A business hub expected to bring in up to $25 million and create 130 jobs on the Tauranga waterfront is about to begin construction.

And according to project manager Phil Waredale, work is expected to begin before Christmas.

Visitors inspect the marine precinct site. Photos: Andrew Campbell.

Tauranga city councillors and executive staff from both the city and the Bay of Plenty Regional Councils, along with Tauranga Marine Industry Association representatives, were guided around the site yesterday.

As well as a small amount of decontamination work, another early piece of the Baigents Timber site jigsaw will be choosing the marine precinct's major piece of infrastructure - the travel lift.

With a lift capacity of 200 tonnes it will be the largest in the country, but it falls short of the former Tauranga slipway's 600 tonne capacity.

Phil says they are going to be looking to go over 200 tonnes, but a final decision will depend on how the weight of a larger lift affects the cost of building the hard standing.

The lift will operate from a 35m-long lift bay built on the site of the current Hutcheson slipway. The current slip is around 12 m wide, while the lift bay will be at least 12m wide.

All vessels around Hutchesons and behind the neighbouring Western Workboats site have been lifted out of the water by crane and will have to be lifted back in at substantial cost using the same method.

The 98-tonne fishing boat Serenity on the hard cost $10,000 to lift out and will cost $10,000 for the owner to lift back into the water, says Phil.

Not all boats are there by choice. The neighbouring Jay Debra is seized because of fisheries violations, and even though the government is paying the costs, it still takes up space.

Billionaire Graham Hart's daughter's boat Majestic II is also on the hard standing. The 22m Vanuatu-registered Riviera is set for a $150,000 paint job plus around $150-200,000 worth of interior cabinet work to be done.

A brand new 55-tonne motor yacht on the slip will be lifted and rollered into one of the sheds for its final paint and interior fit out.

It's work that comes to Tauranga because the owners recognise the skill base in the city, says Phil.

The visit started at the new site billboard facing Mirrielees Road and called in at the site's two tenants, Hutcheson Boat Builders and Western Work Boats.

Western Work Boats proprietor Sean Kelly told councillors and other guests how the business started in 2009 operating out of the Tauranga Bridge Marina before moving across the harbour to its current site beside Hutchesons.

The business now operates five boats and picks up a sixth boat on Sunday - a brand new powercat from Napier. Western Workboats employs about 20 people and turns over $4-8 million each year.