List of British yachtbuilders

[AntarcticPilot]

I don't know where things went wrong for our boat-building industry, which was so healthy thirty years ago, but I suspect it was something to do with lack of business acumen and lack of investment in modern construction methods.

VAT on boats went wrong. A vast number of small boatbuilders went bust when the cost to the consumer of their products suddenly went up by 15% (or whatever it was in the beginning) overnight. OK, they should have foreseen the problem and adjusted to it - but most of them were small, craft-oriented outfits, producing a few tens of boats a year. They couldn't make the economies of scale or changes to production methods that would allow them to swallow the additional tax, and in any case were run on relatively small profit margins. If they had done so, we might be slagging off British mass-produced boats rather than German/Swedish/Polish/whatever ones!

 

[onesea]

John Clarridge, Lymignton
http://www.johnclaridgeboats.com/

Dinghies only I think, knowing the price of these I would not ask for a bigger boat!

 

[Martin999]

GT Yachts - Wroxham

- still trying to keep it current; any further suggestions?

www.gtyachts.com

Fairly new I think

 

[halcyon]

If they had done so, we might be slagging off British mass-produced boats rather than German/Swedish/Polish/whatever ones!

Came across these figures for 2012

UK 593 yachts 1,215 motorboats total all types 2,898

Germany 1,196 yachts 1,050 motorboats total all types 2,246

Poland 5,080 yachts 1,530 motorboats total all types 16,610

France 4,755 yachts 3,318 motorboats total all types 24.739

Now we have to take Sealine out which puts us below a 1,000 motorboats.


Brian

 

[lustyd]

100,000 people worldwide have a different opinion to you!

I think you're wrong there. 100,000 people have sufficient funds to prove they have a different opinion. I suspect the number is actually much higher.

 

[Daydream believer]

Do we not consider builders of small boats?
Pinner & Bax plus Ovington are doing quite well it would seem
I seem to recall Ovington built a couple of big boats (Farr 53's or something) some years ago ( bear of britain & independant bear). May have stopped when the founder , Ovington, passed away at an early age
Or was that someone else

 

[EastCoastRacer]

Rodgers is making the contessa 32 but it is a pity Sadlers didn't turn into a mass production yard the 25 footer was an excellent boat. Everything now has long keels so too deep for many users and now sadly Parkers have gone. No one making the excellent 30 foot lifting keel but let's hope the Yaxley Yachts 27 footer can take up the baton. If there is any doubt for the demand look at the second hand price.

As for planes we made the best but hit technical issues with the comet, restricted by the state airline choices (DC10) and made concorde when Boeing went mass market with the 747. I think there are some similarities, quality versus mass production but the steel industry want for mas production and that didn't work. As for Euro fighter we should have made it ourselves like the French Rafale. Instead delayed for years waiting for fly by wire, but who did that? Not the Brits...

 

[Gualtherius]

Hi all,

Just for fun I'm trying to work up a list of all sailing yacht builders based in the UK. Here's how far I've got so far:

Arbor Yachts - http://www.arboryachts.co.uk/ - Arbor 26 wooden yacht

Blaxton Boats - http://www.blaxtonboats.co.uk/index.php - dayboats & yachts, power & sail

Bowman Yachts - http://www.bowmanyachts.com/ - 35-48ft modern GRP yachts

BP Sailboats - http://www.bpsailboats.com/ - Parker 235 GRP day sailer

Bristol Classic Boat Co. - http://www.bristolclassicboat.co.uk/ - custom wooden yachts and restorations

British Hunter - http://www.britishhunter.co.uk/ - 20-31ft modern GRP yachts

Broadblue - http://www.broadblue.co.uk/ - sailing and power catamarans

Butler & Co. - http://www.butlers-wooden-boats.co.uk/ - traditional wooden boatbuilding

