Orams Marine Adds 820C Mobile Boat Hoist

The recent delivery of a Marine Travelift 820C (1,804,000 lbs./ 820,000 kg) Mobile Boat Hoist to Orams Marine, in Auckland, New Zealand, the “City of Sails”, is part of a multimillion-dollar wide ranging expansion, that will target vessels up to 820 tons and gives superyachts and ferries a full-service refit destination.

Orams Marine is uniquely situated in the heart of Auckland’s city centre, on a prime waterfront location, and has served the marine industry for over 35 years. With an established reputation for its refit work, this expansion will enhance its service offerings to an even broader range of vessels. The new facility additions include a water treatment plant, three additional marina fingers adding over 800 feet, and the upgrade to an 85 BFMII (85 metric ton capacity) Mobile Boat Hoist. These upgrades, along with their new 820C boat hoist, 600 ton capacity slipway and TM40 Self Propelled Transporter, results in a full-service refit destination that can handle the growing demand of their customers and furthers their commitment to the Auckland waterfront.

The new Marine Travelift 820C Boat Hoist comes standard with all wheel electronic steering to maximize the machines versatility, maneuverability, and precision in limited boat yard spaces. Also standard on the machine is an operator cab with pilot operated back up controls and a wireless remote control to provide greater visibility of the vessel and surrounding areas.

“Due to the confined area we have to operate in, all the steering functions on the machine have been critical,” said Craig Park, Managing Director of Orams Marine. “Also, the overall dimensions means we are able to maximize the size and number of vessels we can cater to.”

With the continued demand growing from larger boats entering the Pacific and New Zealand waters, Orams Marine equipped their machine with additional power adjustable sling sets, making each pair of hoist blocks independently adjustable to provide even more versatility and flexibility for various configurations of hulls. Additionally, they upgraded to two-speed hoists to increase travel speed and reduce time between loading and storage points, further maximizing their efficiencies and workloads.

The setup of the 820C met some unexpected challenges due to Covid-19 restrictions, but given Marine Travelift’s global remote diagnostic capabilities, their experienced factory technicians leaned on its worldwide distributor network. Marina Projects, the certified Marine Travelift dealer for New Zealand, stepped up to assemble a team and get the machine erected and tested. 

“Bob Johnson, Director of Customer Care, and the entire Marine Travelift Team, provided detailed loading lists for each container, including weights and photos of each component loaded,” said Brett Colby of Marina Projects NZ. “We set up daily video meetings on site to show progress and discuss any technical questions. The factory support worked exceptionally well together with the Parker Iqan Bluetooth connectivity for the Marine Travelift team to monitor the systems as we commissioned the unit.”

Having purchased three products since 2013 from Marine Travelift, Orams Marine was confident in the team to deliver a machine ideally suited for their needs. “We found the entire team at Marine Travelift very knowledgeable, honest and easy to deal with,” Park said. “The confidence we felt with the team and their New Zealand representative made our decision an easy proposition and one we are very pleased we made.”