While this year has been full of obstacles and challenges, the business of looking after your boat hasn’t really taken a break. There have been many factors affecting the work we do and we thank all our customers for their patience, understanding and continued trust in us. Here we hope to shed some light on what and why might have affected your boat service at Seatech and elsewhere this year.
What has the global pandemic really done to the marine industry? Firstly, and foremostly, getting parts has been very difficult and this is not anticipated to get better straight away either. Many marine brands are mainly, mostly or at least partly based in the USA and this has had an enormous effect on the industry. For example, the lead time for USA based Mercury parts and stock has been greatly affected by the situation in the USA.
Another place to turn to for parts and cheaper prices has been the second-hand market. Not such a feasible option now, as many people have turned their focus on getting work done on their own boats instead of interstate or overseas holidays. This combined with the lack of supply on the parts market has meant that there are very few second-hand parts available currently.
And with more time on their hands, the more experienced boat owners rented a hard stand and coordinated and done their own maintenance and building work on their boats. While we love seeing boat owners getting pro-active and involved, this has unfortunately meant less available hardstands for us and this has led to reduced capacity in our workshop.
The state border closures and quarantine requirements have played their part as well. Two of our own mechanics have been stranded outside of Queensland while interstate boat owners have been unable to collect their boats and have been forced to store the vessels on the Gold Coast. If our customers have been affected by these delays, we make sure they are always in-the-know on what is happening with their boat and how things are going up here. And as always, we are just a phone call away if you have concerns.
So, while things have affected, or even stood on the way of your enjoyment and days out on the water, we guarantee you that all of the inconvenience is forgotten when you take your smoothly running boat out for the day, catch the salty wind in your hair and spend some time with the loved ones.
Give us a call to see how we can help you today!
