Bailiffs close down Sawley Marina boatyard

THE boatyard at Sawley Marina is now fenced off with its contents under the jurisdiction of the Court.

Bailiffs were called in after its leasing company JBJ Marine fell behind in its obligations to British Waterways Marinas Ltd that was left with little alternative but to close the company down, with bailiffs seizing its assets and the yard now sealed off.

Canaltime

The company was originally formed when Canaltime took over a jetty at the marina, increasing the number of its boats to nearly 50, with JBJ servicing the large fleet. But as these were removed over the past few years the company had only local work to rely upon, and it could be seen that little work was being undertaken such as there was little activity in the yard, with often no boat having been pulled out of the water to be worked on.

At certain times of the year the company would have been flat-out servicing and repairing Canaltime boats, to keep them useable, leaving little time to undertake the needs of moorers at Sawley, so obviously they went elsewhere.

Our own experience

Our own experience of the company's work, as some readers may recollect, was not very good, with one attempt at welding on our boat extremely poor (pictured) with no attempt to rectify the damaged paintwork but covered in an undercoat. Later the company's engineers were unable to rectify the loose tiller, though another boatyard did it without any problem, so perhaps others have had similar experiences, all of which reflects on its reputation.

At the moment the marina is advertising its maintenance service on its website, that reads: Full mechanical and electrical installation, servicing and repair facility, re-painting and re-fitting, pressure washing, polishing antifouling, outboard and outdrive servicing and GRP repairs. Though of course none of these are available.