Brian Heard, who plays the Father in the film, had never any acting experience prior to The Wheelhouse. Director Sean Garland approached him on sheer instinct outside London's ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) after noticing Heard around the building on numerous occasions when he turned up to watch a film.
The entire shoot was on location, the tug and flow, shiftings and rockings of the trawler all too real. A gale-force storm was brewing throughout many of the scenes, the actual announcement by the coast guard in the film is factual and recorded on the day. The trawler herself, a crabber, manned by real-life Cornish fisherman Sam Jago is a real life working vessel and can be seen off the waters of Cawsand, Cornwall on most week days.
Both leading actor Angus Lindsay and director Sean Garland suffered severe bouts of sea-sickness throughout the shoot but persevered, spurred on by the miraculous appearance of a dolphin that tracked the boat for a while.