Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited

What Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited does

Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited is a privately held British composite rowing boat manufacturer headquartered in Byfleet, Surrey, founded in 1981 by Bob Janousek and Philip Gregory. The company designs, builds, and services fine racing shells across the full rowing spectrum — single sculls, double sculls, coxless pairs, fours, quads, eights, and octuples — under two composite brands: the Janousek range for beginner-to-intermediate rowers, built with full carbon outerskins, prepregnated glass fibre, and honeycomb cores for durability and longevity, and the Stämpfli range for intermediate-to-elite rowers, built with prepregnated carbon fibre and honeycomb cores for stiffness and minimum weight. The firm also operates the Stämpfli Switzerland workshop on the shores of Lake Zurich, which since 1896 has handcrafted traditional wooden racing boats from cedar to individual customer specifications, and holds the rights to build all composite Stämpfli boats after acquiring them in 1998.

The business derives revenue from six streams: new boat sales (one-time custom builds), traditional wooden boats (one-time custom builds), Braca Oars and Sculls (sole UK distribution since 2011, sold via the company's e-commerce shop), assured used boats (refurbished part-exchanges, ex-demo, and stock boats with warranty), repairs and refurbishments (professional services for any fine rowing boat), and race service (on-site complimentary cleaning and minor repair presence at UK regattas, with parts billed separately). Pricing is almost entirely quote-based; the only publicly listed pricing is for discounted Braca Fusion Blade oars at £219-£227 +VAT per unit. GTM is direct sales via a contact-first model (phone, email, website contact form) supplemented by regatta presence and a small online shop.

Janousek and Stampfli serves four primary customer segments: rowing clubs purchasing long-lasting fleet boats, elite and competitive rowers seeking performance-optimised shells, schools and junior development programmes (including diversity-focused programmes such as Hinksey Sculling School, with 35% non-white participation in 2024), and national governing bodies such as British Rowing, where the company has been a Start programme supplier for over 20 years and in 2022 committed ten new S1 mould Stampfli single sculls to the talent ID programme. Customer testimonials indicate boats previously rowed by Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent and supplied to Norwegian Olympic medallists at Barcelona 1992. The company underwent an asset sale to private investors in October 2021, with Andre Perez as Chair, Mark Banks (former Chief Coach of Leander Club) as CEO, and Will Dawe as Managing Director, and is a member of the British Marine Federation.

Name

Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited

Legal name

Janousek Racing Boat Ltd.

Website

https://janousekandstampfli.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited is a privately held British manufacturer in Byfleet, Surrey that designs, builds, and services composite and traditional wooden racing rowing boats (singles through octuples) for rowing clubs, elite athletes, junior programmes, and national governing bodies including British Rowing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Byfleet

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Boat Sales: Sale of new Janousek and Stampfli composite racing boats including singles, doubles, pairs, fours, quads, eights and octuples. Two construction ranges: Janousek (beginner to intermediate) and Stampfli (intermediate to elite).
2. Traditional Wooden Boat Sales: Sale of handcrafted traditional wooden racing boats built in Zurich, Switzerland using traditional techniques from cedar. Custom-built to individual customer requirements.
3. Oars and Sculls: Sale of Braca Oars and Sculls as sole UK distributors. Stock and custom orders including discounted items.
4. Assured Used Boats: Sale of pre-owned boats taken in part-exchange, ex-demonstration boats, and stock boats (new hulls awaiting customization).
5. Repairs and Refurbishments: Repair and refurbishment services for any fine rowing boat. Contact-based quoting with detailed photo assessments.
6. Race Service: On-site service at regatta events. Complimentary cleaning and polish plus minor repairs. Charges only for parts required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Janousek and Stämpfli designs and manufactures composite racing rowing boats (singles, doubles, pairs, fours, quads, eights and octuples) under two ranges - Janousek (beginner-to-intermediate, durable value) and Stämpfli (intermediate-to-elite, carbon-honeycomb performance). The firm also builds handcrafted traditional wooden racing boats in Zurich, distributes Braca oars and sculls as sole UK agent, and provides race-side servicing, repairs, refurbishments and an Assured Used Boats resale program.

