UK Marine Services Directory
67 vetted companies covering surveys, engineering, rigging, insurance, transport and refit work — searchable by service type, region and capability.
Written by Daniel Mercer, Boating & Yacht Ownership EditorLast updated
Almost every job on a boat eventually needs someone with a trade behind it. A survey before you exchange contracts, an engineer to trace a fuel problem, a rigger to replace standing rigging at ten years, a yard with the crane capacity to lift a 14-tonne motor cruiser, an insurer who understands agreed-value hull cover. The UK marine trade is largely made up of small owner-run firms working out of a handful of harbours, and the good ones rarely advertise: they are busy because the boatyard next door recommends them.
That is what this directory is for. Every company is filed by trade, region and capability, so you can shortlist by what actually matters — whether they travel to your berth, whether they hold the accreditation the job needs, whether they work on your type of hull, and whether the season leaves them any spare time. Use the service-type pages below when you know what the job is, and the regional pages when the boat cannot easily be moved. Contact two or three, describe the work in the same words to each, and compare the questions they ask you back — the firm that interrogates the job before quoting is usually the one worth hiring.
Boatyards, marine engineers, riggers, electronics installers and surveyors overlap at the edges but are not interchangeable. A general yard may replace a shroud; a dedicated rigger will also tell you the mast step and chainplates need attention.
Look for YDSA or IIMS membership on surveyors, BMF membership on yards and chandleries, manufacturer approval on engine and electronics work, and Gas Safe (boats) for LPG installations. For anything insurance- or finance-related, check the FCA register.
Mobile engineers and riggers charge travel, and some will not cross a region for a half-day job. Yard-based work means lift-out, hardstanding and possibly a cradle — costs that belong in the quote, not a surprise on the invoice.
A quote should say what is included, what is assumed, and what happens if the job opens up. Marine work regularly does: a leaking stern gland becomes a shaft alignment. Agree in advance how variations get approved.
Ask for evidence of public liability and, for anyone working on a hull or system, professional indemnity. Your own policy may also require that certain work — gas, engine installation, rig replacement — is carried out by a suitably qualified contractor.
Everyone wants the same fortnight in April. Lay-up work booked in October is cheaper, better supervised and far more likely to be finished before you need the boat.
Trades cluster where the boats are. The Solent and the South Coast hold the deepest concentration of surveyors, riggers and refit yards in the country; the South West and Wales are strong on commercial and fishing-boat engineering; the East Coast is dominated by drying-berth expertise and smaller family yards; Scotland's West Coast trade is concentrated around Clyde and Oban, with long travel times between them.
That matters for lead times. In a busy harbour you may get an engineer within a week; in a thin area you plan around one visit and make sure everything is ready when they arrive. Where a specialism is scarce locally, it is usually cheaper to move the boat than to import the trade.
Most independent marine engineers and riggers charge somewhere between £55 and £95 an hour plus VAT, with yard labour and main-dealer rates higher. Mobile visits usually attract a call-out or travel charge on top, and lift-out, pressure wash and hardstanding are billed separately by the yard.
For routine maintenance, no. For gas installations, engine replacement, rig work and anything structural, many insurers expect the work to have been done by a competent professional and may ask for the invoice after a claim. Keep receipts and any certificates with the boat's paperwork.
Many will, within a radius. Listings in this directory show coverage areas, so filter by region first and confirm travel charges when you make contact. For larger jobs it is often the yard that expects you to come to them, because the lifting gear cannot move.
Spring antifouling, rig checks and engine servicing should be booked before Christmas for a March or April slot. Winter refit work is best agreed at lift-out in the autumn, when the yard can see the boat and quote accurately.
Raise it in writing with the contractor first, referencing the agreed scope. Trade-body members (BMF, YDSA, IIMS) have complaints procedures you can escalate to, and consumer rights on services still apply — work must be carried out with reasonable care and skill.
Featured providers
Companies with verified contact details and long-standing reputations in the UK marine trade.
Hayling Island, Hampshire
Established South Coast marine engineering team supporting sailing yachts and motorboats with servicing, repairs and installations.
Covers Solent and South Coast England
South East
Independent boat and yacht surveyor providing pre-purchase, insurance and valuation surveys for sailing and motor vessels.
Covers South Coast, United Kingdom and overseas by arrangement
Hampshire
Yacht management company providing technical, operational and refit support to private yachts and superyachts.
Covers United Kingdom and international
Newark, Nottinghamshire
Specialist small craft and boat insurer covering dinghies, yachts, motorboats, RIBs, rowing boats and sailing equipment.
Covers United Kingdom and specified cruising areas
Isle of Wight
Full-service Isle of Wight yacht business providing engineering, repairs, maintenance and refit work for sailing and motor vessels.
Covers Isle of Wight, Solent and South Coast
United Kingdom
Boat haulage company specialising in larger vessels and marine equipment movements across the UK and continental Europe.
Covers United Kingdom and Europe
Page 1 of 6
Hayling Island, Hampshire
Established South Coast marine engineering team supporting sailing yachts and motorboats with servicing, repairs and installations.
Covers Solent and South Coast England
South East
Independent boat and yacht surveyor providing pre-purchase, insurance and valuation surveys for sailing and motor vessels.
Covers South Coast, United Kingdom and overseas by arrangement
Hampshire
Yacht management company providing technical, operational and refit support to private yachts and superyachts.
Covers United Kingdom and international
Newark, Nottinghamshire
Specialist small craft and boat insurer covering dinghies, yachts, motorboats, RIBs, rowing boats and sailing equipment.
Covers United Kingdom and specified cruising areas
Isle of Wight
Full-service Isle of Wight yacht business providing engineering, repairs, maintenance and refit work for sailing and motor vessels.
Covers Isle of Wight, Solent and South Coast
United Kingdom
Boat haulage company specialising in larger vessels and marine equipment movements across the UK and continental Europe.
Covers United Kingdom and Europe
Plymouth, Devon
Specialist yacht and motorboat insurer providing policies and claims support for UK boat owners and international cruising.
Covers United Kingdom and international cruising areas, subject to underwriting
Brighton, East Sussex
Marine and leisure insurance specialist offering UK and worldwide cover for yachts, motorboats and long-distance cruising.
Covers United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide cruising, subject to policy terms
South East
Marine electronics installer supporting sailing yachts and motorboats with navigation, communication and onboard electrical systems.
Covers South Coast and Solent
Falmouth, Cornwall
Cornwall marine company specialising in yacht rigging and made-to-measure covers for sailing yachts, motorboats and marine equipment.
Covers Cornwall and South West England
United Kingdom
Boat maintenance and engineering business providing mechanical repairs, servicing and technical support for leisure craft.
Covers Local and regional service by arrangement
Plymouth, Devon
UK yacht rigging specialist providing mast, standing rigging, running rigging and sail-handling solutions for cruising and racing yachts.
Covers South West, South Coast and wider United Kingdom
Keep exploring
Related specialists, insurance guides and editorial from The Logbook.
