Oyster craftsmanship began in Norfolk in 1973. Oyster drew on the experience and craftsmanship of Landamores, who had been building wooden sailing yachts since 1923. They were soon joined by another Norfolk boat builder with an equally fine pedigree, Windboats, founded in 1920 by Graham Bunn – a master craftsman and yacht designer.
This team was responsible for building more than 700 Oyster yachts until Oyster took over Landamore’s new facility and brought the build in-house combining the workforce from both companies.
We have four main yacht construction centres: in Norfolk, there is Oyster Yachts Wroxham which is close to our new composite technology facility in Ashmanhaugh. The Oyster 565 and 595 are all brought to life here by our skilled teams. Our other construction centres are located in Southampton, where our Oyster 495 and larger models – the Oyster 675, 745 and 885 – are built and finished by hand to the highest standards. Our head quarters are at Saxon Wharf, Southampton and our newest construction centre at Hythe Marine Park is a state-of-the-art production facility where the new Oyster 495 is built.
Everything about our boats and build process is focused on creating the world’s finest bluewater British yachts, from the quality of the materials to the exceptional skills of our craftsmen and women and precise project management. We believe a key part of owning an Oyster is understanding the craftsmanship and attention to detail that go into her. Passing down these time-honoured craft skills to the next generation of great British boatbuilders is a priority for Oyster – it is the reason we set up the Oyster Academy, where our apprentices learn from the very best.
