Discovery Again!

[Seven Spades]

There is a website!

Southerly Speedwave | Swing keel cruising yachts | Chichester

What a confusing situation. It is madness if you ask me. It seems that only Rustler and Oyster have their house in order. The sad thing is it is not the products that are wrong or bad it is just the way the businesses are run. The history of British leisure boat buildig seems littered with companies who don't seem to be able to control costs or profits. Jut look how many different successful businesses are making boats in France it is so sad, I really don't understand why we can't get this right.


Who owns Northshore?

 

[northwind]

There is a website!

Southerly Speedwave | Swing keel cruising yachts | Chichester

What a confusing situation. It is madness if you ask me. It seems that only Rustler and Oyster have their house in order. The sad thing is it is not the products that are wrong or bad it is just the way the businesses are run. The history of British leisure boat buildig seems littered with companies who don't seem to be able to control costs or profits. Jut look how many different successful businesses are making boats in France it is so sad, I really don't understand why we can't get this right.


Who owns Northshore?

The same chap who owned Southerly and who owns likely owns the new set up: Lester Abbott

 

[Seven Spades]

Third time lucky then?

 

[E39mad]

Third time lucky then?

They have been making the Spearfish 32 for a couple of years - boat has great acclaim for being seaworthy using the old Alun Burnard Fairey hull design

SPEARFISH 32 | Supermarine Motor Yachts

 

[doris]

What a confusing situation. It is madness if you ask me. It seems that only Rustler and Oyster have their house in order. The sad thing is it is not the products that are wrong or bad it is just the way the businesses are run. The history of British leisure boat building seems littered with companies who don't seem to be able to control costs or profits. Jut look how many different successful businesses are making boats in France it is so sad, I really don't understand why we can't get this right.

Outside of Benateau/Jeaneau and the aluminium chaps who hasn't gone bust. Dufour, RM, Gibsea, Etap, plus there's another couple I can't remember the names of, all tits up. Ben/Jen has had huge government help in the past, Madame Roux must have had a serious Little Black Book! I agree that the management of our boating industry has been very average but the whole leisure boating industry is a political hot potato, unlike France where its embraced. Marinas are council owned and considered serious assets, over here the 'woke and class brigade' sneer at the rich middle class boat owners. Remember the local referendum in Swanage about the marina. They seriously regret that decision no.

 

[Frogmogman]

Outside of Benateau/Jeaneau and the aluminium chaps who hasn't gone bust. Dufour, RM, Gibsea, Etap, plus there's another couple I can't remember the names of, all tits up. Ben/Jen has had huge government help in the past, Madame Roux must have had a serious Little Black Book! I agree that the management of our boating industry has been very average but the whole leisure boating industry is a political hot potato, unlike France where its embraced. Marinas are council owned and considered serious assets, over here the 'woke and class brigade' sneer at the rich middle class boat owners. Remember the local referendum in Swanage about the marina. They seriously regret that decision no.

Not this old chestnut again. It’s just not true that Groupe Beneteau are getting regular hand-outs from the French taxpayer.

The subject was covered a couple of months ago in the French Boats thread. French Boats

Mind you, I do agree with you about the general attitude of France towards boats and boat owning.

 

[Daydream believer]

deleted

 

[Bathdave]

I see Sean langdon has been found personally liable for the £1m compensation in the case that put Discovery Yachts into insolvency, due to continuing to use the company name in his successor business

 

[Parabolica]

I see Sean langdon has been found personally liable for the £1m compensation in the case that put Discovery Yachts into insolvency, due to continuing to use the company name in his successor business

Which successor business are you referring to, Ocean Shipyards ?

Do you have a link to your intel as i’m intrigued

 

[sawduster]

Which successor business are you referring to, Ocean Shipyards ?

Do you have a link to your intel as i’m intrigued

Yacht firm boss ordered to £1.12m after couple sued over leaky boat
Yacht couple win £1m over leaks on ‘HMS Disappointment’

 

[Parabolica]

Yacht firm boss ordered to £1.12m after couple sued over leaky boat
Yacht couple win £1m over leaks on ‘HMS Disappointment’

Bet he’s smarting now

 

[Concerto]

Bet he’s smarting now

More likely heading towards poverty or bankrupcy.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

More likely heading towards poverty or bankrupcy.

Most likely bankruptcy and they'll be lucky to see a tenth of the amount claimed.

 

[Concerto]

Most likely bankruptcy and they'll be lucky to see a tenth of the amount claimed.

