Deck and deck fittings
Decking
If your boat’s teak deck has seen better days, we can help. We offer a range of options, from a light refresh to a complete deck replacement, using either ethically sourced and documented teak, wood-derived products or synthetic alternatives. If the Treadmaster on your Westerly is looking tatty, the preassembled teak deck panels on your Bavaria are lifting, or the depth of your caulking exceeds the thickness of your teak, depending on your yacht’s current deck coating, we can discuss the best option for a long-lasting deck.
With modern advancements in synthetic or ‘plastic’ teak, numerous solutions are available. Nowadays, synthetic teak can have the ‘grain’ and appearance of teak, with a range that varies from appearing to be ‘as new’ through all stages of weathering to well-aged silver ‘teak’.
But your deck doesn’t have to look like teak; you can choose hard-wearing synthetics in the colours of ash, beech, walnut wood, white, grey, or black, along with your choice of caulking colour too. We work with manufacturers such as Flexiteek, TekDek, Permateek, Eva Decking, and Marinedeck 2000 to provide you with a variety of options.
Capping rail repair and replacement
Whether your yacht has natural teak capping rail, or one that’s highly varnished and glistens in the morning sun, we can replace, repair and refurbish the wood that surrounds your deck. If it’s split, worn, or damaged, we can remove and restore the affected area, adding the finish you require. We can also add rub rails to keep the hulls of Baltic-bound cruisers away from the entry piles of box berths away from your topsides.
Brightwork restoration
Regardless of whether you own a wooden classic boat that used to gleam with polished bronze and glass-like varnish, or just have a cockpit table where the water has penetrated the varnish, we can make the brightwork of your yacht sparkle again. We can strip, sand, and revarnish by hand – the proper way – and ensure your yacht gets the attention it needs. We’ll re-chrome if necessary and polish fittings, such as dorades, winches, and cleats. If they are bronze or brass, they’ll be buffed from tarnished deep green to reflective deep gold. We’ll transform the brightwork from dull to delightful.
Pulpit, pushpit and stanchion
If you’ve had a mooring mishap or come down to your boat and found that the pulpit, pushpit, or stanchions are a bit out of shape, we can repair them and get you sailing again quickly. We can remove bent and buckled pulpits, pushpits, and stanchions and either repair (where possible) or have new stainless-steel framework fabricated to match the existing design.
For stanchion repairs, we can straighten or replace bent stanchions. Additionally, we can repair the stanchion bases by grinding out any cracked or damaged GRP and strengthening as required. After damage of this kind, we’d also recommend new guardrails to ensure your safety
We can also modify existing pulpits to make forward entry easier for those looking to cruise the Mediterranean or Baltic. We can add pushpit seats as well as outboard motor cranes and brackets.
Davit installation
Inflating and deflating dinghies can be a bind, and there are many davit solutions available, ranging from those designed to keep your dinghy out of the water while mooring to permanent solutions for dinghy storage. Whether you have a motorboat or a sailing yacht, the choice will depend on the size of your boat and your specific requirements. There are many off-the-shelf davit solutions available, but if none of these work for you, we can fabricate a custom solution tailored to your particular requirements.
Cockpit arches and antenna poles
You might want a cockpit or pole arch for many reasons, including installing solar panels, adding radar, a wind generator or Starlink satellite Wi-Fi. We can add antenna poles for Wi-Fi boosters, Radar Target enhancers, GPS, and AIS. Larger diameter poles can be used for radar and wind generators, or if you’re looking for more real estate for aerials, we can fabricate a custom arch for your yacht. We can add outboard cranes, davits to the arch, and even reroute the mainsheet to keep it clear of the cockpit.
We’ll work with you to discuss your requirements and ensure that we meet all your needs. Depending on your requirements, we can modify your pushpit or fabricate a freestanding gantry for antennas, aerials and power generation solutions. We can add biminis, sunshades, and cockpit enclosures, making the cockpit a more enjoyable living space – whatever the weather.
Window/hatch repair or replacement
If, after a tough sail, you’ve experienced the disappointment of a damp berth from a leaky hatch above it, we can help. We can reseal, repair or replace leaking hatches and windows. If your aluminium frames have corroded, the acrylic has crazed, or the sealant around the windows no longer seals, we can restore your windows to watertight condition.
Windlass installation
If you’d like to retrieve your anchor with the push of a button, rather than breaking a sweat and getting covered in debris that should remain on the seabed, contact us. We can replace old windlasses or retrofit new ones. We’re on hand to help you choose the type and a suitable size for how you use your yacht.
We’ll not only install the windlass, but we’ll also help you decide whether to fit a forward battery or run cables from your existing battery bank – including increasing its capacity if required. We’ll ensure the drop of the chain is suitable and enclose the windlass workings and wiring to keep your yacht’s interior looking beautiful.
Electric winch upgrade
Rather than having to grind halyards, genoa sheets or main sheets, electric winches enable you to give up a winch handle in favour of a button. Modern technology allows winches to take in or release with the press of a finger, enabling you to trim sheets without leaving the helm.
There are many electric winch solutions available, and we’re here to help you find the best one for your needs. The system you choose will depend on the winches you currently have and the location of your helm. Some winches allow your existing winches to piggyback on a motor that’s either beneath the winch or beneath the deck. Contact us, and we can discuss whether you’ll need new winches or if we can modify your existing winches. We’ll also work with you to identify the best location for extra batteries and to ensure the charging systems and wiring work reliably.
Hardware upgrades
Whether your genoa tracks are outdated and you’d prefer new towable jib cars, or perhaps you’d like to move halyards from the mast to the cockpit and need deck tidies installed, or you need a midships cleat or additional pad eyes and winches for a spinnaker or code zero, or a cutter rig. We can do all this and more.
Whether you have ageing fittings that are leaking and need re-bedding or replacement, we’ll work with you to determine what is best for you and your yacht. We’ll ensure every deck fitting has the appropriate backing and deck reinforcement for its intended use, regardless of the deck material/covering.
Tiller to wheel conversions
If you’ve just bought a yacht with a tiller but would have preferred wheel steering, or you would like to convert your tiller-steered yacht to wheel steering, we are here for you. If your yacht was designed to have a wheel or tiller configuration, converting to wheel steering is easier; however, many designs can be transformed. Speak to us to discuss your yacht, and we’ll let you know what’s possible.
Leak sealing
As sealant ages, it becomes brittle, and when it does, leaky deck fittings usually follow. It is essential to catch leaks in balsa-cored decks, as this can lead to the core absorbing water and rotting, which will weaken your deck structure. If you need your chainplates, hatches, or deck hardware re-bedded to prevent leaks for years to come, contact us now.
If you have found water ingress in your cored decks, we can remove the sodden core, replace it, and repair the affected area before preventing the source of the leak and refitting the deck hardware.
LED Navigation light conversions
If you’re looking to take advantage of the low power consumption and extended life of LED technology, we can help. While it’s possible to swap a traditional incandescent bulb with LED options, purpose-built LED units ensure there is no interference and are fully sealed from the elements. So, whether you want a tri-colour and anchor light fitted at the masthead, steaming and deck lights fitted overhead, or a bi-colour at the bow, we’ll ensure that wiring is replaced where needed and your power consumption is reduced.
