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about our products

We are able to build and repair small wooden boats, as well as manufacture ancillary items such as oars and rudders. This has included a one off prototype design for a two part tender and a gas turbine powered hydroplane. Additionally we have built many St Ayles Skiff rowing boats, including a high buoyancy version which has been capsize tested.

recent projects

WOODEN BOAT CONSTRUCTION

This was a bespoke two part nested tender designed especially by Iain Oughtred.

OARS

Bespoke oars of any length and blade type.

BESPOKE COMMISSIONS

One person hydrofoil powered by twin gas turbine engines.

ST AYLES SKIFF

We’ve made a number of these both Mk3 and Mk4 types.

8m daysailer turned over using crash mats to protect her. Back on the trolley and returned to the unit for re-levelling and fixing securely. Interior moulds removed and suddenly a large space appears. Next job is cleaning up and taping the plank joints.

Keel boxes installed in 8m boat. Involved the usual stress of cutting holes in the hull in exactly the right place. Then made wooden trial assemblies to ensure fit before making moulds. 2 required as inevitably the 2 sides were 'handed.' 8 layers of glass vacuum bagged to produce dense product with consistent thickness. Due…

At long last, after a lot of preparation the first coat of wood sealer goes on. Always a satisfying job as the colour and grain of the wood start to show through. 3 more coats and then the varnish.

Atropos house roof finally on. Deck fitting blocks in place, 1st layer of ply glued on, starting to apply epoxy and 2nd layer persuaded into shape. Due to the shape of the roof, some torturing was required. Only some of which related to the ply. Main problem was the clean up inside. There was inevitable…

After a good deal of filling, sanding, faring, the hull has now been primed and (almost ) ready for turning over. The one job remaining is to cut out the access holes where the keels fit. After some discussion with the architect these have been finalised so we can progress.

Keel metalwork finally arrived and after some persuasion was bolted and bonded into place. That meant the planking could go on and after a coat of epoxy the hull is ready to be faired. The large vertical plank is only 6mm thick so inevitably, with few bulkheads, has some slight variations.

Cockpit side seats laminated in place and rear deck glued down. Foredeck faired, underside of roof painted and first layer glued down. Second layer done in 2 halves to get centre join as tight as possible. Took quite a combination of ratchet straps, blocks and clamps to hold it down evenly but it has worked…

We recently had a visit from our Atropos clients. So we dry fitted the beams and mocked up the coachroof hatch location. With the rear deck beams in place and the roll sides of the cockpit glued in, the overall shape of the boat is starting to emerge.

With the new boat starting to be built at the same time as Atropos the workshop is getting a bit crowded. The new boat is 28ft long and Atropos is 20ft so with a 52ft long space not many cats are being swung. The new frame is complete with bulkheads fixed to the longitudinals and…

Atropos is the right way up. She was wheeled out on the frame/ trolley, lowered onto the ground and gently turned over. The sheer was protected by timbers projecting outside the gunwhale line. Then slid on thick cloths back to the trolley and onto it for return inside and the removal of the temporary frames.…

High buoyancy St Ayles skiff capsize test

Video copyright of Jordan Boats Ltd.

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking, And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a gray dawn breaking."

John Masefield

Poet Laureate (1930 - 1967)