Hartley Boats

Hartley Boats started when a pair of Kestrel Sailors were anxious about the future of their beloved boat and refused to let such a marvellous boat die. The decision was made to invest considerable money and time into the boat to re-design the interior and bring the boat up to today’s standards. 

In February 1998, Roswell and Morrison (in particular Phil Morisson) set about re-designing the Kestrel to make it appealing to existing and new generations of Kestrel Sailors. All modifications were discussed in great length with the Proctor family and the Kestrel Class Association, and since then, we have never looked back.

Since 1998 Hartely has moved on a long way. First, Hartley branched out to build the Supernova, now one of the biggest fleets in the UK, with well-attended open meetings and National Championships. 

In 2005 Hartley produced the first Mk4 Osprey, which Phil Morisson overhauled to make it more appealing to the modern market yet, but not changing it so radically that the original Osprey fleet accepted it. This was a storming success. The fleet continues to grow, and it is holding its own against the newer high-performance asymmetric rivals. 

Not ones to slow down, in 2006, the Hartley development team was to take on the Wayfarer, Wanderer and Gull dinghies from Porters. Later that year, the Wayfarer was re-designed by Phil Morrison. Hartley Boats is very proud to be still building these boats here in Derby, UK, and we continue the legacy of the Ian Proctor Designs.

2012 – 2015 saw the beginnings and launch of the Hartley range of rota-moulded training boats, some of the most stable sailing dinghies on the market. Hartley customers have said ‘they are easy to control, making them ideal for newcomers, resorts and training centres.’ Hartley supplies training schools both in the UK and overseas. The UK Navy uses the H15, and the UK Army use the H12.2 as part of their training fleet. Hartley also supplies to holiday companies/resorts. Hartley rota-moulded boats have a modern and unique design and allow sailors more time to glide over the water, not swim in it. The full range of these boats is the Alpha, H10, H12, H12.2 and the H15, all made in the UK. 

2016 Hartley took on the Blaze and, working closely with Naval Architect Peter Hobson, the Hartley Boats team re-designed and developed the all-new Hartley Blaze. The stunning boat sports many great new features to enhance this already super-fast, high-performance, single-handed, racked dinghy. 

In 2017 Hartley took on the UK build for the single-handed, super-fast Contender. Again, Hartley returned to Naval Architect Peter Hobson, who once again worked closely with the Hartley Boats team to understand our customer needs. As a result, the boat has been re-designed and developed into one of the sleekest boats around. 

With 14 boats in the range, the Hartley Boats team is confident we will have a boat to suit your sailing needs.