History

Bounty Boats was formed by Mike Brister, and in 1968 was sold to Peter Brown. At the time the company was a small hirefleet of assorted craft, based at Brundall on the Norfolk Broads.

In 1972 Bounty Boats went into production with their first model - the Buccaneer 37.

At the time the boating scene had been changing quickly due to the rapid developments in fibreglass craft. A few years earlier, in 1966 Frank Wilds had launched his 39ft single level ‘bathtub’ design with great success, but his reluctance to sell them to others led to Bounty Boats, together with Stan Bruckshaw of Solar Marine to design and manufacture their own updated and improved interpretation.

In 1974 a moulding shop was set up called Broadland Moulders Ltd and the company was to expand rapidly. Over the years a high number of different styles of craft were built, along with a number of variations in length and style to the original Buccaneer range. At its peak Bounty were employing 85 people, across 3 sites and producing up to twelve craft a month. Such was demand that sometimes local sub-contractors were used to fit out the mouldings to the Bounty design.

Towards the end of the 1970‘s a purpose built works was built in Brundall comprising a large stores, wet shed, the ability to lift 10T in and out of the water and the capacity to build up to six boats at any one time. Prop shafts, stern tubes, stainless steel tanks, handrails, bow rollers, complete hydraulic drives could all be manufactured on site.

Almost all the craft produced were for hirefleets. Bounty themselves ran their hirefleet until the end of 1989, so the company knew what both customers and operators wanted from the craft, and it was an ideal showcase for their range of craft. Many of the craft are still in hirefleets, though a higher number are now also in private ownership.

As well as for UK waters boats were also being manufactured for other countries, including Ireland, France and Holland.

In addition to the high numbers produced by Bounty Boats many were constructed by other yards. Bounty were happy to sell the mouldings to yards for their own production, which only added to their success and sheer numbers of their designs around. Genuine Bounty produced craft carried a black plastic plate with their name on it, along with boat type and build number on it.

The company was sold in May 1990 and new designs followed. The boom years of hiring may have passed, but these models were still to go on and be successful. The last few years of the companies life appear uncertain, though production is thought to have finished around 2000.

However.... some of the models examined on this website are produced by other companies, especially the later “Sovereign” models, so Bounty’s success and designs are still as evident on todays waterways as during their first years of production.