A Yeovil boatbuilder that supplied rigid inflatable boats to police forces and the military has gone into liquidation, with the loss of 18 jobs.

What happened at Ribcraft

Ribcraft Limited, based on Mead Avenue at Houndstone Business Park in Yeovil, has ceased trading, according to a notice in the London Gazette. The notice says 18 employees have been made redundant. The company built rigid inflatable boats used by the police and military, including the US Navy.

A long-established Somerset firm

Ribcraft was founded in the late 1980s and built a reputation for commercial-grade rigid inflatable boats, known as RIBs, for military, emergency service and leisure customers. In 2020 the firm was bought by Dubai-based entrepreneur Toby Adams, who had previously run a franchise building Ribcraft boats in Dubai.

Charities left waiting for boats

Private Eye reported that three lifeboat charities were left with unfinished vessels after the Yeovil boatbuilder went bust, and that its owner continued operations in the Middle East. The magazine's report underlines that the collapse reached beyond the 18 staff who lost their jobs, leaving customers waiting for boats they had helped to fund.

Registry records lag behind events

The company's Companies House record still showed the firm as active in a credit report, with later accounts overdue — a reminder that registry records can lag behind events on the ground.