Whitsunday Powersports amalgamates with Whitsunday Marine to deliver improved service

Whitsunday Marine is under new management for the first time in 10 years, with a highly motivated young couple taking the reins.

Hayley Breed and Jared Leaman are excited to welcome customers to the bigger and better Whitsunday Powersports and Marine. Picture: Kirra Grimes

A young Whitsunday couple is taking a passion for marine activities to the next level with a business expansion that will allow them to better service the needs of the boating and jet skiing communities.

Jared Leaman and Hayley Breed built up a loyal customer base servicing jet skis at their original Carlo Dr location over the past three and a half years.

They are now ready to cast the net further with an expanded offering at the business’ new home at 4/11 Shute Harbour Rd, Cannonvale.

At the newly opened Whitsunday Powersports and Marine, Mr Leaman and Ms Breed will continue to offer the quality jet ski services everyone knows them for, as well as catering to the boating community as authorised sellers of Yamaha outboard motors, and Stessco and Polycraft boats ranging from three to six and a half metres in length.

The couple has shown they have the drive to take a risk and make it work – saying goodbye to Mr Leaman’s stable job in Mackay to branch out together and open the original Whitsunday Powersports where they saw a gap in the market.

With an 11-month-old baby on board now, the couple is excited about another new beginning, and determined to deliver service above and beyond what locals may have come to expect.

“We’ve done it all ourselves and we want to make sure it still has that personal touch,” Mr Leaman said.

Ms Breed said it had been “pretty hectic” moving a business with a new baby but they had “outgrown where we were”.

“It made sense to move over here where we’ve got lots of room,” she said.

Mr Leaman, a qualified marine technician with 20 years’ experience under his belt, said jet ski repairs and maintenance had never been more in demand as Covid-19 had dramatically impacted manufacturers’ ability to get new products into stores and the second-hand market had “exploded” as a result.

He has already taken on an apprentice mechanic to help meet that demand, with plans to recruit and train up more young people as the business became more established.

Jet skis at Whitehaven Beach. Picture: Supplied

Jared and Hayley’s must-see jet skiing spots

1. “It’s gotta be Whitehaven/Hill Inlet,” Jared said. “It’s just mesmerising, and it’s different every time you go there.”
2. Lindeman Islands – “For something a bit different,” Jared said. “Not many people head down there because it’s a bit further away.”