Claim: Fairline Boats started when Jack Newington bought a series of gravel pits on the River Nene, which he turned into a marina and launched plastic river cruisers.
Evidence: Started in 1963 by Jack Newington, the company built motor yachts in Oundle, Northamptonshire. The company started when Newington bought a series of gravel pits on the River Nene and built the Oundle Marina. In 1967 he launched the first Fairline boat, a 19 feet (5.8 m) handcrafted glass-reinforced plastic river cruiser.