Services
Structural repair, recaulking and refastening, decks and joinery, spars and rigging, paint and varnish, surveys and winter storage.
Replacement of planks, frames, floors, stems, keels, horn timbers and transoms in the original species and scantlings, with new material spiled and fitted rather than forced. Steam-bent frames are bent on site, sawn frames cut to pattern, and laminated repairs used only where the original construction justifies them. Sistering is offered where it is genuinely sound practice and refused where it merely hides a problem for the next owner.
Full or partial recaulking of hulls and decks with cotton or oakum and the correct paying compound, along with refastening in silicon bronze, copper rivets or galvanised nails to match the original build. Fastenings are sample-drawn first to assess how much of the boat really needs doing, and seams are reefed out and inspected as we go, because a bad seam frequently reveals a soft frame that nobody knew about.
Laid teak decks renewed or repaired plank by plank, deck beams and carlins replaced, coachroofs and skylights rebuilt, hatches made to match the originals, and interior joinery restored or newly made in matching timber. Deck fittings are removed, rebedded properly and through-bolted with backing plates, since the majority of the rot we cut out began as rainwater entering around a fitting somebody bedded in silicone.
Solid and hollow wooden spars repaired, scarfed or newly made, with gaffs, booms, bowsprits and tillers to original drawings where they survive and to careful reconstruction where they do not. Standing and running rigging is renewed in wire or rope to suit the boat's period, blocks and bronze fittings are serviced or cast to pattern, and everything is proof-checked before the mast goes back in.
Traditional paint and varnish schemes built up in many thin coats over properly prepared and dry timber, in a covered shed rather than outdoors, because the finish on a wooden boat is protection first and appearance second. We strip back to bare wood where old schemes have failed, deal with the moisture that caused the failure, and offer annual maintenance coats that keep the work alive rather than restarting it every five years.
Pre-purchase and insurance surveys written by shipwrights who repair these boats rather than by generalists, with realistic costings for everything noted. Covered and outdoor winter storage with proper shoring and ventilation, lift-out and launching, seasonal antifouling, and a care plan for owners who want to do their own maintenance and simply need to be shown what matters and in what order.