One of the country's biggest boat builders, Fairline, announced 275 redundancies last month and put workers on a three-day week to cut costs. British manufacturer Sunseeker has avoided a cull but halved its production of boats at the lower end of the market. Peter Bryant, editor of Luxury Yachts of the World, said: "The really rich still have cash to spend but there's anecdotal evidence orders are being postponed if not cancelled. It's the social conscience effect - the wealthy feel buying big yachts looks wrong when so many are suffering financially."
