Marine Hydraulics, Gold Coast

We design, install, service and repair the full range of marine hydraulics: hydraulic steering (helm pumps, cylinders, rams and multi-station plumbing), the hydraulic side of fin stabilisers and bow and stern thrusters, hydraulic cranes, davits and passerelles, swim and bathing platforms and transom doors, and hydraulic windlasses, capstans and deck machinery, plus the powerpacks, pumps, manifolds and hose runs that drive them. We work on recreational boats, commercial vessels and superyachts, and we service systems we supplied as well as those fitted by others.

For most boats with any real steering load, larger or twin outboards, sterndrive, inboard, or anything with a flybridge, hydraulic steering is well worth it. It’s lighter and more consistent at the helm, removes the kickback you feel through a cable wheel, is far easier on long days, and plumbs simply to a second or third station. Cable (mechanical) steering still suits small, low-powered single-outboard boats where it’s cheaper and perfectly adequate, but it gets noticeably heavier as engine size, trim and sea state increase. If you’re upgrading, we’ll advise whether hydraulic steering makes sense for your hull and how you use the boat, then supply, install, bleed and commission it.

Hydraulic pricing splits into two kinds of work. Diagnostics gets an estimate up front, because fault-finding time depends on the circuit in front of us. Rebuilds and installs are quoted in writing before any work begins, and that number follows the job: a steering bleed and fluid change sits at one end, a powerpack rebuild or a new davit install at the other, with the parts and seal kits required and how accessible the components are on your vessel deciding most of the gap. Ring 07 5612 7161 with the vessel and the symptom and we’ll tell you which kind of job you’re looking at.

Yes. Ram and cylinder reseals are core hydraulic work for us. We strip the cylinder, inspect and, where needed, hone the bore and rod, fit a new seal kit, rebuild it to manufacturer specifications, and pressure-test it before it goes back on the boat. This applies to steering cylinders, stabiliser and platform rams, and crane and davit cylinders. If a ram is too scored or pitted to reseal, we will recommend a replacement. In many cases, however, a reseal restores a sound cylinder for much less than a new assembly.

Most hydraulic pressure loss and leaks come down to worn seals, a tired pump or valve, air in the system, or a weeping fitting or hose, and on steering, soft or spongy feel usually means air or a seal letting by rather than the helm itself failing. The trouble is the symptom rarely shows where the fault is, so we diagnose across the whole circuit, pump, valves, cylinders, seals, hoses and fluid condition, to find the real cause instead of guessing. Salt, vibration, heat and contaminated fluid are the usual culprits in the marine environment. We fix the root cause, bleed and pressure-set the system, and where it helps, flush old fluid and tidy the plumbing so it stays reliable.

Yes. We make custom hydraulic hoses, fittings and mounts for awkward runs, non-standard lengths, obsolete components and one-off brackets. This allows us to repair and recommission older or unusual systems and route new ones cleanly.

We carry and fit common Parker and Opacmare hydraulic components, and we install and service the major marine steering and hydraulic systems, including SeaStar/Dometic, HyDrive, BayStar and UltraFlex, and Capilano and Kobelt on larger vessels, without being tied to selling one badge. We recommend what suits your boat and what’s already aboard, then service and fault-find systems whether or not we supplied them. For thruster and stabiliser hydraulics we install and service Sleipner Side-Power systems as well.

Fault-finding, fluid changes, bleeding, hose replacement and on-board servicing is done dockside by our mobile teams across the Gold Coast and South East Queensland, and we travel to jobs across Queensland and New South Wales, including private docks and marinas, when the job requires it. Powerpack and cylinder rebuilds, and new crane, davit and platform installs, come into our Coomera workshop at Gold Coast City Marina instead: that work wants the bench, the press and the rest of the engineering team within reach.