Fairline has been building motor yachts beside the River Nene since 1967, when the first Fairline 19 left a workshop next to Jack Newington’s Oundle Marina. Nearly six decades later the yard still works out of Northamptonshire, with production split between its Oundle and Corby facilities, and it remains one of the few British production builders finishing boats entirely in the UK.
The modern Fairline reads as a three way collaboration. Since 2016 the exterior lines have come from Alberto Mancini in Genoa, the naval architecture from Vripack in the Netherlands, and the joinery and assembly from craftsmen who have spent whole careers in the same sheds. That pairing of Italian styling with British build produced the F//LINE day boat, the Targa sports cruiser range, the Phantom 65 and the Squadron flybridge line, which now runs from 50 to 68 feet.
Buyers tend to come to Fairline for the way the boats handle rather than for the badge. Deep-V hulls, generous freeboard and a clear bias towards seakeeping give the range a settled feel offshore, and the interiors are laid out for family cruising rather than for display. The yard holds two Queen’s Awards, for Export Achievement in 1986 and for Enterprise in 2008, along with a run of World Yacht Trophies for design.
