Henk Eilering, CEO of Whangarei firm Ship Repair NZ, describes the marine sector as "the saw-tooth industry" - acute ups and downs and very sharp edges.
Several Whangarei companies have been bloodied on the sharp edges but the big players are keeping heads above water by diversifying, international contracts, and endless hard graft to secure new work.
Some can even see skill shortages ahead as new contracts come on stream.
Plane-hopping is a way of life for managers and some of Whangarei's skilled marine workers are adapting to working for their companies overseas for weeks or months on end.
This year started as an "annus horribilis" for the SMI Group (formerly called Specialist Marine Interiors) when 19 staff from production, design and administration were made redundant due to delays in two of its major contracts, but the company is gradually clawing its way back.
SMI founder and CEO Grant Willis said the redundancies had been a terrible blow, particularly after the company had gone through a successful restructure and had long-term contracts in place.
Delays in owner decisions and subsequent funding issues on a 120m yacht interior fit-out project in Croatia had resulted in sudden, massive reduction in workflow, he said.
Another major New Zealand- based project had also ground to a halt in 2011, through circumstances beyond the company's control and not related to its interior work (SMI makes high-end prefabricated luxury interiors in Whangarei and installs them in vessels anywhere in the world).
Grant Willis says SMI had hoped the loss of work would be "a short-term retraction" and the omens are now promising for a return to growth.
"Refits are under way in Taiwan on an Asian-based 69-metre mini cruise ship being refurbished for high-end charter in the Maldives, and a 55m catamaran at La Ciotat near Marseille in the South of France," he said.
Nine Whangarei staff are working in Taiwan and another six would join them within the next few weeks. The group will stay until the northern spring. The skeleton staff left at the company's base in Croatia after super-yacht project was halted have been deployed to the job at La Ciotat.
The good news is that SMI is just about to start recruiting design staff and offshore installers, and that at least one of the redundant staff is rejoining the company. "There's been quite a few redundancies in the Auckland marine industry and there are already plenty of applications on my desk," he said.
"It has been an incredibly tough year and the industry has suffered a real downturn but our suppliers and our staff have supported us through thick and thin."
Eilering says Ship Repair NZ Ltd has enough work to keep the 60-strong workforce busy until well into 2013 and is looking to take on about six fabricators and marine fitters. These skills are getting harder to find in Whangarei "because they are all leaving".
"Things are pretty good but it's always difficult and always a challenge to keep the contracts flowing," he says. The yard is currently installing new mast, booms and a hydraulic system in American Samoa-based tuna boat Carol Linda, which was recently demasted north west of Samoa, and carrying out survey work on training sailing ship Spirit of New Zealand. Three Sealink catamarans used in the Hauraki Gulf are expected over the next few months, with a mini-cruiser from Australia, and the company has started building a vehicular and passenger ferry for an Auckland-based commercial company in part of the Tenix shed at Port Nikau, its biggest-ever new build.
"We've been pretty lucky, and a lot of it is due to the fact that we are one of only four or five yards in the whole country with the haul-out facilities and skills for a wide variety of commercial work. These vessels have to undergo regular survey so this trade keeps us reasonably productive."
Dennis Maconaghie, CEO of McRaes Global Engineering (formerly McRaes Engineering), says business is good.
"As anticipated since buying Global Hydraulics of Auckland and becoming McRaes Global Engineering the company has been busier than ever," he said.
"We need several good hydraulics technicians in both Whangarei and Auckland and will be taking on another apprentice in Whangarei before the end of the year. We will also be looking for a mechatronics engineer for Auckland to help respond to increased demand in the electronic/hydraulic controls area."
But he admits that work from the company's smaller, Northland-based clients is "quieter than usual".
"It's our large clients and bigger contracts that are providing the increased workload in both Whangarei and Auckland, and we are continuing to grow a client base offshore."
Meanwhile, Circa Marine & Industrial has invested $600,000 in extending the front of its base in Port Rd so it can build 97ft (30m) versions of the 64ft (20m) luxury Dashew motor yachts it has been making for the past few years. Circa has made six for American designer Steve Dashew and has contracts for another four.
Dashews are for people who typically have been offshore sailors and want to continue ocean cruising in a less demanding way. The aluminium-plate boats are built for strength, safety (self-righting even if rolled by a rogue wave) and comfort. Circa is the only company in the world building these designs for Dashew, and the quality of its work has led to the contract to begin building a larger version.
Contract manager Paul Wilson says the company had struggled to find the skilled people it needs but recently managed to fill a number of key positions. He expects to start recruiting again within the next 12 months.
He says despite the Dashew work there is no room for complacency.
"It's an ongoing effort. It's been said if you sit still and do nothing you fall behind. New Zealand and Whangarei have an excellent base with our quality trade skills, from where to take quality products to the global market. We can't compete with mass-produced items produced by low-paid workforces in Asia. We can produce quality products for the people who have the capacity to spend. It's a case of backing ourselves within the industry. If the industry wants continuity and survivability we have to go out looking for our own market for those sought-after items people want above other things."