THE BOATYARD LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
SC181846 · ltd · incorporated 1997-12-31
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£155.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

🔒Generate AI memo →🔒Outreach pack →🔒Corporate story →📑 Reports →Sign in to watch
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 52101
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
Special-situation opportunity
Distressed transport with salvageable qualities — special-situations priority.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -75% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 17.1y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 17.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (2 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
72 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £155,453
Very low cash
Cash position: £44
Net assets shrinking
Down £302 YoY
Cash draining
Cash down 75% YoY
Cash YoY
-75%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£44
↓ 75% YoY
Net Worth
£155k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£123k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£31k£62k£93k£125k£156kSept 2024Sept 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-09-302024-09-30
Total assets£159.6k£160.0k
Current assets£123.4k£123.7k
Cash£44£175
Debtors£122.4k£122.5k
Net assets£155.5k£155.8k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

1 signal 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

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-03-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-10-16
    📄
    mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
    mortgage · MR01
  3. 2025-10-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: Chamber Acorn Fund (Humber) LTD
  4. 2025-06-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  5. 2024-03-25
    ➖
    STIRLING, Margaret Wood resigned
    director
  6. 2024-03-25
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  7. 2023-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  8. 2022-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  9. 2022-05-05
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2021-04-02
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  11. 2021-04-02
    📄
    mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
    mortgage · MR04
  12. 2021-04-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  13. 2021-03-31
    ➕
    STIRLING, John Jarvie appointed
    director
  14. 2021-03-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  15. 2020-06-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  16. 2019-06-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  17. 2018-07-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  18. 2017-07-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  19. 2016-07-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  20. 2009-03-31
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Clydesdale Bank PLC
  21. 1997-12-31
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As THE BOATYARD LIMITED
  22. 1997-12-31
    ➕
    STIRLING, John Jarvie appointed
    secretary
  23. 1997-12-31
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  24. 1997-12-31
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  25. 1997-12-31
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  26. 1997-12-31
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director
  27. 1997-12-31
    ➕
    STIRLING, Margaret Wood appointed
    director

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 28 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr John Jarvie Stirling
Individual · British · DOB 07/1967 · age 59
50–75%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Transport & logistics · PA postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
B. MUNDELL LIMITED→
SC054931 · est 1974
£1.96M
£1.47M–£2.45M
——5452y8364y
GALLANACH MARINE CONSULTANTS LIMITED→
SC769319 · est 2023
£72.6k
£54.5k–£90.8k
£28.2k—2002y8450y
A M TRANSPORT (CAMPBELTOWN) LTD.→
SC355750 · est 2009
——£827.4k—17y8268y
AAI INTERNATIONAL SCOTLAND LIMITED→
SC383141 · est 2010
———80015y8271y
BOYDS COACH HIRE LIMITED→
SC150742 · est 1994
——£476.2k—31y8263y
BRIAN ADAM`S TRANSPORT LIMITED→
SC307386 · est 2006
——£642.7k—19y8259y
BROOKFIELD SECURITIES LIMITED→
SC015861 · est 1930 · no financials extracted
————96y8266y
CRD INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT LTD.→
SC257963 · est 2003
——£130.6k—22y8270y
D.W. PARKER LIMITED→
SC241950 · est 2003
——£433.1k—23y8258y
FALKIRK CAR CARRIERS LTD.→
SC228015 · est 2002
———1624y8260y
FLYING SCOT GLASGOW LIMITED→
SC182653 · est 1998 · no financials extracted
————28y8268y
GORDON GRANT MARINE LTD.→
SC265624 · est 2004
———822y8261y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 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 →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1997-12-31
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC52101 — SIC 52101

Registered office

The Boatyard
Port Bannatyne
Rothesay
Isle Of Bute
PA20 0LT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-01
Last: 2025-06-17

Officers (2 active · 3 resigned)

STIRLING, John Jarvie→
secretary · appointed 1997-12-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STIRLING, John Jarvie→
director · ~59y · appointed 2021-03-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-12-31 · resigned 1997-12-31
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1997-12-31 · resigned 1997-12-31
Resigned
STIRLING, Margaret Wood→
director · ~85y · appointed 1997-12-31 · resigned 2024-03-25
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Chamber Acorn Fund (Humber)
Chamber Acorn Fund (Humber) LTD
A registered charge—01/10/2025—
satisfied
Virgin Money
Clydesdale Bank PLC
Standard security1 property31/03/200902/04/2021
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (72 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-03-18
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-06-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-03-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-01-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-01-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-05-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-01-07
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2021-04-02
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2021-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-03-24