20 NATCHEZ ON THE WATERFRONT
Providing maintenance and repair services – the yin and yang
By Dan Natchez* T
o provide or not to provide boat maintenance, repair and/or refitting services – that seems to be an
increasingly common question among marina owners, managers, developers and investors. In truth, the answer is that it depends. It depends on one’s vision, the location, the competition, the market and the alternatives, together with an honest assessment of the negatives (the yin) and the positives (the yang) that are associated with providing such services. Years ago, you would drive your
car over to the corner service station where you could access fuel, windshield wiper blades, oil changes, engine tune-ups, a new transmission, body work and more. For regulars, almost everyone knew each other by name. Many places required appointments for major work, but for minor things and emergencies there was usually a way of squeezing you in. Over the last couple of decades,
things have been changing for the auto industry. The corner service station has become an endangered entity. Increasingly, many have been replaced with multiple island fuel
pump stations, with convenience store items and absolutely no service. Many other corner sites have given way to non-auto related developments. There are many reasons for the changes and the recreational boating industry has had to address many of the same questions and alter its decision-making processes.
Yin The two largest negatives relative to providing boat maintenance, repair or refit services are believed to be increased regulation and finding good help. In fact, it is pretty
well known that hiring and keeping qualified mechanics and specialised service personnel is one of the toughest issues facing the industry. Trade associations and other industry groups have been stepping up efforts to change this situation, but the reality is that in many places it can be quite a challenge, whether in some cases just not being able to find anyone at all, or anyone who actually knows anything or anyone who knows a thing or two that you can afford to hire. It’s a problem and one that’s not likely to go away anytime soon. The other big negative is also not
A clean, well-equipped workshop at a marina’s boatyard. MARINA INDUSTRY • APRIL 2020
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