A Day In The Life Of: Whitby boatbuilder James Forster

“We started out as two men in a van,” James Forster (pictured above right with fellow founder of JCF Marine John Clarkson) co-founder and director of boatbuilder JCF Marine, told Fishing News. “Now, just a few years later, we’re four men, a workshop, and a couple of vans.”

Founded in 2020, Whitby- based JCF Marine provides a range of services, including repair, maintenance and fitting out. The company, whose potting vessel Davlin FR 38 was shortlisted in the Under-15m Boat of the Year category in this year’s Fishing News Awards, has seen rapid growth, driven by James and co- founder John Clarkson.

“Me and John both worked at Parkol Marine. That’s where we learnt our craft – and where the standards are set to such a high bar.

“I started in 2008. My older brother was the joiners’ foreman there at the time. He messaged me one afternoon on a whim, asking if I would like an apprenticeship.

“I began as an apprentice, doing a two-year joinery course at Scarborough Tech. I worked my way up over the years – and as time went on, I became a foreman myself.”

After 12 years with Parkol Marine, James decided it was time for a new challenge. Following a spell in on-site joinery, he teamed up with John Clarkson – who was working in maintenance for a Hartlepool- based company that had a fleet of seven vessels.

“I just mentioned to John if there was any chance I could go with him as a helping hand. So I set myself up as a sole trader, and we started working up at Hartlepool. People soon clicked on who we were, and where we had come from. That’s when we decided to form our own company.”

For two and a half years, James and John travelled daily up to Hartlepool. “The business was ticking along nicely. Then we were asked to carry out some repair work on a vessel which Kilkeel-based boatbuilder Gerry Smyth had built.

“We were very impressed with how the vessel had been built, and were really keen to work with Gerry. As a result, we ended up going over to Northern Ireland to meet him.”

The encounter with Gerry proved a pivotal moment for the business. “We said to Gerry that we would love to build one of his 7m boats. So we bought a boat off Gerry – and that’s how the building of the Davlin for David Macdonald came about. It’s snowballed since then.”

James and John at the 2023 Scottish Skipper Expo with David Macdonald, owner of the Davlin. “It was a really nice feeling, a proud feeling, to be stood there with a boat that we’d built from scratch.”

With a growing company – and order book – to maintain, James faces a diverse range of tasks over the course of a ‘typical day’.

“Me and John come in for 7.30am. We’ve got a big board in the office for work that sets out the jobs for the week, which might show a certain task that needs doing on a certain boat. The rest of the guys come in at 8am. We set them up with their jobs, which could be either workshop-based or out and about.

“We’ve a brand new GM in the shed at the moment – she’s going up to the Shetland Islands when she’s finished. We’ve also got a 9m catamaran, which is for a local guy who’s going to be potting out of Whitby.”

James at work. “I enjoy seeing the end product. To see a boat go back in the water after being worked on, and to see it back fishing – you think to yourself what an achievement it is. To be doing that as your own company takes that feeling to another mark.”

Another part of James’ day sees him responding to a wide range of enquiries. “I’m always taking phone calls. There are always calls about breakdowns, or small jobs that need doing. It’s a really nice feeling when the phone goes, and someone wants you to come and look at their boat.

“We are constantly making a timeline to work to – but it rarely works out to that timeline! If we have a breakdown come in that is absolutely desperate, we’d do our best to get to the job that day. We used to do all the travelling to the vessel, but it’s now a case that the boat can be brought into Whitby. That’s much easier for us – and people are willing to do that.”

As a director of the business, James also has to turn his hand to administrative tasks. “I normally spend part of the week doing the paperwork. John looks after all the ordering, whereas I’m responsible for the financial side of things.”

James is also tasked with managing the company’s Facebook page – with a little encouragement from John. “He keeps telling me I need to update the page. It’s hard enough trying to do the job, but I’ve also got to think about taking photos of me whilst doing it to post on Facebook!”

As the end of one day approaches, thoughts turn to the following day’s tasks. “We sometimes regroup at the end of the day, depending on how the day has panned out.

“Nine times out of 10 something unexpected has happened which will need sorting. So we will have a bit of a regroup, and perhaps set the guys a different job for the next day, or prioritise the ordering of some materials.

“You try to plan a week’s work for yourself and the guys – but in this job you are constantly here, there and everywhere.”

More information about JCF Marine can be found on the company’s Facebook page.

This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.

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