GRP still feeling the pinch

IT WAS in 2014 when the boat building bubble burst, with boat builder after boat builder going out of business.

The year previous there were a staggering 83 boat builders advertising their wares in Waterways World, whilst now there are only a fraction of that number.

Assembly line

It started with the then Liverpool Boats that were turning narrowboats out on an assembly line that were amongst the first to go, quickly followed by some famous names as the boating bubble burst.

But it was not only narrowboat builders feeling the pinch, but GRP boat builders too, and they are still suffering, with the famous Broom boats being the latest to stop production, Alan Tilbury reports.

The company reports that it has had a number of unprofitable years for its manufacturing division with staff facing redundancies, though it will keep its marina and hire base.

Building in wood

This company is another of the long standing boat builders to give up production, being established way back in 1898, when it was building in wood.

This follows Oyster Yachts, another  that was rescued from administration earlier this week.