A yachtie attempting to salvage a wrecked concrete-hulled yacht says he can save ratepayers $12,000 - but the regional council is ignoring his offer.

The yacht Checkmate was wrecked on Motuhoura (Whale) Island near Whakatane in August.

The yacht Checkmate is currently standing at Sulphur Point Marina. Photos: Andrew Campbell.

The holes were covered up and a pump was put on board for the tow to Tauranga where it has remained since on the hard standing at Sulphur Point Marina.

It is about to be towed away and destroyed at a cost to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council of $15,000, says Paul Donovan, who says he's been given the boat by the Tauranga assistant harbourmaster Chris Isherwood.

Paul says he's helped to build a concrete boat before and that Checkmate is repairable.

In the last three weeks he says he's secured a guarantor for the $15,000 the marina society required to ensure the yacht would be removed if it proved irreparable. The surety was to be lodged with solicitor to pay the removal costs if Paul walked away from it.

He's also found a truck to take the boat away to a secure site away from the marina, at a cost that is a fraction of the $15,000 he's been told it will cost to take the 45-foot concrete boat over to the Waikato and crush it.

It's taken Paul, who lives on a catamaran, three weeks to organise it, only to be told by the regional council that he's too late and Checkmate, a pilot house cutter, will be removed on Friday and destroyed.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council deputy CEO Eddie Grogan says Paul has missed two prior deadlines.

'My understanding is that he was given an opportunity or several opportunities to come up with a plan and the money, and didn't in the time frames he was given. Therefore the vessel is going to be taken away for disposal,” says Eddie.

When it was put to him that the council was choosing to spend $15,000 it could save by giving the boat away, Eddie said he didn't have that information before him.

Paul says council staff are avoiding him and deputy harbourmaster Chris Isherwood threatened to call the police when his brother called.

'It was the first time he's rung him,” says Paul. 'I've only ever rung him twice in the last two or three weeks. They are all trying to not answer their phones and trying to fob me off.

'I was given the boat. Then four days later I got that text from the marina, to come up with $15 grand surety.

Marina manager Greg Prescott says the text followed a conversation and the requirement for surety iagainst removal s not an uncommon one.

'They gave me about two or three weeks to come up with that which I finally did, but the harbourmasters haven't answered a phone call since I've got it. As back up I got a trucking firm. They still won't talk to me even now.

'They are starting to destroy the yacht. They have got Mike McCormick starting to take the mast off, so I asked him to take it off carefully, don't just cut the wires. That's $750 to take the mast off that I could have done myself.”

His phone was on speaker when he was offered the boat says Paul, and there is a witness who heard the conversation.

He's left a trail of emails to prove he has been trying to contact regional council staff. He saw Chris Isherwood at the Bridge Marina during the week, but Chris refused to speak to him, says Paul.

But the regional council, through communications advisor Linda Thompson, says the boat was never given away.

'A party did approach the regional council with an offer to take ownership of the vessel. However they have missed repeated deadlines to have their arrangements in place.

'We have never given them any indication that they have ownership of the vessel.”

The total cost for removing and disposing of the wreck is slightly under $15,000, says Linda.

'The party that approached us were not able to meet their obligations to make arrangements, despite many extensions to the timeframe. The party also has some outstanding costs owed to the council relating to another matter.

'The Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster and Deputy Harbourmaster have met with and spoken with the party on several occasions.

'The party has repeatedly failed in every meeting and conversation to meet the requirements needed to take on the ownership of vessel. The council is proceeding with disposal of the vessel.”