Contact:

Westport Rowing
Unit 2
Connaught Lane
Mutley
Plymouth
Devon PL4 7BZ
England

Telephone: 07977 466160

E-mail: info@westportrowing.com

The Westport Group

Westport Marine was founded by Charles Broughton in 2005 and encompasses Westport Rowing, Westport Design & Westport Marine.  Having practiced naval architecture since 1991 Charles took the opportunity to combine his passion for boat building with that of design and started manufacturing boats for the Family and Sea Angling boat market.

“I could see there was an opportunity to build better performing and more attractive boats for families and sea anglers – Westport Marine is now one of the major builders of Cuddy Angling Boats in the UK and is well respected throughout this market sector”, Charles Broughton

Charles continues to undertake design work and regularly engages in a wide range of marine design projects. He has specialised in the design of amphibious craft and is one of the most experienced amphibious designer engineers in Europe. He supports the UK Royal Navy, working on their surface and subsurface vessels, specialising in military and paramilitary vessels in technically demanding roles.

Having less and less time available Charles saw the opportunity to combine his exercise routine, being a regular swimmer, with that of boating and develop a new slide seat rowing boat under the guise of Westport Rowing. The waters around Charles’s home town of Plymouth are predominantly ‘open’ and require a stable, seaworthy craft in order to be able to row regularly with less dependence on calm weather. After researching the global market as well as the plethora of historic small rowing boats, both river and sea, Charles put ‘days on the water’ and ‘seaworthiness’ at the top of his design requirements and started work. The resultant Nordic Explorer is far more than he originally conceived:

“Her traditional hull lines and simple yet elegant style compliment her ease of rowing and effortless grace, I could not have hoped for more”, Charles Broughton

The Westport Nordic Explorer is proving ideal for those wanting to combine exercise and being on the water as well for the experienced rowers wishing to explore new waters. The Nordic Explorer is shipped worldwide and is now used in almost in every continent around the world.

Since graduating from Southampton Institute in 1991 Charles has worked as a naval architect predominantly in the field of design but also project managing the build of various vessels in steel, aluminium and FRP ranging from RIBs, oil-recovery vessels, salvage & surveying catamarans, jack-up platforms, high speed patrol vessels, crew boats, passenger vessels, super-yachts, production leisure craft, naval ships, submarines, patrol vessels and special forces craft. In recent years he has specialised in the design of amphibious craft for Sealander Marine International Ltd. Charles also designs, builds and markets his own range of family angling boats and maintains a high reputation within this market.

Whilst growing up on the Norfolk Broads Charles developed his passion for boating, which quickly turned from messing around on the water to repairing and building boats. This lead to leaving home to study boat building at the internationally renowned technical college in Falmouth followed by further study and graduation from the Yacht & Small Craft Design course at Southampton. This early enjoyment of being in a workshop and building boats has remained with Charles throughout his career where he finally managed to combine design and build with the establishment of Westport Marine.

Since graduating Charles has travelled with his career, working in Switzerland, India, North Africa, Spain and throughout the South of England where he finally settled in Plymouth with his wife and young sons.