Trade Secrets - Chris Hoyle Marine
Trade Secrets - Chris Hoyle Marine
Chris Hoyle Marine, overlooking Darthaven Marine in Kingswear, is a well known marine services company offering a complete installation, maintenance and repair service for outboards. As main Yamaha dealers, they have a good selection of outboards in stock ranging from those suitable for tenders to much larger engines for sportsboats. They are Devon’s main dealers for Terhi boats, Bombard inflatable boats, Waveline inflatables and Avon ribs and have recently been appointed by Jeanneau as dealers for the latest Rigiflex impact-resistant boats.
You celebrated your 25th anniversary last month. How did it start?
I have been fortunate to live and work in Kingswear all my life. When I was 14 yrs old, I went to work during school holidays for a local marine services engineer based here in Kingswear by the Waterhead Creek. I then left school at fifteen to start an apprenticeship in marine engine servicing and repairs. My father, who was teacher, wanted me to go off to University but I was always keen to tinker with engines or work with my hands. When I reached 17/18 yrs old, I had got to know the owner, Roy Teller, of these very same premises. He encouraged me to start up a business of my own and I started by renting a workbench for £10/week. I then progressively took on more workshop space as the business expanded and was soon sharing half of the premises with Roy – he had a motor repairs business here – and on his retirement, I took over the whole space. He then started working for me part-time and on his death, his widow sold me the building in 1999.
Why has the business been a success and lasted for so long?
When we started, the River was far less full of boats and we relied more heavily on commercial work. But as private boating has expanded, so has our business with it. The fishing fleets are now smaller but our location right above Darthaven Marina and directly on the route to the lower ferry has been just perfect for us. Our business expanded after we introduced a shop window front in 2005 as passing traffic could see we sold engines and boats as well as repair and service them.
We’ve worked hard to build a reputation for reliability and quality of work and much of our custom has arisen from word of mouth. I am very proud of the many repeat clients we get and it gives me a kick to see boats out and about on the river knowing that I have repaired or serviced their engines. Most of our customers are based around the Dart but we get a lot of clients from Torquay, Paignton and Brixham and Yamaha will often recommend us to owners of their engines from further afield e.g. we get owners towing their boats down to us from Birmingham or Bristol. Whilst our private business is important, we still do a lot of commercial work e.g. for the DHNA.
Has the business of servicing and repairing outboards changed much over the years?
In the past 10 yrs, the pace of technological change has been rapid. If you took a year out, you’d struggle to catch up again with the improvements made to fuel injection systems, emissions etc. We now use a computer as much as a wrench to tune and service these increasingly complex engines. But they’ve got more reliable and are less prone to corrosion but they still need to be regularly serviced and properly winterised. We’re fortunate to be a main dealer for Yamaha, the market leader, and we are always going on new training courses as they introduce new engines. That said, we don’t work exclusively on Yamaha engines and we have a good knowledge of other makes. If we get stuck, we can easily ask our many friends in the trade for help and advice.
How much of your business is service and repairs?
We service and repair between 300-400 engines (from 2hp to 350hp) each year and this part of our work is probably 60% of the business. But we’ll also supply you with a new engine and/or the boat on which to put it.
Who is we?
There’s me, my sister, Gwyneth who’s the part-time book-keeper and secretary and Paul, my mechanic, who’s on a marine engineering apprenticeship. We hope to appoint another more experienced mechanic soon.
What have been the highlights of the past 25 years?
Firstly surviving the early days, then being able to buy these premises but also being able to walk to work. I enjoy the same glorious view of the Dart from my workshop as I do from my home. I don’t tire of it – it’s better than watching TV as there’s always something to see. I’ve been fortunate to travel to the USA, Australasia and S E Asia and travel really makes you appreciate how wonderful this area is. I’m looking forward to doing this till I retire.
Any tips for outboard owners?
Don’t leave your servicing and repairs to the last moment as we may not be able to fit you in when you want. Plan your servicing for the winter months and make sure the engine is properly winterised. That way, it’s easy and quick to de-winterise for the new season. Don’t use old fuel - petrol, like milk, goes off! It’s important to drain fuel systems for the winter to avoid carburettors, filters and fuel injection systems from clogging up.
First Published June 2009 By The Dart