Based at our Pittwater office, Shane Crookshanks brings almost 30 years of marine industry experience to his role as Brokerage & Service Operations Manager at R Marine Sydney. His hands-on knowledge and practical approach play an important part in supporting our brokerage and service operations.

We caught up with Shane to learn more about his career in the marine industry, what he enjoys about working at Pittwater and some of the experiences he’s had along the way.

We caught up with Shane to learn more about his career in the marine industry, what he enjoys about working at Pittwater and some of the experiences he’s had along the way.

You’ve been with R Marine Sydney at Pittwater for just over two years now. How has your time with the team been?

It’s been great. From day one, everyone has been very welcoming and you quickly feel like you’re part of the team.

What I like is that everyone, whether they’re working on the dock or sitting in the accounts office, is working towards the same thing — making sure our owners have a great experience with their Riviera. There’s a real passion for boats across the whole business. We all have different jobs, but we’re all pretty invested in what we do. It makes coming to work pretty easy when you’re surrounded by people who enjoy boats as much as you do. And being based at Pittwater certainly doesn’t hurt!

You’ve spent almost 30 years in the marine industry. What originally drew you to working with boats?

I actually moved to Sydney to help set up Vicsail and Beneteau for six months. That was the plan anyway — six months and then back home. I never went back!

Working in Rushcutters Bay at the time was a pretty good introduction to the marine industry. It was right in the middle of the sailing scene in Australia, so you were constantly surrounded by boats and people who were passionate about them.

I quickly realised that I’d rather be on the water than sitting in an office. There’s an old saying that a bad day on the water is better than a good day in the office. These days I’m lucky enough that the water actually is my office.

Your role covers brokerage and service operations. What does a typical week look like for you at Pittwater?

There really isn’t a typical week — and that’s probably what I enjoy about it. You can have a plan on Monday morning and by lunchtime it’s changed completely. A lot depends on what happened over the weekend!

There are always boats being serviced, new and pre-owned boats being handed over, driving lessons, owner questions and plenty of things happening behind the scenes that need coordinating.

Communication is a big part of the job. We have a lot of different people involved in getting a boat ready, so making sure everyone knows what’s happening and when is really important. The end goal is pretty simple — get the boat sorted and get the owner back out enjoying it.

You have a very hands-on technical background. How valuable is that experience when you’re helping owners with their boats?

It’s probably one of the parts of the job I enjoy most. I studied computer science at university, so I’ve always had a fairly analytical approach to things. I also have a bad habit of reading manuals — which turns out to be quite useful when you’re dealing with modern boats!

There are so many systems on a boat these days, and they all have to work together. I enjoy getting to know each new Riviera model and understanding how everything works rather than just knowing where the switches are.

That means when an owner has a question or something isn’t behaving the way it should, I can usually work through it with them and get to the bottom of it. For me, understanding the boat is half the fun.

You recently coordinated the logistics of bringing the new Riviera 4300 Sports Express to Sydney for the Sydney Boat Show. What was involved behind the scenes?

When we first suggested putting a big Riviera powerboat on a semi-trailer and taking it into Homebush for a boat show, I think a few people thought we were slightly crazy. So, naturally, it sounded like the perfect job for me!

I’ve been involved with quite a few boat shows over the years, so I knew there was a lot more to it than simply getting the boat on a truck. We had to prepare the boat for transport, organise the trucking down from Queensland, work out how we were going to position it and then dress the whole display once it arrived.

There was a lot of planning before the truck even left Queensland. The brief was that when someone walked onto the stand, we wanted them to forget they were standing inside Homebush and imagine the boat floating on the water.

It all came together really well, and we managed to keep it under budget, which was a nice bonus! It was definitely a team effort. There were a lot of people behind the scenes who helped make it happen, and I was pretty proud of what we achieved.

The 4300 Sports Express will now be on display at our Pittwater Open Day on 10 October. What do you think people should take a closer look at when they come aboard?

The 4300 is interesting because it’s a little different from the traditional Riviera layout. It takes some ideas you’d normally associate with European boats and adapts them really well to the way we use boats around Sydney and Pittwater.

The cockpit and main cabin really flow into each other, so when you’re entertaining, everyone feels like they’re part of the same space. You’re not separated from the people sitting inside just because you’ve moved under cover. Then, if the weather turns or you decide to stay the night, it changes completely. You’ve got two comfortable cabins and a proper overnight setup.

