Royal seal of approval for family-run boat builders

A BOAT manufacturer run by a Wargrave family has been awarded a King’s Award for enterprise.

Rowing Solutions began trading as a limited company in 2011 but originally started in 1984 after its founder Simon Johnson had the idea to build more robust catamarans than those already on the market.

The company, based in Waltham St Lawrence, is one of 199 businesses to be given the accolade by King Charles and represents his seal of approval. It is  the most prestigious award for businesses in the UK.

It recognises the firm’s achievements in innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.

Rowing Solutions designs, develops and manufactures rowing and canoeing coaching launches, used by clubs across the world.

They are also used for rescue and umpiring events and export their catamarans to 25 different countries.

Cameron Johnson, director of sales and business development, joined his father’s company in 2021.

He operates it alongside his wife Jess, brother Jerome and his wife Mandy.

He said: “This is the first time we have won any award ever. When we found out, we felt very honoured to receive it and we were really happy.

“It’s something we had previously tried to obtain about seven years ago but we didn’t meet the criteria.

“We’re a micro business and you need at least five employees and at the time we had three so we weren’t eligible although we were exporting fair numbers.

“For a small family business to win something like this, it’s pretty awesome.”

Turnover for exports significantly increased year on year from 2021, which has helped the firm become eligible for the award.

Rowing Solutions is the “only” company to use polyethylene, a synthetic fibre with high durability in its boats which the Johnson family say is key to ensuring good quality.

Mr Johnson, who has a son Leo, five, and a daughter Juniper, two, said: “We have two sizes of catamaran but we buy the hulls in from a sailing company and that’s where the strength is because they are essentially plastic rather than glass fibre so it’s really durable and strong. A glass-fibre frame can damage and break.

“From 1992, my dad had the idea of manufacturing a more robust catamaran because at the time they were made out of old boats or made from wood.”

Managing director Simon Johnson, of Highfield Park in Wargrave, is now semi-retired.

He found his love for the sport in the Sixties when he began rowing for Reading Blue Coat Boat Club in Sonning with his brothers.

He said: “It’s lovely that we have been recognised. Hopefully, the people are enjoying what we do and it has been a lot of fun building catamarans for rowing which is great. After I rowed for Reading Blue Boat, I went to Upper Thames Rowing Club and then Leander Club and in 1975 went to Germany which is where it all started.

“We started rowing in 1970/1971 with my two brothers in a four and I carried on rowing with my older brother.

“We were invited to go to Hamburg with Peter Michael-Kobe, who was the German and Olympic rower and specialised in single sculls. We rowed there and had a wonderful time.

“I came back 10 years later and I started by business making everything other than rowing boats.”

The idea materialised after receiving advice from an official from the Environment Agency on making catamarans and coaching boats and an old school friend, Duncan Walker, from Caversham, who assisted him in fitting the engines to the back of the boats.

Mr Johnson, who operated the business on his own until 2011, said: “The Dart was the very first Catamaran made of polypropylene and that was the early days on making them from that material and that to me was the most important thing, finding a really good quality material.

“There are 3,000-plus of our catamarans around the world so they are being used and you can still find them almost from the day we started to this day.”

Mr Johnson will receive the award at Windsor Castle later this month from King Charles’s Lord Lieutenants, who are the King’s representatives in each county.