Virtual Factory Tour

	Metal Shop - Rigger Fabrication
	We make all of the wing riggers and 3-stay riggers in the metal shop. While certain dimensions are standard, riggers are custom-made to meet the spread/span and height requirements of each customer.




	Darryl stands at the jig where all the wing riggers are fabricated. By welding up the pieces on the jig, we assure that the riggers consistently fit.

		Sykes 'Virtual' Factory Tour

		Click on the buildings or building names for more information.

	Assembly Floor
	After the hull, end decks, and seat deck are laid-up in their respective moulds, the pieces are brought to the boatbuilders on the assembly floor; the main part of the building process. A CNC machine cuts out the bulk heads for the builders, and they pretty much do the rest. They emphasise making clean and effective joins that do not waste materials or weight. They also are responsible for setting the boat up for the appropriate crew weight insofar as the amount of freeboard and the height of the seat off the water line.




	click image to enlarge
	There is typically as many as 12 boats on the floor at a time. Each single and double typically has just one builder working on it at a time, whereas eights and fours typically have a few builders. When things get very busy (as in 2006) one builder will handle a four or quad himself.


	Nick measuers out the placement of the keel packer in the finishing stages of building this HC13H. Like most of the boatbuilders and the laminators, Nick has been with Sykes for more than five years.



	Assistant Foreman Norm (pictured) and Neil Holmes (Foreman) go over the rigging on each boat to set it up as ordered and check over the construction. It takes time to have our most experienced builders address the details, but we take pride in the care we take in building and rigging your boat.

	Administration
	While the majority of the 40 or so folks that work for Sykes work in production, there are a handful of people who keep things running as well as find new ways to improve the business or the products.




	Jeff Lawrence became managig director of Jeff Sykes & Assc. after the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, when Jeff Sykes retired after 35 years. Since then, Jeff Lawrence has directed the business and been largely responsible for the growth in sales, particularly overseas.



	Stuart Wilson runs the production side of the business. He is in charge of all new product development and decides which suppliers Sykes uses. More importantly, Stuart is the man behind the decisions that affect the ergonomics of how the boats are setup for various crews. According the Jeff Sykes, the boats Sykes is building now are as good (if not better) than any made whiel Jeff Sykes was in charge.



	While North American customers may not be familiar with Phil Gardiner, any customer in Australia and throughout much of the rest of the world know him very well. As head of Sales, Phil is a fountain of knowledge about Sykes boats as well as people in rowing. LIke Stuart, Phil has decades of rowing experience at the elite international level.

	Spray Booth & Oven
	The first step in making a Sykes is spraying the gel coat in the mould. Gel coat is different than paint in that it is made of tougher stuff. We spray the gel coat into the mould and then lay the layers of materials on to it later. Now that we are using paint to get colour other than white this booth is getting double duty in any post-spraying.




	Tammy (foreground) and'Tink' (in suit) share duties with Lee, Greg, and Don on spraying the gel coat. The second person inthe booth helps by measuring out and mixing the gel coat. They spray the same amount each time to be sure that weight is consistent.


	The oven walls work on a pulley system to make it easy to get the heavy moulds in and out without wasting room and heat.


	Greg finishes the post-spraying of black paint on the 4-. We have found better consistency in using paint than coloured gel coats in recent years. So, the white gel coat gets sanded to prepare for painting and to reduce weight.

	Laminating Shed & Mould Storage
	In 2003 we extended the laminating shed to make room to lay-up more boats and more parts. This is where the construction of the boats starts, and the skill and experience of the people in lamination assures the fundamental strength, stiffness, and lightness of weigt in the boats.




	Tammy (pictured), 'Tink', and Don lay-up the first layer of Kevlar in a Kevlar four. In sweep boats, we lay the material on a diagonal to improve the torsional stiffness of the boat, even though its more time-consuming than laying the material along the length.


	We use infusion moulding for components like the one-piece carbon footstretchers in the singles, pairs, and doubles.


	The more common moulds are stored adjacent to the laminating room, though the most common moulds rarely get back onto the racks as they are in constant production. Less common moulds are stored off-site.

	Repair Centre
	While North American customers won't have any dealings with the repair centre in Geelong, it is where our repair knowledge for doing repairs originates. Paul Fitzgerald has been with Sykes for decades and is certains among the best repair craftsmen in the world. The techniques he and his staff use get about as good of results as you will find.




	The repair floor is spacious, which is particularly necessary when the boats come in from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to be reconditioned and resold every two years. Some custoemrs in North America will be familiar with reconditioned boats coming out of the AIS.