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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

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Gates & Co, Emsworth.

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Gates & Co, Emsworth.

A regular update on work in progress. Yacht restoration and repair, painting, spraying, polishing. Light engineering, welding, electrics, and Kayak Hospital.

04/04/2026

1904 Mikado, launched and ready to go for Maundy Thursday for the 27th time.
Great team effort to finish most of the jobs on time.
Lots of brightwork attended to, blocks refurbished and serviced, new sheets, antifoul, and full interior valet to keep her smelling sweet down below.

29/03/2026

Bluebell. Out on the water and looking good! She is better than new, and good for another six decades.

the day

28/03/2026

Bluebell, nearly the final instalment!

With the engine in and lined up we could run the fuel lines, fit the fuel filter, and bleed the system.

The exhaust now runs completely out of sight, and with a slim watertrap that was fitted under the sole.

A mount for the control panel. Throttle and stop controls. The list was endless!

Manual and electric bilge pumps were fitted, with a solar panel to keep the battery happy. The pumps exit at the transom, through a skin fitting to match the exhaust. I like symmetry. Again, as much out of sight as possible for the clean look.

A chain shute was fitted to run the anchor chain away from the fuel tank.
A standard bow roller was modified to keep the anchor clear of the hull, and for her swinging mooring.

The keel was repaired at the grounding point, with the rusty steel replaced with stainless steel. The docking b**g eas cleared and refurbished for easy winter cleaning.

Finally we could bring her out into the sunshine for launch day!
Video to follow.

27/03/2026

More metal stuff....

Mainsheet sheaves from some old Fife....

1️⃣Ream out the old bush
2️⃣Turn down a bit of bronze until its 0.01mm larger than the hole in the sheave.
3️⃣Warm up the sheave and quickly press the bush in. (No pic, too hot!)
4️⃣Pop it back in the lathe, bore out to just under the pin size.
5️⃣Ream out to pin size plus 1/64 clearance
6️⃣Trim the bush flush.
7️⃣Repeat.

26/03/2026

Can you just weld up my bow roller?

"Well, no. Not in situ. It will melt the fiberglass. Take it off and I will"

Half an hour later it arrived in the workshop. The boat was on the grid for a scrub, waiting for the tide to drop.

The roller guides were bent and cracked. Cutting one off to replace it gave access to the better one. That was straightened and polished. A new one was cut for the other side, drilled off, and welded in place. A compression tube and bolt was cut for the roller, with the end finished in the lathe.
A new captive pin was made and welded in place.
Finally old grazes were sanded and polished out, and it was nearly as good as new.
Within a few hours it was refitted and good to go.

Now what was I doing....?

24/03/2026

National 18 Thumbilina in for a few jobs, including a stem repair, new stem band, some frame repairs, blanking of 54 unused fastening holes, and a coat of varnish to the deck.
The ex 505 owner is looking forward to sailing this season at

19/03/2026

An exciting moment for the owner of the lovely SHE 36 when his skin fitting came of in his hand!
Thankfully the wooden b**gs were ready to hand and very little water came in.

We fitted a lovely forward facing grill/ scoop to aid cooling, coupled to a bronze ball valve with acetal ball, silky smooth.
A water strainer was a big improvement, as was increasing the pipe diameter from pump to heat exchanger from 13mm ID to 20mm ID.

This will really help the with cooling at high revs.

We also fabricated new stainless steel clips to hold the pump in place, far better than the standard ones.

These early Betas run a 10mm alternator belt, and they wear quickly, covering the engine in black dust.
Thankfully Beta supply an upgrade to a Polyvee belt and matching pulleys, which increases the area of belt contact, so reducing wear.
Being perfectionists we colour matched the parts before fitting 😎

07/03/2026

P&H Quest LV refurbishment.

The owner of this well loved sea kayak wanted it bought back up to nearly new condition.

After local gel coat repairs were carried out, the whole hull was carefully sanded back and four coats of gel were applied. This was then sanded carefully back through the grades, 320, 400, 600, 800 etc, and then compound polished up to super shiney!

The deck lines were removed, and scratches sanded out, before bringing the shine back with compound and polish.

After reassembly new lettering was applied for that factory fresh look.

Finally the keel strip was refreshed with a fresh gel/resin mix.

With new kayaks of this quality costing 3-4k, this work is a sound financial and environmental choice ❤️

02/03/2026

Bluebell Pt11
Thwarts! These luscious slabs of Sapele were carefully selected for fairness and grain. The supporting frameworks were designed for maximum foot room, and like everything on this boat are made out of solid timber for longevity.

After being varnished they are invisibly fastened underneath, giving seating for eight.

28/02/2026

Bluebell Pt11
Time to fit the Yanmar!
With the steel engine beds in to reduce the width, it was time to see if our measurements were correct, and fit the engine.
The marina made short work with the Merlot, and it was soon in place.
Perfect!

Sole boards.
These are well under way. Constructed of solid Iroko, these will outlast plywood, and look much more classy.
The timber is purchased in large sections, and machined to size on our saw.

24/02/2026

Final pre-sale preparation of this lovely Southerly, which will be advertised on Apollo Duck this week. Lots of recent investment, ready to go. £25k.

23/02/2026

This 1960 A.K.Balfor designed Honey Bee is in for a refinish, but a few requirements have come to light.
The stem had become stained due to ferros fastenings rusting (well they are 66 years old!). When removing them the stem was found to be partially delaminated. Galvanised steel bolts always suffer in oak. The tannic acid eats through the galvanising, then has the steel for the main course.

The new English Oak boards were steamed over a former to give easy cramping. Each section was glued on individually, and temporarily bolted until the next laminate was fitted.

The oak was local windfall, and was machined where it fell about 25 years ago.

After shaping new bolts were fitted, and dowelled over. A really lovely job by Tom!

The bow roller has always been a little wobbly, so improved foundations have been let into the stem.

Address

Unit 3 Emsworth Shipyard
Emsworth
PO108BP

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

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