Profiles: Company Profiles
Dave Harris
Fifty at 50
After half a century of boat-building, Dave Harris is about to retire having just completed his 50th narrowboat. Andrew Denny tells his story…
Builders of seagoing vessels tend to be large companies, or at least have sufficient staff to create a pool of expertise. But in the cottage industry that is the inland waterways, there’s a very small circle of ‘one-man band’ boat-builders. Such businesses will occasionally call in support for specialist work, but ultimately they deliver a boat that is the product of a single mind and lifelong skill.
Wesley Marine Windows
Wesley for windows
For over 20 years, Wesley Marine Windows Ltd has been a leading player in the narrowboat industry. What started as a small, family-run business with a single employee has become a well-known name that’s synonmous with high-quality products and exceptional customer service.
Beginnings
John Dickinson, affectionately known as ‘Dicko’ in the industry, serendipitously discovered a business opportunity when purchasing some equipment from a customer back in 2003. When he mentioned this to his wife Angela, she soon decided that a career change was exactly what she needed. They realised that there was a gap in the market for high-quality, durable windows specifically designed for narrowboats. With a strong determination to succeed, Angela set out to build a business from the ground up that would cater to the needs of narrowboat-owners.
Farécla
Boat paint restoration
With new paint jobs costing anything up to £20,000, many owners are looking for ways to rejuvenate their boat’s tired paintwork. Tony Jones looks at Farécla’s impressive solution.
Narrowboat painting is almost as iconic as the boats and canals themselves. Sadly, canal-boat paintwork suffers abysmal treatment at the hands of UV light which attacks from above and below, as pigment-draining sunlight is also refracted back at the boat from the water. Scratches and scrapes from overhanging trees are also sadly inevitable, even for the most careful boaters.
Channelglaze
Amazing Glazing
From thermal breaks to prevent condensation to durable coatings that look great, there’s more to windows and portholes than just providing a view outside. Matt and Dave Pearson from boat-window manufacturer Channelglaze take us through the important considerations.
What’s in a window?
You could be forgiven for thinking that boat windows are simply panes of glass but nothing could be further from the truth. “We’ve been producing canal-boat windows since the late 1970s and the technology involved in the process has come on a little in that time,” smiles company director Dave Pearson who runs the family business with his brother and fellow director, Matt.
River Canal Rescue
Keeping the waterways moving
In the year 2000 a diesel mechanic woke in the night, thanks to a bizarre dream about rescuing a boat that had broken down. The following night he dreamt he ran a business called River Canal Rescue, and that morning a business idea was born.
The business
River Canal Rescue (RCR) is the UK’s largest marine breakdown and emergency assistance company, covering the UK inland waterway network 24/7, 365 days a year. Differing membership levels cover everything from breakdown and recovery services to replacement parts cover, home start, crew relay and annual inspections.
Water Freedom
Water, water everywhere
Liveaboard boater Tony Jones checks out a game-changing new product that could mark the end of many boaters’ water issues and be a major selling point for boat-builders.
Life afloat requires a lot of plate spinning. If we’re not worrying about when our toilet needs emptying, we’re fussing about how much power we’re using and how we’ll replenish it. But it might surprise you that, for many boaters, the most frustrating limiting factor is water. Depending on the size of the water tank, how many people use it and how much time they spend aboard, a typical water tank could need refilling anywhere between every four to 14 days.
A Boatbuilder's Diary
How spiralling prices are impacting the waterways industry
The ever-rising cost of living has affected us all, and boat-builders have been particularly hard hit. Tiffany Gale-Haynes of Kingsground Narrowboats takes us through last year.
You know what they say about the best-laid plans. Well, over the last couple of years that saying has been particularly appropriate and prophetic. We began 2022 being glad that Covid was essentially under control and looking forward to a relatively normal year. Needless to say, things didn’t work out quite as we’d planned.
