When Bates Wharf Marine Sales attended the Dusseldorf Boat Show in 2018, it already had a formidable line-up of boating brands, covering virtually every element of marine recreation.
For accessible day boats, cuddies and family cruisers, it had French giant, Beneteau, and American powerhouse, Bayliner. For RIB fans, it had Europe’s best selling fleet of leisure RIBs, courtesy of Brig. And for jetskiers, it had Kawasaki – the original creator of the ‘jetski’ and custodian of some of the most exhilarating performance machines in the world.
As one of the UK’s oldest and best-established marine firms, Bates Wharf also had the larger, more luxurious side of things well covered. In addition to British riverboat specialist, Banks Martin, it had stylish Italian builder, Sessa Marine and iconic British builder, Fairline Yachts, on its books.
And yet when bates Wharf CEO, Richard Bates, visited the Rand display in Dusseldorf, he was quick to recognise how important a modern, eco-friendly brand with a range of electric options would become: “We identified a gap in the market for an environmentally friendly day boat that could take you river cruising in style and comfort. And we were so impressed that we started right away with the Picnic 18.”
Just four years later, Bates offers every model in an eight-strong fleet that has become as diverse as it is progressive…
While the original Rand Picnic 18 continues to offer sociable wraparound seating for ten, the larger Mana 23 adds extra deck space and sunbathing room. Higher up the range, the Play 24 and Spirit 25 bring extra performance and customisation potential to the mix, before the Supreme 27 ramps up the versatility with its luxurious asymmetrical bow rider design.
At the top of the ‘Privilege’ line, the Leisure 28 combines a secure cockpit with authentic overnighting potential. And at the pinnacle of the fleet, the ‘Discovery’ line’s open-decked Escape 30 and pilothouse-equipped Archipelago 31 enable you to enjoy more ambitious offshore passages.
With the Rand fleet now achieving impressive sales figures through all four of Bates Wharf’s UK premises, Richard is in no doubt about the value of their collaboration: “We’ve always taken a very modern approach to the way we do business. We’ve done it with our showrooms, with our seven-day-a-week opening hours and with our cruising club initiative, so it makes perfect sense that our fleet should include a pioneering builder like Rand.
“As people continue to make the transition to cleaner, more sustainable ways of boating, we are now in a great position to help make that happen.”
For more information on Bates Wharf, visit: bateswharf.co.uk
