About Us
The Walton boatyard is a service centre for pleasure craft of various sizes with onsite work provided by the team at Hipkin & Oxley ltd. Oxley Marine and Simon Hipkin Boats.
The boatyard itself is a stalwart in the local area with the towering boom of the orange and blue crane to be seen from afar. Offering a service centre for boats for nearly 80 years, formerly known as Bedwell & Co, it boasts 2 slip sheds, yard storage for around 50 vessels and a yacht chandlery for the essential maintenance products.
Simon (Simon Hipkin Boats) has worked in the marine industry, predominantly on pleasure craft following training as a yacht and small boat surveyor on yachts and powerboats for the pleasure craft market, after a short spell at Dartmouth naval college officer training. He later decided to pursue his true love of boat building and has become a renowned dinghy specialist.
James (Oxley Marine) spent his work experience at a local boatyard which confirmed his direction into the marine industry. James went on to Study at the International Boatbuilding Training College to train as a traditional Shipwright and proceeded onto Spirit Yachts building the Ultimate classics. He later decided to go his own way and set up Oxley Marine to offer a unique service focusing on quality.
History
1950’s
The Wyatt family has been involved in the boatyard since Richard and Steve’s father Ron joined the business in 1945 after leaving the Royal Navy. Ron started as assistant to Fred Bedwell and upon Fred’s retirement in the late 1950’s Ron became the sole proprietor.
1980’s & 1990’s
Ron went on to expand the company from a chandlery to a fully equipped boatyard. With permission from the land owners, The Walton & Frinton Yacht Trust, he had built the present covered slipways and sheds. Steve joined his father in 1982 followed by Richard in 1990, Ron retired in 1993 after some 48 years in the business.
For many years the Wyatts have maintained, repaired and stored both private yachts and commercial craft for local yachtsmen and fishermen; they also provided yacht mooring facilities and a chandlery.