Finished Contender outside our workshop
About us
Specialist Boat Repairers in the West Country, South-West and Wales
Our Workshop
Bailey the office dog 🙂
For 20+ years Pete has been running boat repair businesses based in North Somerset and the surrounding areas. Now we are located in Lydney in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire – with easy access from the M5 and the M4. (directions) We provide quality repairs to sailing dinghies of all types, but we are particularly expert in GRP repairs to the RS and Laser classes. We can also undertake repairs to rotomoulded boats. As well as repairs we are happy to take on general refurbishment and low key TLC work. We are specialists in the whole RS range, most of the Laser range, Enterprises, Solos, Cadets, Mirrors, Fireballs and Fireflies.
We can safely say there is not a repair on an RS200, RS400, Enterprise and Fireball we have not tackled! In conjunction with the widely recognised repair guru Andy Willcocks the company has built a very strong reputation for quality repair work, often tackling some of the most difficult rebuild jobs imaginable – including boats badly damaged in road accidents. We are approved repair centres for leading insurance companies including Noble Marine, Newton Crum, GJW and Craftinsure.
``Altogether a professional and friendly service from a guy well known on the dinghy circuit`` - Alan Bolton
We can also provide free advice and guide you through the maze of different classes to help you find the right boat for you. We have extensive connections to help you sell your boat. We are also able to help with collecting and delivering boats and parts for repair and sale all over the UK and mainland Europe – just ask for a quote.
“As a customer I have always found Pete to be a great source of advice on both the RS200 and RS400. He has an unparalleled knowledge of both the repair/maintenance of the boats and on how to get the best out of the boats on the water.” - Emmett Ryan – Ireland
Our Team
Pete Vincent
West Country Boat Repairs was set up more than 20 years ago by Pete Vincent. Pete has massive experience in the dinghy marine trade. He has also sailed competitively in a range of different classes for many years in both the UK and abroad. Nowadays he can regularly be seen club racing RS200 or RS400s at Llandegfedd as well as local Open Meetings when time allows. There are not many people in the dinghy world who have not heard of Pete; and there are not many sailing clubs in Britain he has not visited. Pete has owned a chandlery, run boat repair businesses, been chairman of 2 of Britain’s largest class associations, editor of Dinghy Sailing Magazine and has a major CV in race results across one design classes.
Penni Vincent
Pete’s wife Penni helps out in many areas of the business, including admin, finance and client liaison; and she also does hands-on repairs when required. Penni’s background is in sales and fund raising, and whilst she’s not a sailor, she does get involved in many a sailing conversation. If you come on one of our workshops you’ll discover that she makes the most amazing cakes!
Grant Wilton
Grant has now been with us for several years and is an invaluable member of the team. He was new to boat repairing until he came on one of our courses and he enjoyed it so that much he contacted us afterwards to see if we needed a trainee repairer following his retirement from his IT business. Perfect timing for us! His range of skills have developed exponentially over the years and he is now a very skillful repairer. He has developed additional knowledge in rotomoulded boat repairs which enables us to take on those repairs too. He also brings with him an extensive array of weird and wonderful tools and equipment which he occasionally lets us borrow. Grant sails a Laser 2000 and a Laser 1 from Cardiff Bay Yacht Club.
Matt Cooper
Matt joined us in 2018 and he brings with him considerable engineering skills. He has rapidly learnt everything there is to know about GRP repairs and and will take on even the trickiest jobs with expertise and boundless enthusiasm. Matt also undertakes RIB and inflatable repairs as well as trailer and trolley servicing. He sails an RS400 from Llandegfedd Sailing Club.
Andy Wilcox
Based in Clevedon, Andy is an expert in wooden repairs and also tackles some of the more complex GRP structural repairs. Andy has nearly 30 years experience in the industry. He is a very competitive sailor, sailing both a Solo and a Fireball from Portishead Yacht & Sailing Club.
Sally Campbell
Sally joined us in 2020 to help with social media, marketing and website maintenance. RS sailors may know her as the secretary of their class association,
Sally sails an RS200 at Bristol Corinthian Yacht Club and she is also ‘sailor parent’ to Abi who is a keen crew across many classes and secretary of the RS Class Association. Her background is in sales, marketing and event management.