Staying Afloat

They’re diversifying down and the farm and the result is a successful marina and narrowboats for sale with a third currently in progress

- Adam Porter

If you’ve ever seen an edition of Countryfile or listened to The Archers, you’ll know that diversification is key to keeping farms viable. Depending on just one source of income is a dangerous thing to do. That’s why there’s been an explosion of farmers expanding into artisan cheesemaking, farm shops, and llama trekking. And marinas, if the farm happens to border a canal.

The Northamptonshire farm owned by the Jackson family opened its marina at Yelvertoft on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union ten years ago. It’s now a thriving business, with plenty of moorers and expanding services. But any farmer worth his salt knows that you don’t just diversify once, you look for other opportunities.

And that’s where this boat comes in. The Jacksons, brothers Richard and James, along with Richard’s wife, Alison, have gone into boat building. Their first two boats are currently for sale, and a third is in build – so they’ve not been half-hearted about trying out something new.

Fortunately, they had a good friend who’s a joiner, so he’s come on board to do the fit-outs, and they’ve built him a workshop adjacent to the marina. It’s a considerable investment in the further diversification of the business.

Exterior

This 60ft boat is built on a shell by ColeCraft, one of the best-known names in the business. As you’d expect, the steelwork looks very good. Both the bow and the stern are interesting. The stern is a semi-cruiser, with an almost full-height steel dodger around the deck, with a piece of tube on the top which avoids a sharp edge and gives something good to hold on to. The deck itself is square to maximize space, and there are lockers on both sides. One is the gas locker, while the other is good for storage or mooring pins and suchlike. Both have cushions made to fit.