List of British yachtbuilders

[LouisBrowne]

It's not lack of patriotism that prevents the British from buying British boats, it's lack of choice. I can buy a small weekender or a large super yacht or a gaffer built in Britain but I cannot buy a medium-priced, medium sized British family yacht and I cannot buy a British cruiser-racer knowing that there will be a fleet of similar boats to race against. We do not build mainstream boats at a price that mainstream customers will pay.

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.

I am also quite sure that the demise (though not the decline) of our manufacturing industry had nothing to do with socialism and everything to do with a laissez-faire government in the 1980s that did not feel obliged to rescue ailing industries.

 

[Alfie168]

People seem to forget that the leggy girl in the brochure doesn't actually come with the boat...
.

She quite probably does, but unfortunately not with me in attendance. (with sincere apologies to Well Rigged)

Tim

 

[Barbican]

Any more suggestions please?

http://www.yarmouth23.co.uk/index.html

Build Yarmouth 22 23 and Cromarty 36 Fisher 10

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

It's not lack of patriotism that prevents the British from buying British boats, it's lack of choice. I can buy a small weekender or a large super yacht or a gaffer built in Britain but I cannot buy a medium-priced, medium sized British family yacht and I cannot buy a British cruiser-racer knowing that there will be a fleet of similar boats to race against. We do not build mainstream boats at a price that mainstream customers will pay.

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.

I am also quite sure that the demise (though not the decline) of our manufacturing industry had nothing to do with socialism and everything to do with a laissez-faire government in the 1980s that did not feel obliged to rescue ailing industries.

As someone who has lamented and seen the closing of about one engineering firm a week in the West Midlands from 1996 or so until 2008 I can state with some certainty that the real trouble was the artificially high pound we had during those "heady" years.
A decade or so earlier the high pound did for Westerly (first incarnation), MacWester, Rogers(first time round) and Sadlers when their export markets dried up.
When BMW bought Rover they did so because at the time the Mark was high and they were in trouble selling BMW's outside Germany, but The Rover 75 was known to be a potentially good car and they wanted Land Rover know how. It all changed with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Mark plummeted and with East German labour availability BMW sales soared, whilst the high pound saw off most, but not all, of their British operation. The Mini at Oxford and an engine plant at Hams Hall still continue. Rover was doomed because there was only the home market and the plant was outdated.
Incidentally presently the smaller Oysters are built by Landamores and Windboats of Wroxham and commissioned at Ipswich, the larger ones at Southampton and the super yachts in Turkey. As posted earlier some yacts were built for a time in New Zealand.

 

[laser45]

Bump! I've updated the list at the start of the thread, hopefully up to date for 2012 (eg. Rustler have apparently dropped the Starlight brand but are keeping the Bowman). I'll be happy to incorporate any corrections/additions.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

On this subject do all production boat builders in Britian not have to be registered with Loyds, or do Loyds not have a list of all production boat builders?
I have been trying for quite a while to find out more about Hummingbird's builders with no joy.
Sorry for gate crashing this thread.
C_W

 

[RobBrown]

Honnor Marine?

Cape Cutter and others.

 

[tom_sail]

Havn't read the full thread but although I hate the things I feel sunseeker should be on the list.

 

[laser45]

Cape Cutter and others.

Done.

Havn't read the full thread but although I hate the things I feel sunseeker should be on the list.

No. Proper yachts (ie. with sails) only

 

[Tranona]

On this subject do all production boat builders in Britian not have to be registered with Loyds, or do Loyds not have a list of all production boat builders?
I have been trying for quite a while to find out more about Hummingbird's builders with no joy.
Sorry for gate crashing this thread.
C_W

No - and there is more than one "Lloyds" - you are probably thinking of the classification arm which does still exist but there is no requirement for any builder to "register" Indeed there are (or were) no real formal requirements for being classified as a boat builder. In the heyday at the beginnings of GRP builders came and went with alarming frequency and very few attained any sort of stable condition.

The industry body was the Ship and Boat Builders National Federation (now the BMF since most boat building has gone) and many builders were members but there was no compulsion, and the biggest benefit was access to the Boat Show, although the Federation did provide lots of other services, particularly related to overseas promotion and training the workforce.

Does not help much and the main sources of information about past builders tend to be through owners associations and individuals who were directly involved at the time. Other sources of course are contemporary magazines and publications such as Bristows book of yachts. However, much of this collective memory has disappeared as age has taken its toll of people active 30 and 40 years or more ago. You are also often entering the world of murky £100 limited companies, backyard premises, multiple subcontractors etc typical of the cottage industry it was in those days - and a bunch of colourful characters for most part.

 

[santeana]

Colin Bullifant Yacht Builders, http://www.swallowtailboats.co.uk/, from Ludham build yachts based on traditional 'Broads designs.

 

[laser45]

Added.

 

[rib]

are broad blue still going thought thay went years ago

 

[aslabend]

For Drascombes.....

Churchouse boats?

Honnour Marine

 

[laser45]

Added.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Oyster has now been sold too two Dutch people. They are getting a "doctor" in to look at the company. With it being Dutch owned is it still a British boat building company? I should imagine they are a lot of changes coming.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Butler Wooden Boats. http://www.butlers-wooden-boats.co.uk/

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Seaward Marine, or are motor boats excluded?

http://www.seawardboat.com/

Have you asked the BMF for their list?

 

[Keen_Ed]

Oyster has now been sold too two Dutch people. They are getting a "doctor" in to look at the company. With it being Dutch owned is it still a British boat building company? I should imagine they are a lot of changes coming.

So, is Richard Matthews the one man who actually did make a large fortune in the boat building business*? Sold out 2 years ago for an undisclosed (large) sum. Oyster has now been resold for ?15million?. RM sets up Gunfleet with a bit of the cash left over.

(* rather than: "How do you make a small fortune in the boat building business? Start with a large one.)

 

[alant]

Have a watch of "Made in Britain" by Evan Davis to find out why. Our economy has moved on and now we concentrate on the higher end higher value manufacturing, as well as doing plenty of other non manufacturing based work. It's not actually a bad thing that we don't manufacture cheap mass production boats because there are still plenty of people here designing them and the parts that make them. A couple of great examples from the show were that we don't make aeroplanes but we do make the £250,000 helmets (that price is each!!!) for the eurofighter pilots. We don't make cheap cars but we do make the new maclaren supercar. We don't make much clothing, but some of our clothing manufacturers are thriving, and many of the people who used to sew are now managing whole factories overseas and over seeing the shipping process.
If all of that isn't enough, have you seen the cost of raw materials here? I couldn't buy the glass to make a Bavaria for the price of a Bavaria! We may have the craftsmen, but these days they are better off working in the design process or overseeing cheaper craftsmen elsewhere. Companies like Cornish Crabbers will thrive only because they make a niche product which attracts a premium, and they make it to a standard which deserves that premium.

But most of us have limited means, so have no choice, but to buy mass produced stuff, which means money leaving the UK to support foreigners.