Family business

It’s an enviable and these days frankly unusual position to be in, coming about because the leisure marine market can still teach the commercial side a trick or two.

Starting in 2001, Marval originally focused on leisure boats. Then a few years ago Mr Payne realised Marval had two very important advantages for commercial projects. “Firstly, unlike many yards, we could go to the client. Secondly, we knew we could put a yacht-like finish on older working boats by stripping back the years of roller-paint and re-spraying them, getting rid of the ‘orange peel’ commercial boats tend to put up with.”

The Port of London Authority was quick to try it out, and the word spread. “Almost at the same time one of the guys at London Eye saw a boat we had worked on, and asked us to paint the London Eye Pier extension.”

It’s kept Mr Payne – who is very much a hands on member of the team – very busy, with work on well known names like London Bridge City Pier, Trinity Wharf Pier and Chatham Docks.

Some names are better known than others. “The Jubilee celebrations saw the Queen standing on two important projects that we’d worked on, the Greenland Pier and the Cutty Sark – I had a very good feeling when I saw both of these on TV, one after the other.”

Mr Payne points to a simple strategy: “If we didn’t have the immediate kit for a project but thought we could buy it, we’d say ‘yes’. Its expensive, my wife keeps on about a new house, but I keep spending the money on equipment.”

However, it’s a very different story with people. Marval is a family business, Brad’s father works alongside him, so does his wife and even the baby comes along to the office. Although there is over 150 years collective experience in the team, it is quite a tight one. There’s a reason for this, says Mr Payne: “It’s a very big deal taking on someone. It’s not just an ‘employee’ that we want, its someone that will gell with the team.”

He adds: “I know it sounds cautious, but even if someone has previous experience, we don’t let them near a job unless they’ve been trained to do it our way… It means we haven’t had any accidents, or even one complaint.”

Technology always keeps progressing but Mr Payne keeps up. “We are going forward with an iceblasting system now, as you blast, the frozen pellets turns back to gas and doesn’t end up as grit of the floor.” The final secret to success, says Mr Payne, is reliability. “If we say it will done by Tuesday, it will be done by Tuesday, and once we quote a price, that’s it, no hidden extras.”