"We set out to make the World's Best Yacht Instruments"

by A+T Instruments 25 Apr 04:00 PDT

Hugh Agnew and Richard Tinley © A+T Instruments

Globally recognised yacht instruments company A+T Instruments is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year after a decade of successful growth by pushing the boundaries of quality and customer service.

And 2025 looks set for record sales figures for the UK based company, with a 30% increase over the last 12 months.

A+T Instruments, based in Lymington on the south coast of England, was founded in 2015 by yacht electronics expert and design engineer Richard Tinley and Cambridge mathematician, oceanographer and race navigator Hugh Agnew, with the simple mission of producing the best yacht instruments ever made.

A+T's range is now used by top race boats including Vendée Globe winner MACIF and other entrants, as well as hundreds of superyachts, big new build yachts and elite race boats worldwide.

The two founders have over 70 years of combined race navigation, marine instrument design and repair experience between them. With the expanding A+T team, Richard and Hugh continue to prioritise product quality for the most demanding market of high-end yachts. All A+T equipment is designed, manufactured and rigorously tested in Lymington and backed up with 24/7 customer support.

Richard Tinley said: "With a wealth of experience over the years in service, design and installation of all makes and types of instrument systems, I was keen to use this knowledge to make my mark in yacht instrumentation. After all, I had seen hundreds of examples of how it shouldn't be done! Working with Hugh and other experts who use racing instruments for their livelihood, we designed from the ground up, putting in only the best bits. After 10 years with the most demanding use on boats across the globe, we are extremely proud that our instruments have proven to stand the test of time."

Hugh Agnew said: "It's been a fantastic decade where we've set out to do what we knew we could to fill that gap in the market for exceptional high-end products and customer service. All of us at A+T are sailors so we understand that shipping parts quickly and technical support is critical to helping a yacht be able to compete in the toughest yacht races going."

A+T displays in the water tank - photo © A+T Instruments

Richard grew up in a sailing family and was first put onto a boat at two months old. An electronics hobbyist from age 10, he qualified in engineering and then electronics. His first job was for a local marine electronics service and installation dealer, but he was soon poached by B&G which was then based in Lymington. Richard went on to be Managing Director of a B&G dealership in the Caribbean, returning to the UK in 1999 to start Tinley Electronics. This successful service, design and manufacture business became the official B&G service department worldwide for more than a decade, until Richard and Hugh decided to create their own groundbreaking brand.

Hugh, a mathematician and oceanographer, spent his career building navigation systems for offshore, military, and yachting industries. He developed the first TV tracking used for the America's Cup in Fremantle in 1987, was the inventor of the Yeoman plotter, and developed the first telephone-based car navigation system. Throughout this time, he's also continued to sail professionally as a navigator, accumulating a wealth of major race victories and records on some of the world's largest and fastest yachts.

The company has built its success on a number of unique features. A+T wind sensors have ceramic bearings for longevity and accuracy, and parts are made from carbon fibre and graphite-infused resin to limit lightning damage. Each instrument is given the toughest testing on the market by submerging in 1m water for 24 hours and oven-testing in 75 degreesC before shipping. The A+T BFD colour displays are the largest, brightest and toughest on the market, and it's the only company in the World making shut-off valves so sensors can be removed without water ingress. A+T is also the only company making a completely Ethernet-based instrument system, and the only production autopilot with a web-served interface. The latest innovation from A+T is an inertial wind sensor which measures 6 axis accelerations at the masthead for the most advanced mast motion wind compensation.

A+T is, this year, planning a range of anniversary celebration events at Palma Boat Show, METS in Amsterdam and on the motor yacht Rum Jungle in Lymington.

10th anniversary and 10 ways A+T have contributed to the high-end instrument market:

Each instrument made is subjected to the toughest testing on the market by submerging in 1m of water for 24 hours and run in the oven at 75 degrees C before shipping. Every product is made at A+T's works in Hampshire and has a three-year warranty.
A+T wind sensors are superior to any other on the market, tougher, more accurate and with a faster response. Ceramic bearings substantially extend the life of the sensor and give the most accurate readings possible. Parts are made from carbon fibre and graphite-infused resin to limit lightning damage. All the components are interchangeable with B&G old and new meaning A+T can provide spares and upgrades for these.
A+T engineers also provide 24/7 telephone and email support service for all customers, current and future. The A+T team are all sailors, not salespeople. You'll find them taking part in regattas, hanging out on the dock and cruising. They live and breathe the products and there's no hard sell, just knowledge and passion. Our support technicians really know systems and are daily on TeamViewer supporting yachts worldwide.
The A+T Big Format Displays(BFD) are the largest, brightest and toughest on the market, meaning superior visibility on the mast. They connect to all instrument systems including A+T, Faro, B&G and Raymarine.
Processors and displays are designed to work with all systems, past, current and future. For older systems, there's no need to change the cables, sensors or good displays. This provides both the best, and usually lowest cost, upgrade for existing instrument systems.
A+T is the only company in the World making the shut-off valves and the speed and depth sensors for these that have been fitted to some 1000s of large yachts over the last 40 years. These enable sensors to be removed to clean, service and troubleshoot without water ingress or the need to take the boat out of the water.
Since A+T started, Ethernet was selected as the way forward for instrument systems on yachts. A+T is the only company making a completely Ethernet based instrument system which is used for many state-of-the-art new builds. Ethernet has a number of advantages including essentially unlimited bandwidth, many third-party diagnostic and support tools, and most importantly means a cut wire, damaged sensor or display does not pull the whole network down as happens with the conventional N2K networks.
A+T makes the only production autopilot with a web-served interface letting the user and A+T engineers see what is happening in the pilot. With a complete range of drive types and power, many large yachts are discovering the comfort and reliability of A+T's Pilot system.
For the biggest and most advanced projects, A+T make an ATPX series of processors that have 100Hz data logging, Modbus interfacing to PLCs and a layer of user configurable NODE-Red software to develop bespoke applications needed on the racetrack or for complex superyacht systems.
The latest innovation from A+T is an inertial wind sensor which measures 6 axis accelerations at the masthead for the most advanced mast motion wind compensation.