Less than a month before fishing charter vessel the Francie capsized crossing the Kaipara Harbour bar, claiming the life of seven, possibly eight, men, it had to be rescued.

Coastguard spokeswoman Monique Caddy today said the Coastguard towed the Francie back to shore as a result of a "mechanical issue" on October 30.

Now more questions are being raised about skipper Bill McNatty's competence.

Some members of the Kaipara fishing club have claimed McNatty was a cowboy skipper who often acted recklessly while others say McNatty was a competent and experienced seaman who just made a mistake.

Tony Walles, who has run the Kaipara Cat fishing charter for the past five years, said Bill McNatty's decision to cross the bar on Saturday was "a lack of common sense."

The accident claimed McNatty's life. Six, likely seven, of the 10 passengers on board also died.

The Francie tragedy did not come as a surprise to Walles, who claimed he had lodged a number of complaints against McNatty with both the Auckland Harbourmaster and Maritime New Zealand over the past 18 months.

"I told them they needed to do something about him because he is an accident waiting to happen," Walles said.

In high swells, "we just don't cross the bar," he said.

Only one boat was believed to have crossed the bar on Saturday: The Francie.

"Generally the bar is a rough place. It's notorious in New Zealand and the odds are against you."

Rough conditions arise across the bar when water from inside the harbour tries to flow out into the sea and the wind pushes against the tide -- this was what created the monster swells over the weekend, Walles said. All skippers know the risks and know the forecast, he said.

Walles alleged McNatty was known around the Kaipara fishing community for operating his charter dangerously.

He claimed he was aware of at least four incidents where McNatty had behaved recklessly at the helm of the Francie, including McNatty smashing into concrete retainer power poles in the Helensville River, running the charter aground and driving too fast in an enclosed area.

Two weeks ago, Walles claimed the motor on the Francie "crashed out" on McNatty when he was only halfway across the bar. On another occasion, Walles claimed McNatty broached his boat twice trying to cross the bar.

But, Walles conceded he heard about these incidents second-hand and had no evidence they actually occurred.

Another fishing charter operator who asked not to be named said he didn't want to comment on whether or not McNatty was known to be a reckless skipper around Kaipara.

"All I'm going to say is that nobody should've been out there that day and he was the only one that was," he said.

However, Wayne Bollond, a friend of McNatty's who used to skipper the Francie, said the disaster was nothing more than a "real tragedy".

There may be some truth to Walles' claims, but Bollond said McNatty was a "a good man who knew his craft well."

"I don't think the boat simply rolled over I think something else happened, it could've been a mechanical failure or anything," he said.

"Rough weather doesn't sink boats; it's a combination of things that sinks boats and I'm sure that will come out in the Maritime New Zealand report."

When asked why McNatty was the only skipper to cross the bar on Saturday, Bolland said: "He just made a mistake."

"The age old story is would you send your family to tea with this man and the answer would be yes. That's about the highest accolade you would give any skipper and that's how I feel personally," Bollond said.

Maritime New Zealand would not confirm if it had received complaints about McNatty because of active investigations into the deadly Kaipara disaster.

Under the Maritime Transport Act, the agency is responsible for regulating all maritime activity and it has the power to suspend or revoke seafarers' licences and impose conditions on vessels in the interests of safety.

Spokeswoman Sandra Ford said Maritime New Zealand would be "looking at all aspects of the operation, including any background on the operator."

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is the lead investigator on the disaster which claimed the lives of seven, likely eight, men.​