Talk Away
How marinas and boat yards can support their customers' mental health
With mental-health issues becoming increasingly prevalent, Tiffany Gale-Haynes discusses the launch of the Talk Away project which aims to assist mooring providers when faced with customers with mental-health challenges.
If you were at the recent Crick Boat Show, you will probably have seen our Talk Away stand where we launched the industry-wide initiative to address mental-health issues within the boating community. The prevalence of boaters’ mental-health issues is probably no greater than it is in the general population but boaters are often more isolated and can fall through the gaps in the system.
Lakeland Leisure
A refreshingly different business model
While many marina operators stick to a tried-and-tested business model, Lakeland Leisure’s emergence and growth have pushed the envelope. Tony Jones speaks to Mark and Louise Morgan from this customer-focused, family-operated business
Lakeland Leisure has been gathering momentum in the boating industry over the last few years. Since expanding from its roots in the caravan-park business, it has acquired several marinas and boat brokerages. And, as well as carving a course in the second-hand boat sector, it has recently entered the new-boat market too.
Promarine
Marine Mortgages
Tony Jones talks to Promarine’s Stuart Austin to get the lowdown on boat finance – an essential route into boating for many prospective owners.
Although countless people aspire to narrowboat ownership, a good number of these lack the finances to make their dream a reality and those who can raise funds often realise that their ideal boat will cost slightly more than their budget allows. It’s a situation that Stuart Austin, the managing director of boat-finance provider Promarine, understands well: “Buying a boat is both a practical and emotional experience, so it’s better to buy a boat they’ll be happy with, rather than disappointed. That’s where we can help..”
Lightning Craft
Electric boating innovations
Lightning Craft founder Josh Masters provides a breakdown of the electric boating sector and his company’s innovations and products.
The birth of Lightning Craft
Lightning Craft was born from necessity in early 2020 when I began to question the longevity of my career in the marine diesel trade. Sensing a shift towards electric, I began my odyssey in search of alternative propulsion solutions. This proved difficult initially. Electric motors exist in almost every industry, so sourcing them wasn’t a problem. However, finding motors that matched the performance of a diesel engine wasn’t so straightforward, and applying the technology to a marine situation was testing again.
Fischer Panda
The Electric Future
Tony Jones speaks to Chris Fower, Fischer Panda UK Sales & Marketing Director, about the future of electric boating on the inland waterways and how boat-builders can get ahead of the curve to become key players in this electrified future.
Electric boating is moving at a frantic pace as the push for sustainability grows, and few companies have been in the field of electric innovation for as long as Fischer Panda UK. Over the last 25 years, it has developed a range of electric propulsion solutions to replace or provide alternatives to diesel engines, including inboard motors, outboard motors, pod motors and hybrid drive systems. “The coastal boating world has been on board with electric propulsion for decades. We supplied our first electric propulsion system in a coastal vessel over 25 years ago, so it’s no surprise that inland boating has followed suit,” says Chris. “Indeed, electric propulsion could be said to be more suited to the inland waterways market as the boating demands are easier to satisfy. Despite the later uptake, the demand for electric boats is taking off quickly. People visiting the recent Crick Boat Show events have come to the Fischer Panda stand wanting to learn about electric boating, whereas just five or six years ago it wasn’t on the agenda.”
Lee Sanitation
Cinderella has arrived
With a retail purchase price of around £4,000 and a 60p average cost per flush, the Cinderella incinerating toilet isn’t for everyone. But for many new and discerning boaters it is the only choice – and they’re more than willing to pay for it. Karl Sutcliffe from LeeSan explains more.
The future of boat toilets
There’s a lot to commend the Cinderella toilet to the boating market. Instead of collecting toilet waste as other systems do, the Cinderella incinerates it, thereby removing the need to rely on external services – so no more trips to Elsan points or pump-out facilities, and no need to find ways to properly dispose of separation toilet waste. Instead, the result is just a small amount of biodegradable ash which is perfect for fertilising gardens.
uWatch
The uWatch Cube
Boat-related crime can be expensive and distressing for the victim, which is why onboard security features are becoming popular among owners.
