10 Minutes with … Ben Matley

BEN MATLEY has come a long way in a short time. The 27-year – old entrepreneur was born and brought up in Andover, Hampshire and has always had a thing for boats. He has fi ve brothers and fi ve sisters (“to say I come from a large family is a bit of an understatement”) and as a schoolboy began working for his dad’s forklift truck company when he was just 12. “My father taught me all about how to run a successful business and how to make money, but the passion for boats was something that just appeared from nowhere in particular,” explains Matley. “Although I did design something called a negative drop lift for him, to lower boats into the water.” The youngster had his own powerboat by the age of 14 but ran it aground in Poole Harbour, while chasing a jet skier. “I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and he knew it,” he admits. He founded 1st4Boats in Bournemouth in 2001 and within two years the firm had been appointed the sole UK and European distributor for Fountain Worldwide. 1st 4Boats’ annual turnover is now approaching seven million pounds. The profi le of the company has been raised even further by its sponsorship of the Fountain P1 Powerboat team, the 2007 World Champions. Matley himself aims to be piloting a Fountain powerboat in the P1 Supersport Class in 2008.

What has been your most memorable journey by sea?

I have lots of great memories on the water but this one has to be a private charter to a remote island off Thailand with my wife. We had delicious grilled seafood and champagne and the wakeboarding conditions were great.

Who would you love to have on your boat and why?

A couple of ideas. Jeremy Clarkson for one. He’s got a lot to say for himself and I imagine he’d be good entertainment value. Plus I’d like to show him that you don’t need four wheels to get a thrill out of speed. Or Ellen McArthur. Just to show her there’s a quicker way to get round the world by sea!

If you could take a month off work, where would you go?

On Richard Branson’s fi rst commercial space flight. Though I don’t think it would take four weeks.

What would be the soundtrack to your boat trip?

Meatloaf ’s Bat Out Of Hell. What else?

If you were to put a message in a bottle, whatwould it say?

Either: Have a wonderful time, glad you’re not here or Apologies to all the yachties I have roared past. They are the only people going slow enough to see the bottle.

If you won the lottery, which boat would you buy andwhere would you moor it?

Another Fountain – obviously. And I think I’d try to have one in every major port in the world. Just for the convenience. I travel a lot.

How was 1st 4Boats established?

I’ve always loved boats and the thrill of speed across the water. As a teenager I was selling secondhand boats from the back of an offi ce in a suburb of Bournemouth, making a few hundred pounds at a time. I managed to secure a dealership for Crownline Boats and then set up 1st4Boats seven years ago. We have never looked back. We opened an outlet in Cyprus two years ago and now have plans to do the same in Spain and Dubai.