Missing fisherman Kieran Lynch with partner Jess Ford and now 6-week-old daughter Ava Lynch. "We know he will be missing her like crazy," Ford said.

Police are hopeful there will be a "good outcome" in the search for two missing West Coast boaties.

Lynch, 22, and Jay Cairney are missing after the Greymouth-based fishing boat Wendy J apparently lost power and sank in poor weather near Jackson Bay, South Westland on Thursday night.

The skipper, Mark Thomas, made it to shore.

SUPPLIED Jay Cairney is also missing. His siblings were going through "a tough time", his uncle William Cairney said. They lost their parents recently, and were eager to see Jay come home safe.

A light aircraft crew raised the alarm on Saturday morning after spotting debris and a life raft on the shoreline. A search helicopter found Thomas on a rock about 8 kilometres southwest of where the vessel sank about 2.40pm. He was take to Greymouth Hospital.

READ MORE:

* No sign of boaties missing off West Coast

* Sunk boat's regular motor troubles

The Police National Dive squad will search for the vessel on Tuesday near where the wreckage was found, around Smoothwater Bay and Homminy Cove.

SAM STRONG/STUFF The Wendy J sank near Jackson Bay, South Westland.

"Two fishing nets have been found on the shoreline in that area, which police believe are likely to have come from the boat," Detective Constable Jayne Bretherton said.

"The boat is believed to have lost power, so an assessment will be made to determine how that may have happened."

Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Watson said the search was not being "labelled as recovery exercise yet".

SAM STRONG/STUFF Neils Beach, near where skipper Mark Thomas was found.

"[It's] still definitely a search and rescue operation at the moment," he said.

"There's always that hope there."

SKIPPER SURVIVED DAYS IN COLD

NZ POLICE Jay Cairney's body was found near the wreckage of the Greymouth-based fishing vessel Wendy J.

Westfleet general manager John Brown told the Greymouth Star Thomas told him he "grabbed hold of a life-ring in the water", took shelter in a flax bush and drank from a nearby creek while he awaited rescue – clad only in shorts and a T-shirt – for two days.

He was rescued from the shoreline on Saturday.

Brown told the Greymouth Star Thomas thought a craypot rope may have become wrapped around the vessel's propeller and stalled the engine.

NZ POLICE The coastline near Jackson Bay where helicopter and ground crews searched for the two missing boaties.

Brown picked up Thomas from Neils Beach.

"He was cut and scratched, very tired and cold when I picked him up. His foot was cut and bandaged and he was sore and struggled to walk," Brown told the Greymouth Star.

Thomas was "worried about his crew".

"We feel for the families of the missing crew and just hope by chance they are all right," Brown said.

MISSING BOATIE A NEW DAD

One of two fishermen missing after their boat sank off the West Coast had just become a dad.

Kieran Lynch's 6-week-old daughter, Ava, "is everything to him", his partner Jess Ford said. "We know he will be missing her like crazy," she said.

Ford, who has been with Lynch for about 15 months, said he last called her on Thursday.

She said Lynch was not sure of the Wendy J's location when he called, but that it was "south".

It was Lynch's fourth trip on the Wendy J, which left in the direction of Westport early last Monday before returning that same day with motor problems, she said.

She said the boat had regular engine troubles and the crew regularly had to fix the boat's motor.

"Mark thought that they had fixed it and they went out again."

The vessel left Greymouth again about 9am that day.

The fishing trip had no set duration or destination that Ford was aware of: "They go anywhere."

"Kieran said it's meant to be a week . . . they just come back whenever."

Ford said the family was still hopeful Lynch would come home safe.

William Cairney, said it was "a tough time" for his missing nephew's brother and sister. Their parents died recently and they were eager to see their experienced seaman brother return.

WIND WAS STRONGER THAN CURRENT

Bretherton said it was hoped the dive squad would get to the spot where the vessel went down.

The search team would be "guided quite a lot by what the currents were doing at the time as well and sea conditions were doing at the time."

Watson said: "With the way the weather was the other day, the wind condition was a southerly drift. The wind was stronger than the sea current."

There were no ground crews out on Tuesday, police said.

TIMELINE

Monday September 11

▪ The Wendy J departs Greymouth, but reportedly returns with engine problems. It leaves again in the direction of Westport.

Thursday

▪ The Wendy J gets into trouble near Jackson Bay, south of Greymouth, at night.

Saturday

▪ 11:30am: A light plane spots debris and a life raft on the shoreline.

▪ 2:40pm: A search helicopter locates skipper Mark Thomas on a rock and collects him.

▪ 7pm: Search suspended for the night.

Sunday

▪ Helicopter and ground crews search the Smoothwater Bay area.

▪ 6:45pm: Search suspended for the night.

Monday

▪ A helicopter continues the search.

▪ The police dive squad is expected to arrive at night.

Tuesday

▪ The police dive squad is expected to join the search.