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History of ABNB

  • First shoots
    ABNB started life as the brainchild of Andy Burnett whilst he was the Technical Editor of Waterways World, the popular magazine still at the forefront today. In the early 1990's brokers would only sell boats that were taken to their sales base but many vendors were reluctant to abandon their pride and joy, even though they were selling. Andy Burnett Narrowboat Brokerage pioneered and perfected selling boats from their home moorings, which enabled the vendors to participate in the sales process - an opportunity welcomed by many.
  • Sales base established
    As the business grew, Andy resigned from Waterways World and concentrated full time on building the Andy Burnett Narrowboat Brokerage into a thriving business to the point where an office with full time staff was needed and Crick Wharf became the home of ABNB. Paul & Lesley Mudie were employed by Andy & Christine Burnett to staff the office at Crick Wharf and soon ABNB was firmly established as a leading broker of quality boats. In April 2013 ABNB expanded and added further staff to cope with the demand.
  • Ownership transfer
    When Andy & Christine retired in 2004, they sold the company to Paul & Lesley Mudie who continued to run ABNB in much the same manner - why mend something that isn't broken! Paul & Lesley lived on a narrowboat on site, were still hands-on and employed additional staff to assist both at Crick and when inspecting craft. Sadly Lesley died. In 2009, two new directors were appointed - Paul & Sheila Smith whose boating experience and expertise have been well proven - putting the 'new' company in a strong position to move forward into the new decade. In 2011, ABNB acquired the Lease for Crick Wharf, and work has been underway to improve the whole site. This is being undertaken sensitively, with the emphasis on offering quiet and secluded private moorings for you to enjoy. Paul Mudie retired in 2013, for new ventures in Scotland. Justin Green, bringing a wealth of knowledge in the inland marine field to the team, joined the company in 2016, with his wife Emma joining in 2018. After successfully moving the brokerage operation to North Kilworth Marina in early 2021, and despite the effects of the on-going Covid pandemic the business was thriving. Paul and Sheila felt the time was right to step down from ABNB, which was always their plan, and in late 2021 the company was sold to Emma and Justin.
  • Present day
    ABNB is now under the ownership of Justin and Emma Green, who remain committed to maintaining the long-established standards and practices upon which the company was built. The objective is to uphold the traditional level of service that is increasingly rare in today’s fast-paced environment, and their dedication to delivering courteous, professional support is unwavering. With the addition of Emma’s son, Daniel, to the team in 2022, ABNB continues to operate as an independent, family-run business, a distinction they are proud to maintain within an increasingly corporate industry.