Starting part time at Maritimo seven years ago whilst studying a Bachelor of Sports Development at Griffith University, Nathan enjoyed the work and the team in ‘Fit Out One’ so much that he decided to focus on boat building at Maritimo. He began working full time two years later.
“I don’t have a boating background, and I’d barely been on one. It’s just that Maritimo is a nice happy work environment, a good boss, with a great team of people, and this makes such a big difference. It’s an easy job when you get along with everyone you work with. It is this that makes it so enjoyable”, said Sparks.
“I start at 5am and finish at 2pm, so I have the afternoon free, that’s the benefit. I love the outdoors.” Away from Maritimo Sparks plays a few sports. He is currently a member of the River City Futsal Club (indoor Soccer), training twice a week and playing every weekend.
“When I’m not doing that, I am at the beach. I have just moved to Burleigh Heads. I just love to get in the water and chill out.”
Kym Fleet, Production Manager at Maritimo said of this valued Fit Out One team member, “He has a terrific sense of humour, but you know when the heat is on and you need something done, he is one of those guys who is always there and happy to go the extra mile.”
Overseeing the initial assembly of the boat, according to Fleet, “Fit Out One look after getting all the big bits and assembling them into something that resembles a boat.”
“This includes the joining of the boat’s deck and hull together, and then fibre glassing once that is completed. They also look after widow fit outs, all of the fibre glassing in the engine room and lazarettes, the installation of the equipment in the engine room, as well as the final flow coat. The boats are then water and pressure tested before the vessel gets furniture and soft coverings installed.”
Nathan is one of the top five guys in this section, and a more senior member of the crew. He also acts as a mentor and skilled hand for the younger guys in this 15 to 25-member team.
Fleet added, “We’ve got about 18 different departments at Maritimo, and we try to migrate the apprentices through the whole business, so that they get to see a bit of everything. They then tend to find their chosen field, rising through the ranks to become mentor and team leaders of that particular department. Sparks is following this progression”
The joining of the boats and particularly the fit out of the windows is what Nathan enjoys most. “It’s one of the final stages of our section, and that’s when you see it almost complete. You can see what it really looks like as a boat when you do the windows.”
“Some of the projects I am particularly proud of include seeing the new six hundreds (M and S600) and the sixties (M and S60) come together. Obviously, there is also the 55s, which is our main boat at the moment, and we are producing heaps of them. Every one of them that goes out the door always look the same; perfect quality. That’s always good to see”, said Sparks in closing.
Maritimo is one of the Gold Coast’s largest employers, with more than 300 staff. To find out more about working for Maritimo, head to their Careers page.
