BRIDGE BOAT YARD LTD

What BRIDGE BOAT YARD LTD does

Bridge Boat Yard Ltd is a privately held, family-run boatyard established in 1972 on the River Great Ouse in Ely, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. The company operates from a single site at Bridge Boatyard, Ely (CB7 4DY), currently under the ownership of Philip and Chris Wenn, who took over from founder Ken Wenn in 1990. The core offering is narrowboat and cruiser holiday hire, with a fleet of approximately 10 vessels (narrowboats: Osprey, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Muscadet, Rioja, Shiraz; cruisers: Sunray, Sunseeker, Sunquest, Sunstar, Sundancer, Sunlight), operating seasonally from March to October with a two-night minimum stay and weekly pricing from £699 to £879.

The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) holiday boat hire, where guests stay aboard moored narrowboats in Ely; (2) ancillary boatyard services including gas (propane exchange), diesel, moorings, fiberglass repairs, antifouling, general hull-to-engine repairs, and coal/logs supply; and (3) an emerging Airbnb-style short-stay product built around three newer narrowboats (Osprey, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via phone (01353 663 726) and a website enquiry form; the company previously relied on Hoseasons Holidays as a letting agent but is transitioning to direct and Airbnb-style bookings. Cruising hire has been discontinued, narrowing the use case to stationary short-stay accommodation.

Bridge Boat Yard Ltd serves individual leisure tourists — families, couples, and groups of friends (typically 2–6 people) — seeking pet-friendly, scenic UK holidays centered on the Fenland waterways, Ely Cathedral, Oliver Cromwell's House, and outdoor activities including fishing, bird watching, and walking. The company has 1–10 employees, no external investors, no disclosed financials, and no public listing. It maintains a regional operating footprint across Cambridgeshire, the Fens, and East Anglia, with no global presence.

Name

BRIDGE BOAT YARD LTD

Legal name

Bridge Boat Yard Ltd

Website

https://bridgeboatyard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bridge Boat Yard Ltd is a family-run UK boatyard in Ely, Cambridgeshire, offering narrowboat and cruiser holiday accommodation, ancillary boating services, and an emerging Airbnb-style short-stay product to leisure tourists exploring the Fenland waterways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ely

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Boat Hire Rentals: Holiday boat hire for narrowboats and cruisers on the River Great Ouse and Fenland waterways. Bookings minimum 2 nights with discounted rates for longer breaks. Fleet includes narrowboats (Osprey, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Muscadet, Rioja, Shiraz) and cruisers (Sunray, Sunseeker, Sunquest, Sunstar, Sundancer, Sunlight).
2. Boat Services and Repairs: Additional services including boat repairs (hull to engine), fiberglass work, antifouling, moorings, fuel (diesel, gas), and supplies (coal and logs).
3. Airbnb-Style Narrowboat Stays: Short-stay accommodation aboard narrowboats at Bridge Boatyard in Ely. New narrowboats Osprey, Marsh Harrier, and Hen Harrier offered for holiday lets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bridge Boatyard operates a fleet of narrowboats and cruisers for short-stay and weekly holiday hire on the River Great Ouse and Fenland waterways from Ely, Cambridgeshire. The business also offers boat repair services, fiberglass work, antifouling, moorings, and fuel and gas supplies. The company is transitioning from traditional through-Hoseasons cruising boat hire to direct-booked Airbnb-style narrowboat stays.

