Gunfleet Marine

Gunfleet Marine is a young company but with some old hands at the helm.

Our mission is simple - to efficiently build comfortable, fast, seaworthy cruising yachts of exquisite quality and support them with an after sales service second to none.

Built with pride in Colchester, England Gunfleet yachts will combine innovative stylish design with the latest technology, but will be rich in practical seamanlike features because while design moves forward the sea will never change.

Gunfleet Marine came about through a friendship and some yacht building interests in common between Richard Matthews and New Zealander Bill Howlett.

Before Gunfleet Richard spent over 35 years creating the UK’s most successful yacht company, which he sold in 2008. In 2010 the owner of Bill’s firm in Auckland decided to close the yard and retire.

Bill and Richard were looking for new challenges and the idea of creating a new yacht building business together proved irresistible. With over 70 years of relevant marine industry experience and the construction of over 10,000 vessels between them, Bill Howlett is Gunfleet’s Managing Director and Richard Matthews is non-exec Chairman.

The concept was simple, take two lifetimes of yacht building experience and build a team capable of creating a world class range of fast cruising yachts whose core values will be innovative design, practical seamanlike features, outstanding build quality, and an after sales service second to none.