Product overview

Janousek & Stampfli is a traditional boat manufacturer offering two distinct composite boat brands: Janousek (aimed at beginner to intermediate oarsmen, durable and affordable) and Stampfli (aimed at intermediate to elite, performance-optimized with carbon construction). The portfolio also includes traditional wooden boats crafted in Switzerland since 1896, training/coastal boats from Eurodiffusions, Braca oars and sculls (as UK agents), plus services including race service at events, repairs and refurbishments, and an Assured Used Boats program. Boat types span single sculls, double sculls, coxless pairs, fours, quads, eights, and octuples across multiple hull shapes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Janousek Composite Boats Racing boats constructed with full carbon outerskin, prepregnated glass fibre with honeycomb core. Aimed at beginner to intermediate oarsmen, offering durability, longevity (33+ years proven) and affordability; fitted with 3-stay aluminium riggers or aluminium wing riggers, wooden seats, aluminium footstretchers and Janousek rowing shoes.
• Stämpfli Composite Boats Racing boats constructed of prepregnated carbon fibre with honeycomb core for light and stiff construction. Aimed at intermediate to elite oarsmen using best-in-class technology and materials. Available with 3-stay aluminium aerofoil riggers, aluminium wing riggers, and carbon sculling wing riggers (bow or stern mounted).
• Traditional Wooden Boats Handcrafted wooden racing boats built by Stampfli Switzerland in Zurich on the shores of Lake Zurich since 1896. Built using traditional skills and techniques to individual customer requirements from the finest cedar. Products include single sculls, double sculls and coxless pairs.
• Training / Coastal Boats Training and learner boats built by Eurodiffusions in Avignon, France, supplied via Janousek and Stämpfli. Designed to be more stable than fine boats while still allowing fundamentals of good technique to be learnt; intended for river and estuary use, built to high standard and very robust.
• Braca Oars and Sculls Braca Oars and Sculls built in Lithuania, supplied as sole UK distributor. Braca weaves its own carbon cloth for oars and sculls with market-leading accuracy to minimise tolerances between pairs of sculls and within sets of oars. Stock and custom orders available, including discounted items.
• Race Service On-site boat servicing at regatta events throughout the UK season, including Henley Royal Regatta, National Schools Regatta, British Championships and Henley Masters Regatta. Includes complimentary boat inspection, cleaning, minor repairs and polish; service is free with only parts charged, on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Repairs and Refurbishments Repair and refurbishment services for any fine rowing boat, contact-based quoting with detailed photo assessments. Covers Janousek and Stämpfli boats plus other makes - the second Janousek boat ever made in 1981 was refurbished in January 2014, demonstrating the durability-focused service model.
• Assured Used Boats Program offering three types of pre-owned boats: Assured Used Boats (refurbished part-exchanges), Ex-Demonstration Boats (lightly used company-owned boats), and Stock Boats (new hulls awaiting customization). All include warranty coverage and protect the re-sale value of club and athlete fleet purchases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Second Janousek boat from 1981 refurbished in 2014 after 33 years of service
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hinksey Sculling SchoolflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Diversity and inclusion partnership supporting UK community rowing program. Janousek & Stampfli provides boat loans and rentals to support Hinksey's efforts to increase diversity in rowing. Hinksey is the UK's first community rowing program with strong commitment to inclusion, with 35% of rowers from non-white ethnic backgrounds in 2024.
• British RowingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Long-standing boat supply relationship continuing across British Rowing's flagship Start program. Janousek & Stampfli supplies S1 mould Stampfli single sculls to support the talent ID program designed to identify and nurture the next generation of Olympic rowers. The most promising athletes are loaned a Stampfli boat to forward their ambition.
• Red Bull OutrowminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 August 2015Event partnership for Red Bull Outrow 2015 on River Severn. Janousek & Stämpfli provided boats for the unique race where coxed fours compete against each other and the Severn Bore. Great opportunity to showcase boats at extreme conditions event.
• Braca Oars & ScullscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2011Sole UK distributors for Braca Oars and Sculls since 2011. Braca is a powerhouse in canoe and kayak paddle market. Janousek Racing Boats appointed to sell their rowing products in the UK, giving Janousek a full product portfolio for rowing and sculling equipment.
• Stampfli Racing Boats SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Janousek bought controlling stake in Stampfli Racing Boats in Switzerland in 1992. In 1998, Janousek rescinded controlling stake for rights to build all composite Stampfli boats. Maintains close links with Stampfli Racing Boats in Switzerland for traditional boat production.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pocock Racing Shells: US rowing boat manufacturer producing custom composite racing shells. Comparable in materials, product range, and customer base of elite rowers and clubs.
• Hudson Boat Works: Canadian rowing boat manufacturer with comparable custom composite shell product range. Competes for the same international rowing club and national team customers.
• Vespoli: US rowing boat manufacturer competing in the same racing shell niche. Comparable materials technology (carbon composites) and product range across singles, pairs, fours, and eights.
• Wintech Racing: UK-based rowing boat manufacturer competing directly in the same geographic market. Overlapping product range of composite racing shells targeting clubs and elite rowers.
• Empacher: German rowing boat manufacturer and one of the largest globally. Direct competitor to Janousek and Stampfli in elite composite racing shells, serving the same international elite and national team customer base.
• Filippi: Italian rowing boat manufacturer and major international competitor. Overlaps directly with Janousek and Stampfli in high-performance composite shells supplied to Olympic programs and elite clubs.
• Nelo: Portuguese rowing boat manufacturer and one of the largest global producers. Direct competitor in elite racing shells with strong Olympic pedigree and similar product positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Concept2: US rowing equipment manufacturer dominating indoor ergometers and oars. A broader incumbent in rowing equipment with overlapping distribution channels and brand authority in the rowing community.

Others

• Croker Oars: Australian oars manufacturer competing in the rowing equipment market. An adjacent supplier in the same rowing ecosystem with no direct boat-building overlap.

Emerging players

• Braca: Lithuanian oars and sculls manufacturer and Janousek's UK distribution partner. Adjacent competitor in rowing equipment, with their own weaving technology and growing international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/janousek-and-stampfli-boats-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Janousek and Stampfli Boats Limited