The Hardy Owners Club - a brief history
The Hardy Owners Club
was started in 1981 and in 2011 it will be our 30th Anniversary.
In 1981, Andrew Andrews was the proud owner of a brand new Family
Pilot, and wondered if other Hardy boat owners would be interested in
getting together in some sort of association to swap mutual problems
and experiences, and meet socially if so inclined.
He discovered that they most certainly were!
The first members signed up in August 1981, with Membership numbers 1
and 2 being assigned to John Hardy - the then MD of Hardy Marine Ltd -
and Colin Mudie, the designer of several of the Hardy boats, both as
Honorary Life members.
From a very modest beginning the Club grew quickly and membership has
settled down at around about the 200 mark. Ownership of a Hardy boat is
not a prerequisite for membership: a number of members have stayed on
with us after moving on from their Hardys to boats of a different
marque, and we always have members who have joined without a boat at
all. The usual reason for this is that they have in mind buying a Hardy
at some future date and, having access to existing, experienced Hardy
owners via the magazine and socially, get the flavour. As a result they
are usually able to avoid the ‘wish I’d only known/thought of that
before I bought it’ syndrome which strikes a lot of people, often too
late.
From the start the Hardy Owners Club has always intentionally remained
independent of Hardy Marine Ltd, unlike some other boat owner’s clubs
which are run by the boat builders almost as a branch of their PR
activities. However we have always been on good terms with Hardy Marine
and enjoyed their cooperation. They bring our existence to the
attention of their customers, they will always help out with technical
queries if they can, and from time to time in the past have organised
factory visits for Hardy Owners Club members.
The Club is run voluntarily by several of its members – Membership
Secretary, Advertising Officer, Magazine editor, Regalia Officer,
Treasurer, and Webmaster. Membership is widespread ranging from Co.
Cork on the West coast of Ireland to East Anglia and from
Devon/Cornwall to Shetland with concentrations of boats on the upper
Thames, the Norfolk Broads and the Solent and Strathclyde areas. We
have also had members from overseas including Switzerland, Germany,
Greece, Republic of Ireland and Australia.
In the past, when there was enough interest generated, weekend meets
were arranged giving members the opportunity to get together socially
with and without their boats. These events were not organised
centrally, but were groups of members getting together on their own
initiative when there was enough demand.
It is our wish, as we approach our 30th Anniversary to try and
stimulate these meets in to action once again. They can easily be made
known via the Club’s Magazine, The Hardy Owner, or through our website.
Our magazine, ‘The Hardy Owner’, is published three times a year, with
issues in January, April, and October, thus positioning the issues
around the boating season.
The Hardy Owner is produced for HOC Members and relies heavily on
contributions compiled and/or provided by the members themselves.
It includes Marine Market pages, featuring the sales of Hardy boats
from both members and non-members, for a modest charge.
The Magazine also carries advertising from relevant marine insurers,
dealers and other equipment suppliers, and related charities.
We are very fortunate at the Hardy Owners Club to have an extensive
Club website, and an active Webmaster, providing a link between members
and non-members via the site’s Forum pages.
Here all Hardy enthusiasts can share information, solve problems, and
have general discussions about all aspects of their boating. There are
many topics under discussion at any one time and by this means members
comments and queries are often responded to within a very short space
of time.
A membership list is produced for all Club Members and is updated at
regular intervals.
Revised by The Editor, THO May 2010
From an original transcript by the late D. Shipley.
