As schoolboys, Chris Williams, Darren Cross and Ian Shephard were bitten by ‘the boating bug’ and have subsequently spent their lives living & breathing narrowboats (including liveaboard) and together, there’s no-one better to pass on their experience and knowledge!
Joshua Kenway and Henry Jones joined the Ovation Boats’ Team in 2021 through an apprenticeship scheme and are currently dividing their time between an Architectural Joinery course at Derby College and Ovation Boats.
Although Joshua has a Masters’ Degree in Molecular Biology he decided early on this was not something he wanted to pursue as a career, choosing instead to experience the satisfaction of creating something with his own hands.
Henry may be the youngest of the team but has a wealth of experience & knowledge. He bought and refurbished his first engine at the age of 11 years and has never looked back! Henry has an interest in all things ‘boats’ and is the proud owner of a 21ft fiberglass sailboat which he refurbished himself. Although Henry still has a passion for sailboats, his interests have now expanded to include narrowboats.
Julia Mason began working for Chris Williams in 2013 (Ovation Boat Surveys) and they quickly became known as the only surveying team on the circuit. With a working background in ‘local authority’ Julia had no previous experience of narrowboats or the canal system, and so working with narrowboats was a massive learning curve. However, Julia has embraced the boating world with the same enthusiasm as the rest of the Ovation Boats' Team.