Diesel Mechanic Sydney Australia?

[BlueSun]

Hi Sydney-siders!
Can anyone recommend a good marine diesel mechanic near Sydney Harbour? We will be arriving in a couple of days and need to find someone to come and do a compression test on our old Volvo and give us some general advice.
Cheers!

[Boracay]

The advice I was given on the old Ford that came with Boracay by three experienced marine mechanics was that "those old Fords are great engines and are well worth repairing".

They were all wrong. No one ever found why it was hard to start, key parts were unobtainable, rebuilding the water pump">raw water pump alone cost over $1,000 (and the shaft was still bent...) and the engine had a major leak that poured oil everywhere. And the transmission was cactus. I pulled the plug at over $3,000 with no end in sight.

Fixing old marine engines is a mug's game. Rebuilding will cost near as much as buying new, and it's still an old engine.

So save your money. Get some prices on a new marine engine/transmission that most closely matches the one you have and put it in yourself.

[BlueSun]

Thanks for the advice Borocay.

If only repowering was an option for us! $$$
I might have led you astray by using the word "old" - she's actually running really well, the captain just wants to get a compression test done before anything does go wrong! She's running a bit rich, but hasnt skipped a beat since we left Adelaide last year. We'll do a full rebuild at some stage in the next year, but the captain is a mechanic so he'll do most of the work himself. Definitely cheaper than a full repower. Could do the compression test himself too, but we cant justify the cost of the tools. Definitely under no illusions about how hard it might be to get parts for the rebuild though!

So yeah anyway, any recommendations for a mechanic in Sydney would be much appreciated!

Cheers!

[Johnathon123]

If Pittwater was an option,. RPAYC has a great diesel mechanic by the name of Lacey.. The guys at Boatmate, also at royal prince Alfred yacht club will also be able to help you out. Ask for Peter Gregg at Boatmate.

See how you go, and generally you will find Pittwater is a bit cheaper and their are plenty of time options if you become concerned about one.

Good luck

[BlueSun]

Thanks James. Pittwater is certainly an option - thanks! Will follow up. Cheers mate!

[Nikos Baillie]

You still need a mechanic in Sydney. I had a young bloke work on my engine recently and he was gold. Really happy with the work and price.

[BlueSun]

Hi Nikos - yep, we'll be ringing around today - would be very love to hear your recommendation.
Cheers!

[Dragon Lady]

If you go to Pittwater you could see Peter Finch at Pittwater Marine 02 99972411

I personally would never go near Boat Mate again after the experience I had with them.

I hear that Lacey is OK but like all the people in that RPAYC precinct not cheap.

John Whitchard 9979 5480 is very good too and probably the cheapest option especially if ever have to repower.

The best guy of all is David Field 0414711777 but he is very hard to get.

[Nikos Baillie]

0420363077. Phillip. He will come to you on a tender. Where are you in Sydney?

[BlueSun]

Thanks Dragon Lady and Nikos
We are currently anchored at Pt Hacking but may move up into the Harbour over the weekend. Probably Rozelle Bay or thereabouts, unless we can be convinced otherwise.
Thanks again everyone.

[Nikos Baillie]

Rozelle bay is nice but pretty full. Come over to balls head bay if so inclined. Lots of room. Do you have a photo of your boat. I probably know it.

[BlueSun]

Thanks Nikos. There are lots of photos of our boat on our blog which is linked in our signature. Thanks for the recommendation for Balls Head Bay! What is the name of your boat? We will keep an eye out for you while we're exploring the Harbour.

[pwhitburn]

hermansdiesel@optus.com.au Phone 0428644591 Herman is a Volvo agent and has been servicing diesel motors on boats in Sydney Harbour for many years.
He has a boat and will come to you. You could give him a call and see what you think.

[Seerauber]

Congratulations on a great blog - terrific reading there.

A mechanic I used when Tringriz, my then Roberts Spray 33, was berthed at Circi Marina at Newport was a bloke called Chris something. When the marina was sold he moved to Clontarf near the MHYC - if you can find hime, he's excellent.

[BlueSun]

Thanks so much pwhitburn, the captain spoke to Herman today who was very helpful, but might be a bit busy to help right now.
Glad you liked the blog Seerauber! We are thinking about moving up to Middle Harbour next week so Clontarf is ideal. Thanks for the tip!