Wooden Boat Craftsman Works in a Sea of Yanmar

by Connexion Pr on 7 Jan 2009 Highly respected Wooden Boat Shop owner Tim Phillips could well be mistaken for taking brand loyalty too far with his wooden boat restoration facility loaded to the hilt with Yanmar powered boats.

During the peak of the winter season, a total of no less than 60 boats were sprawled across his 1½ acre facility in Sorrento, of which over 90% are powered by Yanmar engines and all either in winter storage, waiting to be restored, serviced, repowered or sold.

Tim Phillips is a highly respected craftsman who operates a complete wooden boat facility that specialises in restorations, new couta-style boat construction plus marine repowers and servicing. With a boatyard brimming with one brand of engine, it is no surprise that the Wooden Boat Shop is an authorised agent for Yanmar marine diesels- several of which are installed in Tim’s own personal craft.

“It certainly took me by surprise when I stopped to think about the number of Yanmar powered boats we had in our yard,” said Tim Phillips.

“While coincidence has played some role, I can understand why we have so many Yanmar powered boats because I have been using Yanmar marine diesels and recommending them to my customers for years. By the time you add up all of my customer’s boats, my boats and our current restoration projects, I can see how we reached a total of 60 boats in the yard. And this does not include the new wooden boats both sailing and powerboats under construction.”

The Wooden Boat Shop is a fully authorised Yanmar Marine Dealership with a strong sail and power boat customer base. Tim’s enthusiasm for the Yanmar product also extends to the large amounts of repower work that the Wooden Boat Shop team undertake.

“I use Yanmar marine diesels on my own pleasure craft and have always been impressed with their performance,” said Tim.

“We often go on long sailing family holidays into remote waters where reliable equipment is a must. My recent repower onboard my vintage timber Couta Boat ‘Storm Bay’ with a new 110mhp 4JH4-HTE is another strong example of how a Yanmar marine diesel can transform the performance of a wooden boat.”

A significant proportion of the Yanmar powered line-up are the revered Couta-style fishing boat that has been a focus for Tim Phillips and his hard working team for many years. Part of the rich fishing and boating heritage of Sorrento, the Couta boat has made a comeback as the weekend cruising boat of choice for many discerning boat enthusiasts with Yanmar offering the ideal power choice.

“The smaller Yanmar diesel engines are a great choice for the cruising style of the Couta Boat,” said Tim.

“Many of my customers enjoy nothing more than exploring the bay onboard their classic timber hull with a smooth marine diesel motoring along quietly in the background. Others rely on their Yanmar engines for sailing power on demand and love the efficiency and reliability that these quality engines afford.”

Power Equipment is the exclusive and authorised Australian, PNG and South Pacific distributor of Yanmar Marine and Industrial diesel engines importing product from Yanmar plants in Japan, Asia, USA and Europe. With an extensive marine dealer and branch network, Power Equipment has the expertise and experience to assist boat owners and boat builders for both new installations and repowers. Power Equipment also distribute the Yanmar powered MASE diesel marine generators range and Gori high quality folding sailboat propellers.