BUYING A USED...COLVIC SUNQUEST 38 FLYBRIDGE

Lke a number of boat builders, Colvic has a slightly chequered history. But unlike the others, and perhaps oddly so, given that Colvic was once a major force in British boat building, its heritage is quite difficult to chart, with only limited reference material available.

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What we do know, however, is that the firm began its operations in 1964 in the Blackwater estuary under the guidance of founders, Colin Burns and Victor Pascoe. Named Ardleigh Laminated Plastics, Col and Vic would later come up with a much snappier portmanteau which manifested itself both as Colvic Craft and, in collaboration with Glasgow-based GL Watson & Co, as Colvic Watson.

Colvic began by producing GRP hulls that DIY enthusiasts could fit out, before going on to manufacture a range of vessels, from fishing boats to motor cruisers and yachts (including Clipper Round the World race boats). Later in its history, the company became associated with a group of ex-Fairline staff who had created an operation called Beaux Bateaux, which fitted out Colvic hulls. But problems arose in the late '90s when Colvic became embroiled in a lengthy legal battle over the design of its Sunquest 38, the model we feature here. In 1998, the firm lost its fight on appeal and two years later went into liquidation with the loss of 50 jobs. The assets were picked up by Colchester-based Lancer Laminating Ltd, but just four years into the new millennium, the company's doors closed once again - and this time, there would be no reprieve.