Family boatyard evolves with each new generation
Hainsworths Boatyard continues to thrive thanks to the couple keeping the family legacy alive. Sally Clifford reports…
FOUNDED during the Second World War, the Hainsworths Boatyard was initially constructed on a site further down the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Bingley’s iconic Five Rise Locks.
Kath Higgins, née Hainsworth, recalls her father and godfather purchased their current site in Fairfax Road, bringing them closer to ‘one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways’ – the steepest locks on the longest canal in the country.
It all began with a humble dinghy; this simple pleasure boat sailed on park lakes and seaside jaunts and was the first craft Kath’s father created. “Hainsworths was started in 1939 by my father Leslie, known as Dick, and my godfather, Sam. My father was a joiner, shopfitter and undertaker,” explained Kath.
Over the years, the business evolved from creating small craft to building narrowboats as well as providing repairs, restoration, maintenance and moorings along this idyllic stretch of water. However, the main thrust has been transportation – a service Kath’s husband, Peter, whom she met while they were both studying at technical college in Shipley, West Yorkshire, was instrumental in developing.
Peter’s engineering background and Kath’s secretarial skills proved a vital component in the boatyard’s progression after Kath’s father died. While Peter ran the wagons transporting boats mainly on land for clients at home and abroad – to countries such as France, Italy and Spain – Kath looked after the logistics.
Reflections
Leafing through the photograph album in the office, Peter reflected on some of the highlights, including the delivery of a 41ft speedboat to Puerto Banús in Spain and a 35ft long narrowboat to France. Earls Court Boat Show and London’s ExCeL are among the high-profile destinations Peter has visited for deliveries.
One of Peter’s furthest- flung destinations – and perhaps the most memorable – was a transatlantic trip to the States in the late 1980s. He explained that while he had his Yachtmaster Certificate, it was the first time he had embarked on such a long and challenging journey over water as it involved him and his team sailing the boat from Glasson Dock in Lancashire across the Atlantic.
“Having sailed and been on sea you have got your sea legs, but once you’ve been there for a week and been in bad weather you’re either sick and get over it or you are sick and can’t get over it,” said Peter. It took the team 28 days to reach their transatlantic destination where Peter stayed on for a few weeks and had the opportunity to sail a paddle steamer before flying home.
Sitting down in the late summer sun for a brew following the arrival of a boat restoration project, expertly delivered by Chris Wright Ltd of Baildon, Peter and Kath reflected on a life that hasn’t always been easy. “We have worked in winter when it has been ice on the canal and we have been pulling boats out. Somebody would want something doing and it is heaving with rain,” says Kath.
Good times always outweigh the bad times and, over the years, boats have brought them plenty of pleasure. “Peter made a bigger dinghy and we went up and down the canal on that. We used to go camping, there were people with cruisers, and we took a tent,” Kath recalled. “The smaller the boat the more fun you have,” added Peter.
Future plans
In recent years the couple say they have noticed demand for both liveaboard and pleasure boats.“There is demand, without doubt. People getting off-grid and that kind of thing,” said Peter. His own project to restore a 38ft steel yacht has stalled. “The idea was to sail it around England, but it’s on the back burner.”
When many their age have retired and are taking life a little easier, the couple have no plans to step back and are enjoying carrying on the family legacy – with support from sons Gary and Ian. Gary’s creativity is evident in the quirky on-site metalwork and storage facilities, a row of painted wooden huts and boatshaped seating.
Perhaps he will take on the yacht project too? “He has his Yachtmaster’s and he has a little sailing boat down in Wales,” said Peter, hopeful the project will eventually get back on track. Running a busy boatyard leaves him little time to focus on his own pursuits – but he and Kath wouldn’t have it any other way.
The yard is clearly an extension of their home and a place that holds special significance as they are aware they are carrying on the family legacy and hope to be doing so for many more years to come. “We’d get bored if we retired,” smiled Kath. Peter added: “It’s a lifetime of experience in learning things about other people, and it’s having the opportunity of doing the things I wouldn’t otherwise have done.”
For more information visit www. hainsworthsboatyard.co.uk