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The
first evidence of a boatyard at the site on which
Silvers Marine is now based can be traced
back to the early 1880’s.
The yard was established by local boatbuilder Peter
R McLean.
It was under McLean that
James A Silver, the son of a local shop owner began
his apprenticeship as a boatbuilder. |
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After
serving his apprenticeship, James Silver left the yard
before McLean sold it in 1906, and set up business
with his brother and John A McCallum, a well known
Clyde designer. They built their first motor yacht
in a yard in Glasgow. The partnership worked well and
the yacht was a great success. |
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When the yard at Rosneath came
up for sale again James Silver took it over and rapidly
built a reputation for high quality motor and motor-sailing
yachts. The first Silver yacht rolled down the slipway
at Rosneath in 1910. |
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Silvers yachts were a great success
but James Silver was a poor businessman and the yard
fell into financial difficulties. He sold the yard
to a syndicate and stayed on for a couple of years
as manager. |
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In
1916 he left and the syndicate approached designer
John Bain to take over the management of the yard.
Bain was not only a motor yacht designer of merit,
he was also a shrewd manager and this partnership
was to bring the yard renown and prosperity over the
next fifty years. |
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By
the mid 1950’s Bain
had fallen ill and his future with the yard seemed
in doubt. Ill health eventually forced him to give
up the management of the yard and John Boyd took over
the role. Under Boyd the yard continued to build luxury
motor yachts, and went from strength to strength. |
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The
1960’s witnessed an
increase in the maximum size of craft turned out by
the yard in response to the ever increasing demands
of prospective owners of luxury, comfort, and power
in a motor boat. As the size of the craft increased,
the turnover was vastly reduced and the yard encountered
problems. In 1970 the yard went into voluntary liquidation. |
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During the late part of 1970
and 1976 the yard was owned by two successive owners,
but very little work was done. |
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In
late 1976 the yard was bought by D.M. Russell and renamed
'D.M. Russell Ltd'. A great deal of work was put into
re-establishing the yard. The sole aim of the new owner
was to restore the yard to its former glory and re-establish
motor powered boats in a first class tradition. After
building several Jura Class motor sailers the business
failed and the yard fell into receivership in 1982. |
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The
yard was then bought in 1983 by the Arthur Duthie group
and renamed ‘Silvers
Marine Ltd.’ The yard has undergone a period
of redevelopment and reorganisation and now operates
as a high standard maintenance and storage facility. |
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