The economy of the waterways and its industries are subject to drifts and flourishes, with variations in their flow of business, as much as those in any other sector.

Clive Mant has seen several such rises and falls in his 35 years working with boats and boating and has been able to observe how the market has changed.

Mr Mant, 52, took a change of direction himself a year ago, deciding on a move from being an employee with a firm of boat-builders to becoming self-employed and setting up Mant Marine Services, working from his home at Middle Barton.

With his extensive knowledge of a wide range of styles of boat construction he knows how to tackle all their associated problems.

He had gone into boat-building from the hire-boat industry, at a time when it was, as he describes, in its heyday. This was firstly on the Oxford Canal, at Aynho. “It involved greeting clients, setting them off on their way, giving them the necessary advice and carrying out work on boats,” he said.

Moving to Cheshire, he took up a similar post, based at Bollington on the Macclesfield Canal and became boatyard manager.

He had a good grounding in mechanical matters, having started out by taking up an apprenticeship as a motorcycle mechanic and moving on to experience of other types of engine.

By the time Mr Mant returned to Oxfordshire he was seeing changes in the fortunes of the hire-fleet operators.

 

By the late 1970s and 1980s cheap holidays abroad had become available and many of the people who had previously been happy to stay at home and see their own country from the waterways took the opportunity to spread their wings and fly to sunny beaches.

The market for boat-ownership then became more concentrated on those who could afford to maintain one of their own, Mr Mant recalled, and that is still the case today. Some owners now aim to make their boat home for several months of the year but Mr Mant advises caution before taking such a step.

“Living on a boat is not something to take lightly — my advice is to try it first,” he said.

The hire business these days, he observes, is mainly for day hire, rather than weekly, full holiday bookings.

Companies also hire out boats for children’s parties and other occasions.

Mr Mant’s move into self-employment came following a ‘sabbatical’ with his family, spending a few months visiting New Zealand and Australia.

It was when they returned that he decided it was time for a change.

“My previous role had become more one of organisational skills and I decided I wanted to be more hands-on and go back into the fray by setting up as a mobile service engineer,” he said.

As a registered gas fitter he can provide a service that not all such businesses can, as well as being able to deal with problems relating to the boat’s plumbing, heating, electrical systems and the running of the engine.

He can carry out servicing and deal with all minor but necessary everyday items such as a leaking tap or window seal.

Mr Mant aims to centre his business around a 50-mile radius of Banbury but, depending on the job, is willing to travel farther afield.

A good example came recently when he was contacted by the new owner of a boat which he had originally had a hand in building.

He was asked if he would travel up to Lincolnshire to give the 57ft narrowboat a ‘once-over’.

The trip was an enjoyable one for Mr Mant and his wife Pat, who travelled to Lincolnshire with him.

Mr Mant finds people taking over a boat often need help in becoming used to it.

He explained: “It’s like buying a second-hand car. It takes time for a new owner to get to know its particular ways.”

Nearer home, Mr Mant receives calls to a variety of locations, mainly along the Oxford Canal and the River Thames.

Recent jobs have included visits to Kidlington, to a boat where the owners could not get the engine to run, to Enslow Wharf, to deal with a problem with a propeller, to Napton where there was a leak in one of the systems and to Radcot, near Faringdon, to change a gas-fired water heater.

A problem with an unusual solution was encountered near Lechlade.

The call had been to deal with a blocked toilet — which Mr Mant found was being caused by a 50p piece.

Mr Mant describes himself as a trouble-shooter.

He said: “My call-outs are often to deal with other people’s mistakes. They call on me to solve them.

“Being mobile, I have the ability to get there quickly and working out of the back of the van I always have my equipment with me.”

The work is not just rescue and repair however.

He is also helping a friend who is building his own boat and there is work that is booked in by appointment, particularly during the winter months, for routine maintenance before the next boating season begins.

An interesting boat Mr Mant was invited to work on last summer was a 1920s Dutch barge being prepared to take part in the Thames pageant during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

He carried out mechanical work in readiness for its appearance in the flotilla.

“I caught a glimpse of it on TV. I could see the owner was not having any trouble with it — and I breathed a sigh of relief,” he said.

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