying a variety of other sizes and types of anchors, before deciding on Anchor Right. He was so impressed with their performance that his company placed an order – and have stuck with Anchor Right ever since. Thus began a business relationship and personal friendship that lasts until this day. “Every boat that leaves the Bar Crusher factory has a SARCA anchor mounted on its nose,” says Peter. Peter has actually dived to the seabed to observe closely how the anchors set and has been impressed that they work as intended and advertised. Apart from the strong build and highly effective operation of Rex’s SARCA anchors, Peter likes the way that the anchors fit snugly to the bowsprit – not flopping around like some anchors on the market – and there was no danger of them coming loose when the boat was being trailered down a highway.

Recently, Rex and Peter met to reminisce about getting their businesses off the ground – or perhaps, more appropriately, on the water - and their common interests of boating and fishing.

As they chatted, the topic of anchoring in Western Port Bay, Victoria, arose. Peter recalls that, in the early days of Bar Crusher Boats, they wanted to take promotional photos in the bay and needed the boats to be securely anchored in a variety of locations. But the anchors being used at the time were not fit for purpose. The seabed in the bay with its areas of reef, gravel or weed meant that, at the time, no single anchor would work under all conditions.

Rex was reminded of when he would take his family fishing at Corner Inlet, north of Wilsons Promontory, which needs three older style anchors for the different conditions – a plough, reef and a sand anchor – depending on where you decide to stop and drop a line.

He also recalls, with some horror, when he was using a wire anchor off Rabbit Island in Bass Strait – he was advised to use a wire anchor because a different type “might get stuck and you’ll never get it back”. Rex says, “The wind got up and the waves got up, and the anchor failed.” The boat, with family on board, was heading for the rocks and Rex was lucky to pull them out in time.

Afterwards he thought, “What’s more important – retrieving an anchor, or preserving your lives?”

Those types of experiences inspired Rex to design and build a better anchor. He says that, although no product is going to work in all conditions, Anchor Right goes a long way further towards achieving that goal than other anchors on the market.

Rex says that the average boatie is often unaware or unsure of how best to deploy, set, and eventually retrieve their anchors – compounding the problems presented if a lesser quality or improperly engineered product is being used.

In the interests of boating safety, Anchor Right endeavoured to get word out to the boating community on correct anchoring techniques. The Water Police and Coast Guard came on board, adding information on anchor rope ratios and printing educational booklets (from which Anchor Right benefitted indirectly as their products appeared!). So, word spread, boaties became better informed and quality products were used properly.

Peter believes the Bar Crusher name “captures the vibe of hardcore, passionate anglers who want to get out there offshore and have a good go.” And Anchor Right has the products to help keep them safe.

Rex and Peter agree that mutual support of Australian companies for each other helps ensure the survival and success of Australian jobs and businesses – a far better result than importing cheaper, often inferior quality overseas products. www.anchorright.com.au