Boats designed and built in Orkney for fishermen look set to become a nationwide success after being given their UK launch at Britain’s leading exhibition for anglers.

The Orkney Glass Fibre company went to the considerable expense of taking three of the craft to the Go Fishing show at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre.

But the reaction from fishermen keen to assess the qualities of the company’s loch and sea boats made the visit to the three-day event well worth while.

"We certainly didn’t need to fish too hard for complements," said Orkney Glass Fibre’s managing director Brian Kynoch. "We had close to 400 positive inquiries – that’s a lot of potential business for us to follow up.

"We think we have a super product. But we didn’t know how prospective customers south would react to the boats, so it was important to gauge the response of the thousands upon thousands of anglers who came to the Go Fishing show.

"We were really encouraged by the favourable reaction we got. Everyone was very positive about the boats and clearly saw them as good value for money."

Attendance at the exhibition cost the company more than £14,000, with Orkney Enterprise providing £6,493 in financial support from the Orkney Marketing Scheme.

Expert advice was taken from marketing consultant John Clarke, who identified that Go Fishing was the exhibition where Orkney Glass Fibre would achieve significant impact with its Scapa boat range.

The Scapa Drifter, designed to match the specific needs of trout anglers, was the only boat shown in the event’s fly fishing section. The Scapa Hunter, which has a more traditional hull, was displayed in the sea angling section.

A daily competition, with rods and reels offered as prizes, helped ensure a constant stream of visitors keen to see what the company had on offer.

"As well as being good for business, our presence at the show also put Orkney on the map as a producer of high quality recreational craft," said Mr Kynoch.

Fishermen visiting the company’s stand were aware that the county’s lochs offer superb trout fishing.

They were impressed, too, that Scottish fly fishing team captain, and 1999 world number two fly fisherman, Sandy Nicolson has personally endorsed the Drifter.

"Many were surprised that we had travelled so far to be at the exhibition and were delighted that boats of such high quality were now being manufactured in Orkney," Mr Kynoch said.

"It’s given us tremendous confidence that these boats will prove to be a big success for us – and for our plans to develop the range."

The two boats each fully meet the requirements of the EU recreational craft directive, which covers stringent stability and buoyancy standards. Under development at present is the Scapa Sport 510, a 17ft dory-style boat designed for recreational and professional use.

Orkney Enterprise Chief Executive Ken Grant said: "This is a new and innovative business venture for Orkney, from a company manufacturing a high quality product.

"It was vital that they made a big impact at their first major exhibition and we’re delighted that our support helped them achieve that aim."

Mr Clarke, who joined the Orkney Glass Fibre team on the stand at the NEC, said: "There’s a very critical audience at events like Go Fishing. They’re looking for high standards and that’s what they found on the stand – the company took an extremely professional approach and the boats looked great."