Your Australian Jet Boating Specialists

The location of Tumut, nestled amongst the Snowy Mountains Scheme’s inland dams and the natural waterways of the Tumut and Murrumbidgee Rivers, has presented New Zealand-born brothers, Brendon and Justin Phillips, the opportunity to turn their life-long passion for jet boats into a burgeoning and innovative new business.  Phill-On Marine on Adelong Road is now home to a well-equipped workshop specialising in the manufacture of aluminium jet boats, the only one of its kind in NSW.

Both Brendon and Justin have a long history with the sport of jet sprint racing from their days spent growing up in New Zealand.  It was in NZ that the sport of jet sprinting first took off and Brendon was one of the earliest participants, racing with success from the early eighties and reaching a very respectable third in the International Jet Sprint Championships at the pinnacle of his racing career.  Justin, being six years Brendon’s junior, later followed in his brother’s footsteps and also raced with success.  Even in those early days, the brothers had the initiative and the know-how to build their own jet unit which would eventually end up powering the boat that was also built in the family garage; a boat the brothers would race with pride.  It was this boat that Justin brought out to Australia in 2003 to compete at the World Championships in Mildura.  At one point, Phill-On Racing boasted four drivers in their team however, as with many other motor sports; the “little guys” could no longer compete with the big money that was being thrown around the jet sprint circuit and so the Phillips brothers reluctantly put away their racing overalls to focus on their respective vocations.

Brendon’s career began in the NZ pulp and paper industry and eventually saw him move to Tumut in 2000 as part of the Visy Project Team.  Throughout his career he has specialised in industrial automation and project engineering.  Justin’s career as a machinist also began in large industry before moving on to become a boat builder with Alloy Yachts International of Auckland.  It was during his time in the super yacht sector where Justin developed the meticulous skills required for boat building, skills which he now brings to Phill-On Marine.  Fast forward to present day and what you are presented with at Phill-On Marine is the result of 12 month’s hard work and the idea that a love of an exciting sport / hobby could be adapted to suit the family boating lifestyle which is so apparent throughout this region.

The models currently being manufactured by Phill-On Marine are based on designs developed by Bill Roberts of Attack Marine. Boats are custom made to order with customers encouraged to give input into colour schemes, upholstery and possible modifications to suit their specific needs.  Phill-On Marine’s range of jet boats goes from 10 ft to 20 ft commercial boats and the choice of any engine or jet unit to suit.  Clients are encouraged to fit out their boats with the new generation of light-weight, fuel-efficient aluminium V8 or V6 power plants. Inboard engine building, maintenance and tuning is another skill available to the customer, as a lot of Phill-On’s race engines were built in-house when they were racing jet sprints.

Phill-On Marine not only manufactures jet boats; they are able to service, supply, and manufacture parts for jet units. Refurbishment, maintenance and customisation of existing boats are also a speciality.  Specialising in the fabrication of anything alloy allows them to manufacture (amongst other things) heat exchangers, boat trailers, fuel tanks , steering columns etc, all which have the benefit of strength, high corrosion resistance and being low weight.  Manufacturer’s rates on many commercially available parts and accessories enables them to both fit out boats and supply most boating accessories to the public at rates better than most regional retail outlets.  

With a partnership bringing over 40 years of experience in innovation, precision engineering and boating, the Phillips brothers are well qualified and extremely motivated to produce high quality products for their customers.