The dry docks needed new sluice paddles to ensure their boat refurbishing dry docks could continue to work for many years to come.

The old paddles were made of Greenheart (another of our timber species) and had reached the end of their service life, which was very long given the age of the original drawing we inherited (from 1962). We had to convert all measurements from imperial to metric and discuss the manufacturing in detail with both client and sawmill to ensure all went to plan – which we are pleased to say it did!

Prior to lifting the paddles in place, a lifting lug was fitted through the pre-drilled countersunk holes and in no time they were up and running (with the help of a very big crane!).

Our 100% FSC certified Ekki is a favourite among coastal and river works due to its density (1.3 ton/m3) and durability (class 1, very durable) so although not generally noticed, it can be found in a wide range of projects, from footbridges to lock gates and groynes to pier and pontoon decking.

If you have a project requiring durable and sustainable materials such as Ekki (sometimes called Azobe), please don’t hesitate to contact us.