"If you are bankrupt, you cannot be a limited company director until the court lifts your financial restrictions and discharges you from your debts. This usually happens 12 months after the date of the bankruptcy order, but it can be longer. As an undischarged bankrupt, you are also prohibited from being involved in a limited company in a number of other ways." How does bankruptcy affect a limited company director?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

"If you are bankrupt, you cannot be a limited company director until the court lifts your financial restrictions and discharges you from your debts. This usually happens 12 months after the date of the bankruptcy order, but it can be longer. As an undischarged bankrupt, you are also prohibited from being involved in a limited company in a number of other ways." How does bankruptcy affect a limited company director?

I was more concerned with the effect on the owners of "HMS Disappointment" - despite winning the court case, they could end up with a derisory amount.

 

[Concerto]

I was more concerned with the effect on the owners of "HMS Disappointment" - despite winning the court case, they could end up with a derisory amount.

Do you think that a claim of £1.12M for all the problems was justified in a boat that cost £1.5M? Reading throught the faults, I certainly think a figure of half of that would have been excessive. I am not defending Sean Langdon, but do feel he is getting a rough deal as neither he nor the companies were not represented in court, so the judge would automatically award the full claim - no matter how inflated. Sean Langdon appealed to the court for a revised figure but was turned down due to an infringement of Phoenix company rules. He now faces paying the huge bill and possibly faces bankrupcy, hence my post #74.

 

[PWLS08]

Do you think that a claim of £1.12M for all the problems was justified in a boat that cost £1.5M? Reading throught the faults, I certainly think a figure of half of that would have been excessive. I am not defending Sean Langdon, but do feel he is getting a rough deal as neither he nor the companies were not represented in court, so the judge would automatically award the full claim - no matter how inflated. Sean Langdon appealed to the court for a revised figure but was turned down due to an infringement of Phoenix company rules. He now faces paying the huge bill and possibly faces bankrupcy, hence my post #74.

Which was, of course, entirely his choice, probably as he thought he had dodged the issue with the pre-pack.

 

[Frogmogman]

Which was, of course, entirely his choice, probably as he thought he had dodged the issue with the pre-pack.

Agreed. I felt huge sympathy for the workforce at Discovery, but for Mr Langdon, very little. He failed to properly address a whole bunch of snagging issues on what was after all an expensive yacht, then thought he could get away without compensating his clients by putting the company through a pre-pack bankruptcy. Now it has turned around and bitten him on the backside.

 

[Parabolica]

Do you think that a claim of £1.12M for all the problems was justified in a boat that cost £1.5M? Reading throught the faults, I certainly think a figure of half of that would have been excessive. I am not defending Sean Langdon, but do feel he is getting a rough deal as neither he nor the companies were not represented in court, so the judge would automatically award the full claim - no matter how inflated. Sean Langdon appealed to the court for a revised figure but was turned down due to an infringement of Phoenix company rules. He now faces paying the huge bill and possibly faces bankrupcy, hence my post #74.

Knowing the marine industry as i do, I’d suggest that possibly, the £1.12M is a better reflection of the cost to carry out the work required to rectify the faulty build than the £1.5M was a reflection of what the true cost was for the unlucky couples boat to be built new. Therein probably lies the root cause of everyone’s woes in this tale. Very sad for the unsuspecting couple who bought her and with regards Langdon, i suspect he was ill-equipped to be a true MD to allow things to have got to this point in the first place, especially knowing his personal obligation should the muck and the revolving propellers by chance come together.

 

[Concerto]

Knowing the marine industry as i do, I’d suggest that possibly, the £1.12M is a better reflection of the cost to carry out the work required to rectify the faulty build than the £1.5M was a reflection of what the true cost was for the unlucky couples boat to be built new. Therein probably lies the root cause of everyone’s woes in this tale. Very sad for the unsuspecting couple who bought her and with regards Langdon, i suspect he was ill-equipped to be a true MD to allow things to have got to this point in the first place, especially knowing his personal obligation should the muck and the revolving propellers by chance come together.

There is a 2018 Discovery 55 for sale at the moment for £1.2M and it is a year newer 'HMS Disappointment' . There are other Discovery 55's for sale from £355,000 for a 2004 build. Discovery 55 boats for sale - YachtWorld

Reading about the so called problems, many of which were not to do with the build, like the generator and electronics. If these were ripped out and replaced, I expect £50,000 would more than cover it. The water ingress and damage to woodwork, adjusting cupboard catches etc, certainly would not cost £1M, even if a company like Berthon did the work. There appears to be no structural issues with the boat, most of it is cosmetic. The France's admitted they basically abandoned 'HMS Disappointment' and probably have allowed their precious boat to deteriorate further than necessary. So being generous I would suggest £250,000 would cover that work. There would have been some costs incurred in bringing the boat back to the UK and storage charges. That adds up to being a lot less than the sum claimed and awarded in the undefended court case. Yet you feel Sean Langdon should pay an amount that allows the Frances to massively profit from their inflated claim.