Loyal Chris’s 60th boat is a real diamond

Kate Boats, in Nelson Lane, first employed the services of Chris Brown as a 12-year-old Saturday worker some 28 years ago.

He left the company as a teenager to pursue an apprenticeship in carpentry, but it wasn’t long before he returned to the boatyard to embark on a joyous career on the waterfront.

Chris, 40, built his first boat in 1991 called Kate Elizabeth – a 65 foot vessel that can sleep between six to eight people.

His latest addition to the fleet, named Georgina, is a 70 footer built to a high specification, including two onboard televisions, central heating and two bathrooms equipped with power showers.

Chris said: “Georgina really is a lovely boat and it was a pleasure to build. There was a team of four of us working on her.

“We start with a steel shell painted in primer and with the windows cut out and then build it up layer by layer, lining out with veneered wood, doing all the electrics and plumbing, the construction of the bulkheads and finally the hand-painting. We aim to complete a project like this within 17 - 20 weeks.”

Kate Boats’ owners Nick and Cheryl Howes, bought the company 13 years ago and now run it with their daughter Rebecca, son Stephen and other members of the family who help out at weekends. They said: “Chris has been a huge asset to the team and it is largely thanks to his skills that we currently have a fleet of 26 operational boats ready for hire.”

Georgina can be hired from Kate Boats which has sites in Warwick and Stockton. You can see photos of the fleet on their website http://www.kateboats.co.uk