What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm

Ovation Boats

Name: Ovation Boats
Address: Ovation Boat Services Ltd, Ratcliffe on Soar, NG110EB, GB
Telephone: +447963974793
Price range: $$

Builder of quality, fully fitted Narrow Boats and Wide Beams
Marine Boat Surveyor for all variety of boat surveys Chris can be contacted on 07963 974793.

Located on the river Soar in Leicestershire, Chris Williams trained as a professional small craft surveyor, boat safety examiner and Gas Safe registered marine gas engineer before establishing Ovation Boat Services Ltd in 2005. Boat surveying was introduced to the business in 2012 and became independent of the maintenance and installation side of the business in 2016 under the name Ovation Boat Surveys. Holding a Small Craft Surveying diploma from the International Institute of Marine Surveying, Chris offers a comprehensive package of boat surveys plus Boat Safety Scheme examinations for all types of vessels including commercial and residential. Marine surveying and Boat Safety Scheme examinations are undertaken at many locations over the wider Midlands. Having lived and worked in the marine environment for many years, Chris’ accumulated knowledge and expertise ensures a professional and friendly service. Feel free to contact Chris for free, independent advice and to discuss your requirements.

24/09/2026

🌊🖌 At Ovation Boats we never gloss over the details 🖌🌊

Final prep is complete, and the first coat of paint is officially going on Aurora. We are hand-painting her using Alexseal Yacht Coatings Premium Topcoat 501 Polyurethane in Sea Frost.

Alexseal 501 is a two-component polyurethane topcoat specifically engineered to withstand harsh marine environments, extreme UV exposure, and abrasive conditions. It has exceptional gloss retention and colour stability, ensuring Aurora keeps her deep shine.

22/09/2026

1st image 📸

A great team behind a great weekend at Southampton Boat Show! ⚓️

L–R: Simon Boyde (Boyde Marine), Chris Williams (Ovation Boats), Robert Parton (Past President, British Marine), Chris Moran (Straight & Narrow), Julia Mason (Ovation Boats), Izzy Bradley (Ovation Boats) and Hayley Hadley (ABC Boat Hire ).

It’s been fantastic catching up with friends and colleagues from across the inland waterways community.

And we’re not finished yet!

We’ll be back at the show next weekend — Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th September, proudly supporting Discover Britain’s Inland Waterways at Stand L66.

Come and say hello! ⚓️

2nd image 📸

Chris Williams with Chris Upton from The Waterways Chaplaincy.

It was a pleasure to catch up and celebrate the fantastic work being done to support the inland waterways community. ⚓️

3rd image 📸

Julia Mason from Ovation Boats with Robert Parton, Past President of British Marine.

Another great opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from across the marine industry.

4th image 📸

Chris Williams with Chris Moran from Straight and Narrow Boats.

Great to see fellow boat builders and friends at the show — always plenty to talk about when it comes to boats! 🚤

20/09/2026

🎤 "I do have a very good knowledge of standards and what is required. " 🎤

Ovation Boats offer a comprehensive package of boat surveys on steel and iron narrowboats both historic and modern, commercial, and residential.

Types of surveys would include Pre-Purchase Survey, Hull Survey and Insurance Survey with the experienced team here making sure your boat meets all boat safety standards.

To talk about your boat project or for some experienced advice, contact Chris today on 07963 974793 or head over to our website for more information.

https://www.ovationboats.co.uk/

19/09/2026

⚓ We’ve arrived at Southampton! 🚤

We’re looking forward to another exciting Southampton Boat Show and are proud to once again be supporting Discover Britain’s Inland Waterways at Stand L66.

If you’re at the show, come and say hello! Whether you’re dreaming of your own narrowboat or simply love life on the waterways, we’d love to chat.

It’s a fantastic show — hope to see you there! 👋

17/09/2026

Made to measure. Made to last. 🌳

Finishing and dry-fitting the blind surrounds for Narrowboat Russell.

Handcrafted by our carpenters from solid oak planks, each surround is made to measure to house the dual blind system — combining both blackout blinds and flyscreens.

15/09/2026

A serious power move. ⚓️

At the heart of the brand-new narrowboat Aurora build lies a sophisticated Barrus parallel hybrid marine engine, engineered in partnership with Hybrid Marine International to merge traditional diesel dependability with advanced electric capability.

The system centres around a robust mechanical diesel engine integrated with a high-output electric motor-generator. Featuring 5kW of electric motor-generator capabilities, this setup acts as a versatile dual-purpose powerhouse on the water.

This engine works in tandem with Aurora's heavy-duty onboard systems to create a fully integrated energy system. The electric generator and an impressive 2,300-watt rigid solar array feed energy directly into a massive 48V battery bank built from 8x 100Ah Pylontech US5000 lithium batteries. When domestic power is needed, a 10kW Victron pure sine wave inverter smoothly transforms that stored energy to run heavy-load appliances onboard. Managing the entire ecosystem is a Victron Ekrano GX display, giving the crew total, real-time control and visibility over every watt flowing through the engine, solar panels, and battery bank.

12/09/2026

🚤💙 Visit us at Southampton International Boat Show 💙🚤

We’re delighted to be back for our third year, on the British Marine stand: ‘Discover Britain’s Inland Waterways’

We'll be there both weekends - 19th-20th & 26th-27th!

Featured in our gallery is ‘Silver Ghost’, our hybrid narrowboat, voted Second Favourite in Show at the UK’s Inland Waterways Boat Show at Crick.

Proudly designed and built in the Midlands, Nottinghamshire.

We look forward to meeting some new faces and catching up with old friends.

Address

Ovation Boat Services Ltd
Ratcliffe On Soar
NG110EB

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447963974793

Website

http://www.ovationboats.co.uk/

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