The Identity of All’s Fair
The Hull: built on an authentic Sealion 42 steel full-displacement hull.
The Builder/Fit-Out: While J.G. Meakes handled the standard production line, the superstructure and complete internal/external fit-out were custom-crafted by H. Gibbs & Sons.
The Launch Date: While the design files and hull fabrication began at the turn of the decade, All’s Fair was fully completed and launched in 1963 However the ships register states the build being 1960.
What Makes All’s Fair Unique?
Standard Sealion 42s built entirely by J.G. Meakes feature a teak superstructure. Because All’s Fair was commissioned through H. Gibbs & Sons, it boasts a highly distinctive Mahogany superstructure built on top of the ultra-tough 15.1-ton steel hull.
All’s Fair retains its original Engine setup:
Power: Twin Ford 2703E diesel engines (100 HP each), marinised by Parsons (famously known as Ford Barracudas).
Gearboxes: Twin hydraulic Parsons HG4 gearboxes.
Dimensions: A 42-foot cruiser with a 36-inch draft and a highly manageable 8-foot 9-inch air draft, perfectly proportioned for navigating the Thames.
All’s Fair is a bespoke piece of mid-century British marine engineering that seamlessly combined the heavy-duty seafaring capability of a Sealion hull with the premium cabinetry of the Gibbs yard.
History of H. Gibbs & Son
H. Gibbs & Sons (later known as H. Gibbs and Son (Boat Builders)) is a classic tale of twentieth-century British marine craftsmanship. Operating out of Teddington, Middlesex, the yard was renowned for producing robust, beautifully appointed river craft and luxury motor yachts.
Spanning just two generations of the Gibbs family, the yard played a significant role in both peacetime luxury boating and wartime naval service.
1. The Early Origins (Pre-WWI)
The story began on the banks of the Thames when Bob Gibbs started a modest boat-building business on land leased from the local council. In those early days, the yard primarily focused on building small dinghies.
The Trademark: Early boats built by Bob were easily identified by a distinct, charming maker’s mark: three raised beads running in a rainbow pattern across the transom.
The Expansion (1911): Bob was joined in the business by his brother, Harry Gibbs. With the two brothers working together, the scale of production dramatically scaled up. They successfully won a grand contract with the Royal Naval Air Service to construct 40-foot centre-wheelhouse boats designed to be used as flying-boat tenders. One of these military vessels was famously converted back to civilian use after the war, spending decades as a prominent “live-aboard” home at Kingston.
2. The Interwar “Golden Era”
Between World War I and World War II, H. Gibbs became one of the most prolific, highly regarded builders of river craft on the entire River Thames. They established their permanent, historic base at Trowlock Island in Teddington.
During this period, they specialised in “Carvel-style” construction—typically utilising premium pitch pine or mahogany planking over incredibly sturdy oak frames. They built highly sought-after cabin cruisers and luxury gentlemen’s launches for the affluent class of the era.
3. World War II and Dunkirk
When war broke out in 1939, the yard’s focus instantly pivoted back to military production and service. The Trowlock Island yard became a hive of intense wartime industry.
The Little Ships: Several iconic vessels built by H. Gibbs in the late 1930s played a direct role in the historic Dunkirk Evacuation (Operation Dynamo) in 1940.
Notable Survivor: A famous example of their 1930s mastery is Ryegate II, a 1937 motor cruiser built by H. Gibbs at Teddington. Commandeered by the Navy for Dunkirk, she survived the evacuation and spent the rest of the war serving the Royal Naval Patrol Service at Brightlingsea and the River Medway. She is still celebrated on the National Historic Ships Register.
4. Post-War Bespoke Commissions (The Era of All’s Fair)
After 1945, pleasure boat building resumed, and Harry was joined by his son, Bob Gibbs Junior, marking the second and final generation of the family dynasty.
As fiberglass (GRP) and mass production began to loom on the horizon in the late 1950s and early 1960s, H. Gibbs & Sons resisted the urge to mass-produce cheap boats. Instead, they leaned into elite, high-end bespoke joinery and custom outfitting.
This is exactly how, All’s Fair, came to be in 1963. Rather than building standard wooden hulls, the yard took on custom commissions taking incredibly tough steel full-displacement hulls (like the Sealion 42 design) and crafting, custom mahogany superstructures and luxury cabins on top of them. This hybrid approach combined modern structural longevity with traditional Teddington luxury.
5. The Closing of the Yard (1963)
The era of the traditional Thames master-craftsman yard unfortunately began to draw to a close in the 1960s as fiberglass took over the global marine market. H. Gibbs and Son formally closed its doors in 1963, making All’s Fair one of the very final, crowning achievements to ever slide down their slipway.
Sealion Steel Hull Manufactures
Scheepswerf J. Hitters-Proost & Zonen (frequently referred to in British trade contexts as C.H. Hitters or Hitters-Proost) was a highly respected family-run Dutch shipyard renowned for its bespoke steel hull fabrication.
Yard History and Origins
Establishment: The family company originally started building small wooden hulls in 1915.
The Move to Steel: Following World War II, the yard set up its main operations at the intersection of the Dommel river and the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), Netherlands. It was during this post-war era that they pioneered working with heavy steel.
Bespoke Reputation: Operating as a small, specialised team of master shipwrights, they built an international reputation for constructing “one-off” custom orders, commercial workboats, and exceptionally durable round-bilge yacht hulls.
The Sealion Connection
During the 1960s luxury boating boom, British yards like J.G. Meakes routinely outsourced steel-rolling and welding to Dutch shipyards because the Netherlands possessed superior industrial infrastructure for forming round-bilge steel plates.
Hitters-Proost fabricated the heavy steel hulls, which were treated and primed before being towed or shipped across the North Sea. Once they arrived at Marlow on the River Thames, Meakes’ craftsmen executed the woodwork, installing the teak decks and internal accommodation.
Final Years
In the late 1960s, the yard relocated further north to Maren-Kessel, where they transitioned into serial production of their own signature line of stalen motorkruisers (steel motor cruisers) called the Cupidoseries. The Hitters-Proost family yard officially ceased all shipbuilding and maintenance operations in 1996.