Hamilton opens ‘Bluefield Houseboats’

Date published: 8 September 2016

Designed and manufactured under The Boat House Boat Company Ltd’s (BHBC) ‘Bluefield Houseboats’ brand, the fledgling company designs and manufactures a wide range of floating structures which can be used alone, as a houseboat, or in modular fashion to create new areas of public realm, housing and commercial spaces.

BHBC has benefited from a research and development grant through Invest Northern Ireland, to produce its fully operational two-bedroom boat house prototype which will act as a showroom to market the product.

Officially opening the company’s first houseboat, Simon Hamilton said: “Northern Ireland has a long established reputation in marine engineering. It is very encouraging to see a new, locally-owned company like Bluefield Houseboats utilising these skills to develop innovative products for new markets. The company has identified an emerging opportunity in the sector with a product which offers scope to be adapted for residential, retail and public space use and which has potential markets across Great Britain, Europe and beyond.

“I am pleased Invest Northern Ireland has been able to offer support to help the company move into production and target the export markets which will support their future growth.”

Invest NI offered £101,484 towards R&D, marketing activities, technical advice and an employment grant to recruit five new jobs.

Bluefield Houseboats Company Chairman, Tony Reid, said: “We have been developing this concept for a number of years now and we are very proud of what we have created, and very excited about its future possibilities. I am delighted to announce that even before our official launch we have confirmed our first order, a three bedroom houseboat, which is destined for a site in England, with the potential of 10 more over the next two years.”