#149 Conor & Tom McLaughlin: Red Bay Boats

Red Bay Boats is a family business in Cushendall that has built over 1000 boats and 'shipped' to 30+ different countries around the world.   After reading a book on boat building Tom McLaughlin dropped out of school to restore an old rotten rowboat.   Since then, Red Bay have made boats used by the royal family, anti-pirate authorities, ferries, tour-guides and fishermen.   His son Conor — now a master-boat builder himself — works full-time in the family business and is responsible for building and delivering their bespoke vessels as far as Svalbard; an island 500 miles north of Norway.   In today's episode we caught up with Tom and Conor on their boat for this Father's day special to talk about: The fascinating link between the North Coast and Scotland (which is closer to Cushendall than Ballymena) What it's like to work so closely with family How they "make memories" for their customers The camaraderie of the local sailing community And the challenges/successes they've experienced along the way. This fascinating episode — set to the soundtrack of the North Coast waves — shares the story on an incredible family carrying on Northern Ireland's shipbuilding legacy and having a lot of fun along the way.   You'd be daft to miss it!   //   Link to webpage for this episode: https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/red-bay-boats   Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.   To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/   Cheers!   — Matt