Cape Cutter - http://www.capecutter19.com/ - CC19 traditional daysailer

Cockwells - http://www.cockwells.co.uk/ - one off wooden yachts

Cornish Crabbers/Mystery - http://www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk/ - 17-30ft GRP pilot-cutters & 30-43ft traditional-style GRP yachts

David Moss - http://www.davidmossboatbuilders.com/ - wooden boatbuilder

Demon Yachts - http://www.demonyachts.co.uk/ - custom smaller yachts/keelboats

Discovery Yachts - http://www.discoveryyachts.com/ - 55-67ft modern GRP cruisers

Drascombe - http://www.drascombe.org.uk/ - traditional style GRP yawls

Farrow & Chambers - http://farrowandchambers.co.uk/index.html - custom wood / epoxy yachts

Fyne Boat Kits - http://www.fyneboatkits.co.uk/ - dinghies, dayboats, kayaks

Gaffers & Luggers - http://www.gaffersandluggers.co.uk/ - 23-28ft traditional wooden working boats

Gunfleet Marine - http://www.gunfleetmarine.com/ - 43ft modern GRP cruiser

Honnor Marine - http://www.honnormarine.co.uk/ - traditional GRP dayboats

Ian B Richardson - http://www.ianbrichardson.co.uk/ - traditional wooden boats

IRC Boats - http://www.corby29.com/ - 26-33ft racing yachts

Jeremy Rogers - http://www.jeremyrogers.co.uk/ - Contessa 32 new build

Jordan Boats - http://jordanboats.co.uk/JB/ - plywood kits for day boats

Kittiwake Boats - http://www.kittiwakeboats.co.uk/ - 14' - 20' day boats

MB Yachts - http://www.mbyachts.co.uk/ - custom wood/epoxy yachts

Multimarine Composites - http://multimarine.co.uk/ - custom power and sailing multihulls

Mylne (A. Mylne & Co) - http://mylne.com/ - design a broad range of traditional and modern yachts

Oyster - http://www.oystermarine.com/ - 46ft to superyacht modern GRP

Pendennis Yachts - http://www.pendennis.com/ - large custom yachts (including Devonport Yachts)

Peter Nicholls - http://www.steelboats.com/ - 37-65ft steel yachts

Pippin Yachts - http://www.pippin-yachts.com/ - 20ft GRP daysailers

RB Boatbuilding - http://www.pilotcutter.co.uk/ 30-50ft wooden pilot cutters

Rossiter Yachts - http://www.rossiteryachts.co.uk/ - Pintail, Curlew & rowing boats

Rustler Yachts - http://www.rustleryachts.com/ - 24-58ft classic style GRP yachts

Simmons & Broome - http://www.simmonsandbroome.com/ - classic day boats

Southerly - http://www.northshore.co.uk/ - 32-67ft modern GRP yachts (also Fisher and Vancouver brands)

Spirit Yachts - http://www.spirityachts.com/ - 37-130ft wooden yachts

Stirling & Son - http://www.stirlingandson.co.uk/ - one off wooden yachts

Swallow Boats - http://www.swallowboats.co.uk/ - Bay Cruisers

Swallowtail Boatyard - http://www.swallowtailboats.co.uk/ - traditional Norfolk Broads boats

T. Nielsen & Company - http://www.tnielsen.co.uk/ - build and restore tall ships

Voyaging Yachts - http://www.voyagingyachts.com/ - 35' steel cruising yacht

Whisper Boats - http://www.whisperboats.co.uk/ - 12' - 24' gaffers

Willow Bay Boats - http://www.willowbayboats.co.uk/ - classic day boats

Working Sail - http://www.workingsail.co.uk/ - 40-50ft wooden pilot-cutter style yachts

Yarmouth Boats - http://www.yarmouthboats.com/ - traditional style pocket cruisers

Looking through the list, the British yacht industry doesn't seem as impoverished as I would have thought... We might not churn out production bathtubs like the French and Germans but there are some really gorgeous boats there...

That's my best effort - corrections/additions anyone?

Updated 7.5.2013 - still trying to keep it current; any further suggestions?