I decided to start this register after discovering the original brass GT maker’s plate on our boat Blue Rover during a recent repaint. That small detail sparked a bigger question: who were GT Boatbuilders, and how many of their boats are still out there?

Blue Rover was number 77, and I have tracked down around 160 of their boats on the canalplan.org.uk register.

From the records gathered so far, GT Boatbuilders were active in Stafford during the late 1980s, 1990s, and based on the fact that I have found a couple with early 2000’s build dates, up until around 2010. I believe the company was run by 2 guys; Anthony Summers and Graham Clemson (listed as directors of GT Boatbuilders) so I am guessing that that is where the GT came from (Graham & Anthony (Tony)).

GT built steel narrowboats using a standard 10,6,4 profile, and they seem to have a reputation for building good solid craft with nice lines. Our boat (Blue Rover) would tend to bear that out.

This site is an attempt to build a clearer picture of the yard and create a shared register of surviving boats. The information here comes from public records and owner research, and it’s very much a work in progress. If you own a GT narrowboat or know more about the company’s history, I’d love to hear from you.