Submit Your Business to the Maritime Services Directory
A free, independently curated resource for boaters cruising the UK.
The Maritime Services Directory is being developed as part of the wider HamstersAHOY! project for liveaboard boaters, cruising sailors, motor cruisers and others who operate around the UK coastline and inland waterways.
Its purpose is straightforward: to help boaters find reliable and relevant marine businesses, specialist trades, facilities and services in the areas where they cruise.
The directory is organised around the same geographical structure used throughout the UK Coastal Operating Guide, with businesses indexed within the appropriate coastal areas and according to the services they provide.
A Free Listing for Relevant Marine Businesses
If your business provides a service, facility, specialist trade, equipment or other expertise that may be useful to boaters, you are welcome to submit your details for consideration.
There is no charge for a standard directory listing, and you do not need to register as a website user in order to submit your business.
The directory is intended to cover the practical requirements of boating as comprehensively as possible. It currently includes around 70 specialist marine service categories, ranging from engineering, repairs, electrical and mechanical services to boatyards, chandlers, safety services, training, fabrication and specialist inland-waterways trades.
75 Coastal Areas Throughout the UK
Businesses are indexed geographically using the 75 named coastal areas which form the geographical framework of the Maritime Services Directory and the wider UK Coastal Operating Guide.
For directory purposes, a business is normally indexed according to its established physical business location, rather than simply according to the wider area in which it may be prepared to undertake work.
For example, a marine engineer based in Dorset would normally be indexed within the appropriate Dorset coastal area, even if the business is willing to travel elsewhere for individual jobs. If a business has established premises or genuine business locations in more than one indexed area, those additional locations can be considered separately.
This approach is intended to make the directory more useful to boaters who are looking for services in or near the area in which they are actually cruising.
Every Submission Is Personally Reviewed
This is a curated directory rather than an open self-publishing service. Submitted businesses are not automatically published.
Every submission is personally reviewed before publication. Submitted information may be checked, standardised or amended where necessary so that listings remain consistent and useful throughout the directory.
If any part of a submission requires clarification, we may contact the business before the listing is published.
The business may nominate its preferred service category and geographical area when completing the form. Final categorisation and placement remain subject to editorial review so that the directory continues to serve the needs of boaters rather than simply reflecting promotional preferences.
Why We Ask for Your Website
Where a business has an established website, we ask for its website address as part of the submission.
A website provides a useful means of cross-referencing the information supplied and helps us establish that the business has a genuine and identifiable presence. It also gives boaters a direct route to obtain further information about the services you provide.
As standard directory listings are provided free of charge, a simple reciprocal link to the Maritime Services Directory is appreciated where a business has a website. This helps support the continued development of the directory and the wider resource of which it forms a part.
We recognise, however, that many perfectly legitimate local marine businesses and individual tradespeople do not have their own website. The absence of a website does not automatically prevent a business from being considered. If this applies to you, please contact us and we will be happy to discuss the circumstances.
What Happens After You Submit Your Details?
The process is deliberately straightforward:
- You submit your business details using the form below.
- Your submission is personally reviewed for suitability and accuracy.
- We may contact you if any information requires clarification.
- Your business is placed within the appropriate category and coastal area if the submission is approved.
There is no requirement to create a website account, and there is no requirement to manage your listing through a separate business dashboard.
Keeping Your Listing Up to Date
If your business details subsequently change, simply contact the administrator. We can discuss the required amendments with you and update the published information where appropriate.
This is another part of keeping the directory curated rather than relying on businesses to maintain their own entries indefinitely.
A Directory Built for Boaters
The Maritime Services Directory is being developed from a boater's perspective as part of a much larger independent resource covering practical boating and seamanship around the UK.
The intention is not to create an exhaustive commercial database or to provide businesses with a platform for unrestricted self-promotion. The emphasis is on usefulness to the boater: identifying genuine businesses and specialist services that may be useful when preparing, maintaining, repairing or operating a vessel around the UK.
Businesses are therefore included because their services may be useful to the boating community. Their inclusion is intended to complement the wider information contained throughout the HamstersAHOY! website.
Submit Your Business
If your business provides services that may be useful to boaters, we invite you to submit your details below for consideration.
There is no charge for a standard listing, and every submission is reviewed personally before publication.
Please provide accurate and current information wherever possible. The more clearly you describe your business and the services you provide, the easier it will be to place your listing appropriately within the directory.
Business Submission Form
Please complete the form below as accurately as possible. Your submission will be personally reviewed before any information is published in the Maritime Services Directory.
There is no charge for a standard listing and no website registration is required.
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