The history of KB Boat Park's Portsmouth Dry Stack facility,

KB Boat Park Dry Stack started in 2002 when two friends Steve Ayub & Tim Anderson, became bored with the seemingly drawn out ritual of organising a day out on their Ribs. Living in Southsea, but with their Ribs on the other side of the harbour in Gosport, made the idea of a quick opportunistic trip out with the family almost impossible.

In addition, the high level of work needed to keep a marina berthed Rib safe, fully functioning and in good condition was proving very costly.

The Beginning

It didn't take long for the idea of a Dry Stack boat storage facility on the Portsmouth side of the harbour to take shape. However, with waterfront property attracting top prices, where could they sensibly build such a thing?

After months of searching and negotiation they eventually secured a boatyard in the sheltered Camber Dock - right next to the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour. At that time, the yard was run by Ken Brown, a local crane operator (hence, KB Boat Park), but it was clear that it would be an ideal location for a Dry Stack.

Work Starts

So in January 2003 work began to build the first Dry Stack boat storage facility in Portsmouth Harbour. If Steve & Tim had any doubts about whether the idea would catch on, they were soon to be pleasantly surprised; as by the time the Dry Stack was ready to open in March 2003, they already had nearly thirty boats in the Dry Stack.

By August of 2003 KB Boat Park Dry Stack took delivery of a large boat handling forklift that could put the boats in the specially designed storage racking and could lower them into the water for launching. What's more, even with the large tidal range in Portsmouth Harbour, boats could be launched and recovered at any state of the tide!

Development Continues

Over the next few years the popularity of the KB Boat Park Dry Stack grew and grew. More storage racking was added and space increased so that bigger boats could be accommodated. It didn't take long for a second tier of racking to become necessary.

The range of services grew to include: -

On-site mechanic and workshop facilities.
Electronic instrumentation installation and upgrade service
GRP and tube repair / replacement service
Valeting service
RYA training classroom and instructors
Indoor winter storage
Yacht and motor boat brokerage

Today, the Dry Stack continues to flourish and although the success of KB Boat Park has encouraged the opening of other Dry Stack facilities, KB Boat Park still leads the field with its combination of an unbeatable location, competitive pricing policy, customer service and innovation.

The Future

To find out why 100's of people choose to keep their Rib or Sports / Fishing boat at the KB Boat Park Dry Stack read the 16 reasons why KB lead the field, or read what our customers have to say. Better still, why not come on over and see us - we'll be happy to show you around.

KB Boat Park Dry Stack - The Best Location For Your Dry Stack Needs!
Call 023 9283 3166 or E-Mail