UK Workboat · Marine & Civil Engineering
A century-old Cornish boatyard brings its ferry compliance fully digital
C. Toms & Son has built and repaired vessels on the River Fowey for over a century, and operates car and passenger ferries under MCA regulation. Sea-Flux replaced a paper-based recording system for those vessels and has since been credited by MCA inspectors for the leap in compliance standards.
UK
Location
1922
Founded
8
Assets
2023
Sea-Flux live
Summary
C. Toms & Son is a family-run boatyard in Polruan, Cornwall, UK, operating passenger and car ferries under MCA regulation. In 2023, Rachel Toms was tasked with replacing a paper-based recording system, evaluating three vessel management platforms before choosing Sea-Flux. The MCA has since directly commented on the leap forward in the company’s compliance recording at its annual inspections.
The challenge
Recording checks and maintenance on paper, across an inherently challenging operation
C. Toms & Son is a family-run boatyard in Polruan, Cornwall, UK, building and repairing fishing boats and commercial vessels on the River Fowey, alongside operating the Polruan passenger ferry and the Bodinnick car ferry. The ferries fall under MCA regulation, which meant a consistent, demonstrable record of checks and maintenance was crucial.
In 2023, Rachel Toms was tasked with finding an application that could record all checks and maintenance requirements electronically rather than on paper, a task she describes as inherently challenging. The team had tried other options before, that had not worked for the business.
- Checks and maintenance requirements recorded on paper across the operation
- Previous software attempts had not worked for the business
- No single, current view of compliance status for MCA-regulated ferry operations
- Crew had no prior experience with a digital vessel management system
- Difficult to demonstrate compliance progress clearly to MCA inspectors
C. Toms & Son’s boatyard at Polruan on the River Fowey, where the family business has built and repaired vessels for over a century.
Why Sea-Flux
Best of three options, chosen for covering compliance properly
Rachel (Owner / Operations), and her team searched online and asked other vessel operators whether they knew of a solution, knowing what they were looking for, because earlier attempts had failed. The search turned up three software or app-based vessel management systems. Sea-Flux stood out from the other two: it covered what the business needed across all areas of compliance, was visibly still evolving and improving, and was straightforward enough that a crew with no prior digital experience could pick it up.
“What we liked, and made Sea-Flux different from the other systems we’d used and seen, was that it covers what we need across all areas of compliance. It is still evolving and improving, and the way it works is highly intuitive to pick up.”
Rachel Toms
Owner / Operations
Implementation
Step-by-step transition
As the crew had not used a digital vessel management system before, C. Toms & Son focused on a slower, step-by-step transition, going through their historical data and uploading all their documentation.
“The crew are now confident enough with the system that they are happy to show others how it works, and the Sea-Flux team has been responsive throughout, helping get the operation up and running,” says Rachel.
The Bodinnick car ferry, one of the MCA-regulated crossings C. Toms & Son operates on the River Fowey.
The results
What changed, and what it means
| Compliance | |
| MCA confidence | The team is now confident it is compliant with MCA regulations, and has the documented record to demonstrate that confidence rather than simply assuming it. |
| Recognised by inspectors | The leap forward in how the company records monitoring and shows compliance has been recognised and commented on directly by the MCA at annual inspections. |
| Maintenance & Scheduling | |
| Reminders keep schedules current | Sea-Flux's reminders ensure the team stays on top of maintenance schedules and expiry dates, rather than relying on memory or a paper diary. |
| Faster recording | Recording on the app is markedly quicker than using paper records, with the crew now more involved in keeping all records up to date. |
| Crew Engagement | |
| Greater vessel familiarity | Crew have become much more involved in maintenance checks themselves, which has improved their familiarity with the vessels they work on. |
| One record, every device | The web version and the app version running on phones and tablets are exactly the same, so every crew member sees the same information regardless of what device they use. |
“We really like the way Sea-Flux records and holds every aspect of vessel management in one place, accessible by all crew, and everyone has access to whatever information they need.”
Rachel Toms
Owner / Operations
Conclusion
For C. Toms & Son, moving from paper records to Sea-Flux has created a more structured and accessible way to manage compliance, maintenance and day to day vessel requirements. Automated reminders help the team stay on top of schedules and expiry dates, while faster digital recording has increased crew involvement and made current vessel information easier to access across web, phones and tablets.
The result is greater confidence in the systems supporting the operation and a clearer way to demonstrate MCA compliance. The improvement in compliance recording has been recognised directly by MCA inspectors during annual inspections, while the crew has become confident enough with Sea-Flux to show others how the system works.
C. Toms & Son
Sector
Transport
Vessel Type
Passenger Ferries
Location
Polruan, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Operator
C. Toms & Son
Operating since
1922
Sea-Flux live
2023
Assets
8
Employees
10+
Key outcomes
- Fully digital compliance record, from paper
- Recognised by MCA inspectors at annual inspections
- Confident, demonstrable MCA compliance
- Automated reminders for schedules and expiry dates
- One record, identical across web and every device
Inspired by the C. TOMS & SON Story?
“What we liked, and made Sea-Flux different from the other systems we’d used and seen, was that it covers what we need across all areas of compliance. It is still evolving and improving, and the way it works is highly intuitive to pick up.”
Rachel Toms,
Owner / Operations
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Frequently asked questions
What problem did C. Toms & Son have before using Sea-Flux?
Checks and maintenance requirements across the operation were recorded on paper, and previous attempts at software solutions had not worked for the business.
Why did C. Toms & Son choose Sea-Flux over other vessel management systems?
Sea-Flux was the best of three software platforms evaluated. It stood out for covering all the areas of compliance the business needed, and for being straightforward and easy enough for a crew with no prior digital experience to pick up whilst still being highly comprehensive.
What results has C. Toms & Son seen?
The MCA has directly commented on the leap forward in compliance recording at the company’s annual inspections, and the crew now keeps schedules and expiry dates current with the help of automated reminders.
Does Sea-Flux work the same way on web and mobile for a small operator?
Yes. C. Toms & Son specifically values that the web version and the app version running on phones and tablets are the same, so every crew member sees identical information regardless of device. No double-handling of data, offline capabilities, and instant whole-crew visibility.
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