BUTLER TRADITIONAL WOODEN BOATS LIMITED
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 3 lenders · oldest 19.6y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 19.6 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 3 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £183.1k | £339.6k |
| Current assets | £384.0k | £538.4k |
| Cash | £20.0k | £16 |
| Debtors | £142.6k | £184.0k |
| Net assets | £38.1k | £202.6k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
- • 1 accounts
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-12-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-04-18📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2024-04-17🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2023-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-10-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2017-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-06-28📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-01-24📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2017-01-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2017-01-24📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2015-12-23➕BUTLER, Ashley Daniel appointedsecretary
- 2015-12-23➖HARE, Georgina Frances resignedsecretary
- 2015-12-23➖HARE, Georgina Frances resigneddirector
- 2015-12-15🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2006-10-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2006-10-20🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Nicholas Lethbridge
- 2006-10-20🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2006-07-20🏢Company incorporatedAs BUTLER TRADITIONAL WOODEN BOATS LIMITED
- 2006-07-20➕BUTLER, Ashley Daniel appointeddirector
- 2006-07-20➕HARE, Georgina Frances appointedsecretary
- 2006-07-20➕HARE, Georgina Frances appointeddirector
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "BUTLER" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
Butler & Butler (Holdings) Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Butler & Butler (Holdings) Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 17/04/2024 | — | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 20/10/2006 | — | |
| satisfied | Nicholas Lethbridge | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/10/2006 | 15/12/2015 | |
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | Legal mortgage | 1 property | 20/10/2006 | — |