The workshop behind the work
The people, training and facilities behind every job.
Talk to usMarine systems engineers, 200 metres from the water
Marsden Cove Marine is a team of marine systems engineers and trailer boat technicians at Marsden Cove, 200 metres from the marina berths and the hardstand. Brendon Hey leads the workshop as Director and Dealer Principal. The team is permanent staff, trained and backed by the factories whose badges are on the door. We work for Whangarei and wider Northland boat owners here, on the water and across the Pacific.
Brendon started in marine in 2005 at a Volvo Penta and Evinrude dealership, then a Yamaha dealership in Hamilton, before the trade brought him home to Ruakaka, where he grew up. A year as a mechanical engineer and fitter turner at a local engineering firm sharpened the machining side, then he took on Marsden Cove Marine and set about securing the Volvo Penta and Mercury Marine agencies, two brands he has backed his whole working life.
Trade pricing for the trade
MCM supplies a large base of trade customers across Northland and beyond. If you are a marine engineer, boatbuilder or workshop that wants Mercury, MerCruiser or Volvo Penta product at trade rates, talk to us. Proper trade accounts, honest lead times, and the same factory backing we put behind our own work.
One crew, different roads here
Everyone on the tools is permanent staff. No contractors, no churn, so the person who worked on your boat last season is still here this season, and they remember the boat. The bench brings different trades to the same standard: diesel fuel injection specialists trained as systems engineers, the same path Brendon took, automotive technicians who crossed to marine, and factory trained ex Honda and ex Yamaha hands. Different roads in, one standard on the boat.
Home an hour earlier
A son in 2022 and a daughter in 2024 changed how Brendon runs the place. The workshop starts earlier and knocks off earlier than most, so the whole crew gets an extra hour at home with their families in the afternoon. It costs the job nothing, and it keeps good people here, which is exactly who you want on your boat.
Trained every year, not once
The training never stops: plenty of in house training on the bench, plus OEM backed training camps every year across the factory agencies: Mercury, MerCruiser, Volvo Penta, Simrad, Lowrance, B&G and Mastervolt. For you that means current knowledge of the latest tooling and systems, work done to factory spec so warranties stay intact, and no guesswork when a new engine or network turns up on your boat.
Built in clean air, owned by one technician
Engine and gearbox rebuilds run in a dedicated clean air build room, separate from the workshop floor. Engines are stripped, measured and assembled away from dust and traffic, and one technician owns the build from first bolt to final torque. It is the difference between fixing an engine and building one properly.
Engine and gearbox rebuildsFactory diagnostics, current tools
We run the latest OEM diagnostics: Mercury CDS G3, Volvo Penta VODIA and Cummins Inline 7, backed by TEXA multibrand tooling and PicoScope lab grade measurement for everything else on the water. The fault gets found from the engine's own data, and the work it leads to is covered on the outboard, diesel and Volvo Penta service pages.
Straight with you
We start the work you agreed to and nothing else. If anything unexpected turns up, you get a call with a report and an estimate before it goes ahead. And if spending more will not change anything on the water, we tell you so.
Common questions
Are your technicians factory trained?
Yes. We are factory trained and backed agents for Mercury, MerCruiser, Volvo Penta, Simrad, Lowrance, B&G and Mastervolt, and the bench includes factory trained ex Honda and ex Yamaha technicians. Everyone attends OEM backed training camps every year on top of plenty of in house training on the bench, so the training never goes stale.
Do you use contractors?
Not on the tools. Everyone on our bench is permanent staff, so the boat that was here last season gets worked on by the same hands this season. Some jobs need a specialist service outside our trades, and when they do we bring in the right people to get the job done. We generally stay out of project managing other trades though. We stick to our work and stand behind it.
Can I come and see the workshop?
Yes. We are at Shop 1, 82 Marsden Bay Drive, Marsden Cove, Marsden Point, 200 metres from the Marsden Cove Marina berths and hardstand. Call ahead on 09 432 8132 so someone is free to show you around, including the build room.
Want to know who is working on your boat?
Book a job or talk to us. You will deal with the people on the tools.