The uWatch Cube entered the boat security market in 2022, and the system is already becoming popular with boaters and boat-builders. “The Cube approaches boat security from a different angle,” says UWatch Business Development Manager, Craig Geerthsen.
Recoheat
Feeling the Heat
When we heard that the Recoheat system could double the efficiency of a solid-fuel stove and halve the cost of fuel, we were intrigued.
With inflation rising and the cost of living increasing daily, saving money on fuel is something everyone is thinking about. So perhaps the Recoheat system for solid-fuel stoves is one way for boaters and businesses to address that problem? Recoheat’s Managing Director Will Burrows was keen to answer our questions and explain how this revolutionary new product works.
Candle Bridge Fabrication
Men of Steel
We speak to the owners of Candle Bridge Fabrication to find out the do’s and don’ts of canal boat steelwork
Hydrogen Afloat
Is hydrogen power the future of boating?
Tony Jones met up with Hydrogen Afloat’s Nick Swift at this year’s Crick Boat Show to hear about his plans to develop a domestic fuel which is convenient, socially responsible and environmentally friendly. And there’s a way you could benefit too.
A P Boatbuilding
A Timber Tradition
A. P. Boatbuilding is one of the few boatyards in Britain specialising in the conservation of historic wooden narrowboats. Kathryn Clover visit its Tamworth premises
Nestled in a corner of Alvecote Marina in Tamworth, the A. P. Boatbuilding yard is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of heritage wooden narrowboats. The processes and skills used for this are highly specialised and very different to that of a normal boatyard, as the company’s Adrian Polglase (Ade) and Andy Cox will attest. In the yard at the time of our visit were three heritage narrowboats in various stages of restoration: Walton, President and Mendip.
Tradline Rope and Fenders
Money for New Rope
Tony Jones speaks to master fender-maker Pete Flockhart to find out how Tradline Rope & Fenders became an established name in the boating world and beyond
Tradline Rope & Fenders began life in the late 1980s as a hobby for owner Pete Flockhart. After establishing a small business aboard his narrowboat Lily Eliza, he moved onto a old work butty but by 1993 Tradline had outgrown its floating home and Pete and his wife Karen set up in the old blacksmith’s forge at Braunston Marina, where it has remained ever since.
Goodwin Plastics
From Pigs to Plastics
How do you get from livestock farming to manufacturing narrowboat water tanks? Goodwin Plastics owner Jason Goodwin explains the transition
At Goodwin Plastics, we design and manufacture high-quality, customised plastic products for private and commercial customers, including water and waste tanks, from our base in Crewe. Before we moved into plastic manufacture full time, however, my family were pig farmers. The plastics side of things all started in 1992 when my dad designed and built an ad-lib pig feeder – a kind of trickle-down hopper full of food which would replenish the feeder as the pigs ate.
Canal Wholesale Supplies
The Wholesale Package
Plaques to Pearson’s guides and mugs to model boats, Canal Wholesale Supplies stocks the full gamut of waterways-themed merchandise. WN talks to owner Andy Gosling
Established in February 2019, Canal Wholesale Supplies (or CWS as it is commonly referred to) is a wholesaler of practical boating items and giftware to canal-related businesses across the network. The Kettering-based company is owned and run by Andy Gosling, a web-developer and entrepreneur with a keen interest in the inland waterways.
Gallows Bridge Boatyard
Big Boys' Toys
Tony Jones visits Gallows Bridge Boatyard & Moorings in Shipley on the Leeds & Liverpool to find out why the business is building a reputation for the big jobs
“There’s always a crowd!” laughs Aaran Laylor, owner of Gallows Bridge Boatyard & Moorings, as another boat is lifted out of the water onto a waiting truck. Indeed, when I was moored there during the Covid lockdowns, the towpath would always be teeming with gongoozlers every time a boat came out. “We lifted 12 boats out in a single day last week!” exclaimed Bren Snr, as I watched the crane at work. “It was mental busy!”