I’d encourage people to spend a bit of time moving around the boat rather than just looking at it from the dock. You start to understand how versatile it is once you see how the different spaces work together.

After working with so many different yachts, powerboats and catamarans over the years, what stands out to you about Riviera?

The build quality is probably the first thing that comes to mind. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Riviera factory quite a few times and spend time talking to the people actually building the boats. You get a very different appreciation for a boat when you’ve seen what goes into it.

There’s a huge amount of equipment and systems packed into these boats, particularly in the engine room. What impresses me is that they’ve managed to fit everything in without making it impossible to get to when something needs servicing. That matters to me because I spend a lot of time on the service side of the business.

You also notice the attitude of the people building the boats. There’s a genuine pride in the work, and you can see that in the finished product.

If you could choose one Riviera for yourself, which model would it be and why?

The Riviera 445 SUV would be my pick.

I really like the cockpit and the swim platform. We spend so much time outside when we’re boating, so that layout really suits the way I like to use a boat. It’s big enough to have friends aboard comfortably without feeling like you need a crew to operate it. And once everyone goes home, you’re still left with a boat that’s a really nice size for getting away for a few days.

For me, a boat is about getting outside, entertaining a few friends and then finding somewhere quiet to drop the anchor. The 445 ticks a lot of those boxes.

You’ve sailed in some incredible places around the world. If you could take your chosen Riviera anywhere for a week, where would you go?

The Whitsundays would be pretty hard to beat. We’re very lucky in Australia to have somewhere like that on our doorstep. Once you leave Hamilton Island, there are so many places to explore and you can find your own little corner.

I particularly love early mornings and late afternoons on a boat. Sunrise and sunset are probably my favourite times of the day. There’s something very relaxing about watching the wind and the tide, finding a nice anchorage and knowing you don’t really have anywhere you need to be. Drop the anchor, have a swim, get the snorkel gear out and enjoy the afternoon. That’s what boating is really about for me.

You’ve said that nothing beats Sydney Harbour at night. What makes boating in Sydney so special for you?

There’s something pretty special about coming around Bradleys Head as the sun is going down. You’ve got the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the city starting to light up behind you. It’s one of those views that you can see hundreds of times and still stop and look at it. I never get tired of watching the city come alive from the water.

One of my favourite things is anchoring out in front of the zoo. Once the ferries stop running and things quieten down, you can actually hear the animals. You’ve got the city lights behind you and the harbour all around you. It’s a pretty good reminder that you don’t have to travel a long way to have a great boating experience.

What’s one thing boat owners often overlook when it comes to looking after their boat?

Use everything!

It sounds obvious, but boats often sit at the marina for weeks or months and then suddenly everyone jumps aboard for a big weekend away. A lot of problems can be avoided simply by regularly using the systems on the boat.

If you’re down at the marina, turn the generator on. Run the air conditioning. Flush the toilets. Check the pumps. Turn things on and make sure they’re actually working. It’s much better to find out there’s an issue while you’re sitting at the marina than when you’ve got the whole family and a boat full of friends on board halfway to your destination.

Boats generally like being used. A little bit of regular attention can make a big difference to how trouble-free your weekends on the water are.

What do you enjoy most about working with the owners and boating community at Pittwater?

The enthusiasm.

Our owners genuinely love their boats. You can be talking to someone about something completely unrelated and somehow the conversation ends up back on boats. And once you start talking boats, everything else tends to stop for a while!

I enjoy the relationships you build with owners because you get to know how they actually use their boats — where they go, who they take with them and what’s important to them. That makes the service side of the job much more interesting too. You’re not just fixing a boat; you’re helping someone get back to doing what they bought the boat for in the first place.

We’re very lucky to work on the water at Pittwater, and I still think it’s a pretty good way to make a living. We get paid to have fun with boats. I’m not sure it gets much better than that.

See the Riviera 4300 Sports Express at Pittwater

Join us at our Pittwater Open Day on Saturday 10 October and take a closer look at the Riviera 4300 Sports Express, alongside a great range of new and pre-owned Riviera models.

Enjoy drinks and live music while you explore the boats and catch up with the R Marine Sydney team.

Saturday 10 October | 10am–4pm
R Marine Sydney, The Quays Marina, Pittwater.  Register below to attend