Three fishermen jumped from their boat just moments before it smashed to pieces on the main breakwater at Port Taranaki on Wednesday.

Port Taranaki marine services manager Neil Armitage said staff were only alerted to the crash after the fishermen turned up at the gate.

"The first I heard of it was when they were wandering back down the main breakwater and wandering to the gate and the watch-house found them," he said.

"We went back down to have a look and it was smashed to bits."

The fishermen had been at sea when their motor cut out and they drifted towards the main breakwater, leaping from the boat just before waves washed it up on the rocks around 4pm.

"It's one of those things where the engine won't go and the anchor couldn't be used and before you knot it, it's too late," Armitage said.

It's a case of keen fishermen getting caught out."

A pilot boat was sent out to try and tow the vessel from the rocks but the salvage was unsuccessful.

"We going to try and tow it but there was no way we could get close enough because of the conditions," Armitage said.

"That's the way it was. It was just being smashed to bits and there was nothing you could do about it."

Armitage said the Transport Accident Investigation Commission had been notified and would complete a report.

Armitage said for him the incident had brought home the fact that there were still people who went out to sea ill-equipped.

"They go out ill prepared with insufficient training and an excess of confidence," he said.

"It's just hammering it home people need to check their boat, the weather, equipment and communications before going out. Or you can end up in the same boat so to speak."

Coastguard Taranaki president Lee Drummond said they had not been alerted by a mayday call and the crew had not lodged a trip with them.

Drummond said he only found out after the fact and the "lucky" escape was a "timely reminder of the perils of the sea".

"Things do happen and can turn to custard quickly. They're a little bit lucky they were able to scramble out if it had of been rougher it would have been harder to get off the boat."

With summer now under way Drummond echoed Armitage's safety advice and urged boaties to use the coastguard trip record service.

See the video here: http://goo.gl/4cvEYL