Bay of Plenty mooring contractor Nick Gear is refuting allegations made against him by a group of mooring owners at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting yesterday.

A party of mooring owners took their allegations, that the regional council's swing mooring system is being mismanaged, to a public meeting at council's Barkes Corner offices on Thursday.

They believe the wrong chain is being used on moorings for boats in and around Tauranga, and that the contactor's barge is un-certificated, meaning the mooring inspections undertaken by the contractor are invalid.

The mooring owners took their issues directly to BOP Regional Council, as mooring owner Neville Harris says they have been making no progress working with council staff.

'After dealing with staff for some three months on these issues we feel we are getting nowhere, so we are making this approach to the full council,” says Neville.

When approached afterwards mooring contractor Nick Gear says the allegations are false, defamatory and he is preparing a legal response, as he had little warning the presentation was going to be made.

Neville claims the chain being used by the contractor is not the stipulated PWB chain. He says what is being used instead quickly rusts away causing boats to break free from their moorings.

The mooring owners also question the validity of the biennial Sea Quest Marine Limited inspections, saying according to their legal opinion, inspections made by Seaquest employees instead of by the named contractor are invalid.

They also say the barge being used by Sea Quest to undertake the mooring inspections is out of survey, also invalidating the mooring inspections.

'We feel all moorings over two years from the last inspection in the Bay of Plenty area need an urgent diver inspection by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to check their condition and if needed, upgraded - or more boats will be lost this winter,” says Neville.

He's calling on the regional council to fund a class action against Seaquest Marine Ltd for the 499 mooring owners to recover their last two invalid inspection costs, the costs of bringing all mooring up to specified safety standards, and to meet any costs of damages to boats arising from mooring failure.

The regional council should relinquish control over its mooring monopoly suggesting it be replaced by a mooring owners incorporated society.

During Neville's presentation he showed two examples of chain to councillors, one was galvanised, the other thin and rusted.

Seaquest didn't supply the chain Neville Harris showed regional councillors, says Nick.

'We've never supplied galvanised chain.”

The mooring chain he uses is hardware chain produced by Australian company PWB, says Nick. It is unstamped. PWB's other chain is L grade or lifting chain, which is stamped. It is manufactured on the same machine but goes through two more testing processes adding another $10 a metre to the cost, says Nick.

In information supplied the council by Neville, the manufacturer has recently announced it will discontinue manufacturing hardware chain, because of allegations that non-PWB chain is being passed off as PWB chain.

Neville Harris's claim the Seaquest Marine barge is out of survey is also false, says Nick.

Regional council chief executive officer Mary Anne McLeod says council staff should have a reply for Neville in about a week.

Neville also asked for the results of a regional council survey of mooring owners, that he was promised would take place.

Nick says he and Sea Quest Marine Limited will actively be assisting the regional council in their investigations.