Product overview

Bridge Boatyard is a family-run boat rental and holiday business established in 1972, offering UK boating holidays on the Fenland waterways centered in Ely, Cambridgeshire. The core product portfolio consists of narrowboats available for short breaks and weekly hire, including the Osprey, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Muscadet, Rioja, and Shiraz models, plus a fleet of cruiser boats (Sunray, Sunseeker, Sunquest, Sunstar, Sundancer, and Sunlight). The company also provides boat repair and maintenance services including gas, diesel, moorings, fiberglass repairs, and antifouling. Operating from March to October, the boats are equipped with amenities such as refrigerators, cookers, heating, TVs, showers, and flush toilets. Pets are welcome on most boats for an additional charge. The business was founded by Ken Wenn and is now run by his sons Philip and Chris.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Osprey Narrowboat A 52ft narrowboat for holiday hire with one fixed double berth bedroom, stern cabin with two singles or one double, and a dinette convertible to a double in the saloon. Dogs welcome. Available for Friday or Monday starts. Sleeps 4-6.
• Hen Harrier Narrowboat A 47ft narrowboat with one fixed double berth bedroom and a dinette area convertible to a double bed. Features USB socket for mobile phone charging and central heating via radiators. Dogs welcome. Sleeps 2-4.
• Marsh Harrier Narrowboat A 47ft narrowboat with one fixed double berth bedroom and a dinette convertible to a double bed. Features central heating via radiators, airing cupboard, full-size shower, electric fridge, and gas cooker/oven/grill. Modern stern design. Dogs welcome. Available for Friday and Monday starts.
• Muscadet Narrowboat A 52ft narrowboat with one fixed double berth bedroom, stern cabin with two singles or one double, and dinette convertible to a double in the saloon. Dogs welcome. Available for Saturday or Tuesday starts.
• Rioja Narrowboat A 62ft narrowboat built to high specification with two double berths (configurable as double and two singles) plus a double sofa bed in the lounge for up to six berths. Fully carpeted with full central heating, airing cupboard, two wet rooms with showers and electric flush toilets, electric fridge, gas cooker/oven/grill, heated towel rails, double glazing, mood lighting, microwave, and TV/DVD. Featured in The Sun newspaper travel column. Dogs welcome.
• Shiraz Narrowboat A 52ft narrowboat with one fixed double berth bedroom, double bed in saloon, and sofa bed in lounge. Built to high specification with carpet throughout, central heating via radiators, airing cupboard, full-size shower, electric fridge, and gas cooker/oven/grill. Welcome amenities include a bottle of Shiraz, chocolates, and fruit. Modern stern design. Ideal for couples and smaller families. Sleeps 2-5.
• Sunray Cruiser A modern cruiser with high-level steering position for visibility. Features aft deck with seating and canopy, radiator central heating throughout, two double berth cabins with wash basin and wardrobe, lounge with fixed seating and flat-screen TV, and galley with electric fridge and gas oven/grill/hob. Sleeps 2-4 (two double beds). No pets allowed. Saturday starts.
• Sunseeker Cruiser Cruiser available for hire from the Bridge Boatyard fleet of holiday boats.
• Sunquest Cruiser Cruiser available for hire from the Bridge Boatyard fleet of holiday boats.
• Sunstar Cruiser Cruiser available for hire from the Bridge Boatyard fleet of holiday boats.
• Sundancer Cruiser Cruiser available for hire from the Bridge Boatyard fleet of holiday boats.
• Sunlight Cruiser Cruiser available for hire from the Bridge Boatyard fleet of holiday boats.
• Boat Repairs and Services Additional boating services including gas (propane exchange), diesel refueling, moorings, fiberglass repairs for boat superstructures and custom craft, antifouling, general boat repairs (hull to engine), and coal and logs supply, for visiting boats and the company's own fleet.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Hoseasons HolidaysminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHoseasons Holidays was used as letting agents for Bridge Boatyard's fleet of family holiday boats. This partnership helped market their boats to holidaymakers seeking canal and river breaks in the Fens and East Anglia region.
• Great Ouse Boating AssociationminorOthersAssociation referenced on local guide page as a resource for boaters on the River Great Ouse. Provides guidance and support for inland waterway navigation.
• Inland Waterways AssociationminorOthersIWA shop referenced as resource for boaters. Association promotes and protects inland waterways for boaters and environmental interests.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Nelson's Boats: Independent narrowboat and cruiser hire operator on UK canals. Comparable product and direct-to-consumer holiday hire model to Bridge Boatyard, but operating in a different waterway region rather than head-to-head on the River Great Ouse.

Broad incumbents

• Hoseasons Holidays: Long-established UK holiday letting and boat hire agency historically used by Bridge Boatyard as a letting agent. Overlaps directly on narrowboat/cruiser rentals but operates as a broad-accommodation platform rather than a single-site operator.
• Canal Junction: UK canal boat directory and booking platform covering many independent hire operators. Acts as an aggregator/channel for firms like Bridge Boatyard and competes for the same end-customer demand via a broader multi-operator proposition.
• Le Boat: Large European canal boat hire brand (formerly Crown Blue Line) operating in the UK and France. Comparable product and customer but at much larger fleet scale, with professionally managed boats — a benchmark on pricing and amenity positioning for smaller UK operators.
• Premier Marinas: Large UK marina group offering berthing, fuel, repairs and chandlery across multiple south-coast locations. Comparable on the mooring and ancillary services side of Bridge Boatyard's business but at significantly larger scale and a different geography.

Direct peers

• Wyvern Shipping / Canal Boat Holidays: UK independent canal boat hire firm offering narrowboat holidays on inland waterways. Closely comparable on scale, fleet type and customer (families and couples seeking self-drive canal holidays) to Bridge Boatyard's core offering.
• ABC Boat Hire: UK canal boat hire operator offering narrowboat holidays across multiple inland waterways. Directly comparable on product, customer base (UK self-drive holidaymakers) and seasonal model, with multi-location reach Bridge Boatyard lacks.
• Drifters Waterway Holidays: UK-wide canal boat holiday rental cooperative operating on the same inland waterway network as Bridge Boatyard. Directly comparable in product (self-drive narrowboat hire), target market (UK holidaymakers) and booking model, though much larger in fleet scale and geographic reach.
• Tingdene Marinas: UK marina operator providing moorings, boat storage and ancillary marine services. Comparable to the moorings, fuel and small-craft service component of Bridge Boatyard's business, though at much larger network scale.

Emerging players

• Boatbookings.com: Online aggregator for charter and bareboat yacht/boat rentals globally. Adjacent comparable as a digital booking channel that competes for the same end-customer demand for self-drive water-based holidays.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bridge-boatyard

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 BRIDGE BOAT YARD LTD