Broom Boats, which has been operating out of Brundall on The Broads for the last 125 years, has been sold
Broom Boats has been bought by a Norfolk boat hire and marine services firm.
Clive and Victoria Richardson, the owners of Horning Pleasurecraft, which includes Horning Marina on the River Bure and Cove Marina, purchased the business for an undisclosed sum.
The sale of Broom Boats includes the 78-berth marina and hire fleet of 32 vessels, the freehold of the 8.6-acre (3.49 ha) freehold site, marine-related buildings and the White Heron pub. All staff have transferred over to the new owner.
Clive Richardson is well known in the Broads boating and boat-building community, having designed the CJR F46, the first of the Fleetline Broads Cruisers.
He said he would not rule out building new Broom Boats at Brundall in the future.
“We’ve been developing the Horning Pleasurecraft business over the last four years, starting with a hire fleet of three boats and a team of engineers and boat builders at Horning and adding Cove marina in 2021. We weren’t actively looking for another marina at the time the Broom opportunity presented itself, but it was on our doorstep and the size of site, together with the extensive hire fleet and facilities makes it a fantastic fit for us,” said Richardson.
“We have plans to improve and fill the moorings, expand the private work and service division as well as maintaining the quality hire fleet. Building Broom Boats at Brundall again is a real possibility,” he added.
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Broom Boats was established in 1898 by Charles John Broom to build “beautifully crafted sailing cruisers for gentlemen”.
Since the 1960s, it has produced more than 40 different boat models, ranging from the Broom 29 to the Broom 39KL.
Following several unprofitable years, production of new boats stopped in 2018; instead, the company focused on the hire fleet, marina, and the repair and maintenance part of the business.
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