One of the most successful marine photography businesses in the UK, BoatPhotos.co.uk, based in Yarmouth, is to be offered for sale, with eBay bidders getting the chance to become the new owner.

A video with the full details of the sale can be found below.

In the 18 years since BoatPhotos began operations, owner Tony Toller has photographed over 25,000 different craft, most of which are catalogued by date, boat name and/or sail number.

Tony Toller in action for BoatPhotos (Image: BoatPhotos)

Tony said: “As I approach 80 years old, it’s time for younger minds to carry this forward.

“I started it merely as a weekend hobby in 2005, but the business proved incredibly popular, and sales boomed.

“In spite of selling my boat in 2018 and uploading very few new images since, orders are still coming in from the extensive catalogue of images providing an easy income of a few thousand pounds in the last financial year.”

The latest website, launched in 2008, ranks highly on Google, attracting over 20 million page views.

Many boat owners find the BoatPhotos site when they tap their boat name or sail number into the search engine.

What will the winning bidder receive after the BoatPhotos auction?

The winning bidder will gain full copyright to its library of around half a million images, which will be provided, along with all company data on a hard drive storage device.

A six months subscription to the website hosting platform will be included, and all artwork and other promotional material will also be provided.

The sale will also include a list of just under 4,000 email addresses of potential enquirers to the website and a further list of everyone who has placed orders.

Finally, the new owner will have a full handover from Tony and his guide on getting the best shots in boat photography and how to run the business successfully.

Tony's photos featuring in the Royal Yachting Association member magazine and front page of Motor Boats Weekly (Image: BoatPhotos)

Tony added: “BoatPhotos has been a fascinating experience.

“Just through being out and about on the water, I picked up all kinds of business from companies such as Delta Power, Fairview Sailing, the sadly demised Motorboats Monthly, LV=, Orange and many more.

“My photos have appeared on BBC News, several papers and magazines and some were even used in a court case to prosecute a foolhardy yachtsman!

“If I had done some advertising, I could probably have significantly increased turnover, but for me, it was always just about keeping busy and doing what I enjoy!”