Here at Rugby Boats we offer a premium narrowboat brokerage service, known for good quality boats and knowledgable staff. Our wharf side office, on the Grand Union Canal, provides an ideal midlands location for viewing boats for sale, and also sells diesel, coal, gas and other supplies to passing boaters.
Our reputation is built on time honoured values of friendly and comprehensive customer service, which has been built up over a number of years. Since acquiring the business in 2016, James and Claire Millsop have continued this ethos, and grown the business into what it is today.
James and Claire met the day James bought his first narrowboat after living next to the Nene for years and they soon became married and spent the next 6 1/2 years living aboard on the waterways of the UK and even France for a year. One child later and back in a house, the waterways still had a strong pull so when they were introduced to Rugby Boats, took a huge step away from direct employment where fairies do most of the nitty gritty work and jumped in to run the business… with no fairies on the payroll.
The business now operates from a premises on the Grand Union at Stowe Hill, Weedon.
The company is a member of the BRBA, the brokerage arm of the British Marine Federation, and as such we operate under their Code of Conduct which includes a proper protected client account for customers funds.
We provide BMF standard paperwork for each sale and ensure that any boat being sold has the RCD certification in place, where applicable.
We produce high quality photography using professional Nikon equipment, and our video tours on Youtube are famous, along with the Millsop family dog Bumble.
Our brochures are available to everyone in a format designed to work on all home printers without the need to fill out off-putting web registration forms to obtain them. They are noted for focusing on the important detail in a concise and easy-to-read style and are not padded out with irrelevant waffle about curtain colours or the ambiance of the front deck on a sunny day.
Our advice pages are extensive and are based on direct experience and boating knowledge. Most of our staff are boat owners too so our love of boats is genuine and first hand.