Wight Shipyard

Wight Shipyard is a shipbuilding and marine-refit company located in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. Its facilities occupy and include historic industrial structures associated with the island's aviation and marine-engineering heritage, notably the Saunders-Roe flying-boat hangar and the British Hovercraft Corporation hangar. These facilities provide the company with a distinctive base for constructing, maintaining, and refurbishing large aluminium and high-speed vessels. The business was originally known as Shemara Refit LLP. It was established to undertake the refit of MY Shemara, a classic yacht, before expanding its activities beyond that initial project. The company's current specialization is the construction and refit of high-speed craft and aluminium ships. This places it within a technically focused segment of the marine industry, serving vessel owners and operators that require lightweight construction, speed, refurbishment, or lifecycle maintenance rather than mass-market recreational boats. Wight Shipyard's documented work includes the construction or refit of passenger ferries associated with Thames Clippers and Red Funnel. Vessels identified in reference material include Sky Clipper and Star Clipper, as well as Storm Clipper. The company also participated in the work on the Red Funnel ferry Red Eagle in conjunction with Southampton Marine Services. These projects indicate experience with commercial passenger vessels and with operational ferry fleets, where refit work must accommodate demanding service requirements. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about the company's ownership, leadership, finances, founding date, and detailed corporate development. The available description nevertheless establishes Wight Shipyard as an active specialist shipyard whose identity is closely tied to East Cowes, historic shipbuilding infrastructure, aluminium-vessel construction, high-speed craft, and marine refit services.

Wight Shipyard is based in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, a location with a long association with aviation, marine engineering, and shipbuilding. The yard's facilities include the historic Saunders-Roe flying-boat hangar and the British Hovercraft Corporation hangar. Their continued use gives the company an industrial setting rooted in the island's earlier specialist manufacturing traditions. The company was originally known as Shemara Refit LLP. It was formed to carry out the refit of MY Shemara, a classic yacht. That initial undertaking provided the basis for the business's development as a marine refit specialist. It subsequently broadened its work to include both new construction and refurbishment of vessels, operating under the Wight Shipyard name. The company's stated specialization is the construction and refit of high-speed craft and aluminium ships. Aluminium is widely used in vessels where reduced weight, speed, and efficient operation are important, while high-speed craft require specialized design, fabrication, and maintenance capabilities. Wight Shipyard's documented portfolio therefore reflects a focused technical position rather than general-purpose shipbuilding at every scale. Among the vessels associated with its work are Thames Clippers ferries, including Sky Clipper, Star Clipper, and Storm Clipper. The company also worked on the Red Funnel ferry Red Eagle in conjunction with Southampton Marine Services. These projects connect the yard to the commercial passenger-vessel market and demonstrate involvement in both ferry construction or refit activity and collaborative marine-service projects. The available reference material does not specify the company's founding year, ownership structure, executives, financial performance, or a complete chronology of projects. As a result, the documented history is best understood as a concise account of its origins as Shemara Refit LLP, its East Cowes facilities, and its subsequent specialization in high-speed and aluminium vessels.

1. Formation as Shemara Refit LLP

   The business was formed under the name Shemara Refit LLP to undertake the refit of the classic yacht MY Shemara.

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2. Development as Wight Shipyard

   The company developed beyond its initial yacht-refit project and became associated with the construction and refit of high-speed craft and aluminium ships from its East Cowes facilities.

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3. Commercial ferry work

   The documented portfolio came to include work connected with Thames Clippers ferries and the Red Funnel ferry Red Eagle, the latter undertaken in conjunction with Southampton Marine Services.

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A specialist United Kingdom shipyard focused on high-speed craft, aluminium vessel construction, and ship refit work, including projects for commercial passenger-ferry operators and classic yachts.

• High-speed craftVessel construction and refit

  Wight Shipyard specializes in constructing and refitting high-speed craft. This work involves vessel fabrication and marine maintenance for craft where low weight, speed, and reliable operation are central requirements.

• Aluminium shipsShipbuilding

  The yard builds aluminium ships, a category associated with lightweight marine structures and applications where speed or operating efficiency is important. The available reference material does not identify a separate standardized product model or series.

• Thames Clippers ferriesPassenger ferries

  The company's documented ships-built or ships-refitted portfolio includes ferries associated with Thames Clippers. Named vessels in the reference material are Sky Clipper, Star Clipper, and Storm Clipper.

• Red EaglePassenger ferry

  Red Eagle is a Red Funnel ferry associated with Wight Shipyard's documented work. The project was undertaken in conjunction with Southampton Marine Services.

• Classic-yacht refit servicesMarine refit

  The business originated with the refit of MY Shemara, a classic yacht. This project established the marine-refit foundation from which the company expanded into broader vessel construction and refurbishment work.

1. Wight Shipyard