WITH a half-a-million pound price tag, two 64-foot catamaran hulls and seven-bedrooms, the first luxury motor cruiser to come out of Keith Evans' Letterston boatyard would not look out of place moored in Monte Carlo.

But the boat, which to date has taken 18-months to build, is unique to Pembrokeshire. From design to making, the Custom Mouldings' boatbuilder has spent endless hours and thousands of pounds creating the boat, with the help of just his two sons, Matthew and Anthony.

"It's very much a family-run business," said Keith. "When I started, I applied to the Welsh Development Agency, Pembrokeshire Business Initiative and the local authority for grants, with the intention of taking on ten local employees to rush the project through.

"But I got turned down at every corner, so I have had to fund it all myself, which, as you can imagine, is a massive undertaking."

The cruiser, which will take another eight months to complete, has been funded solely through the sale of smaller boats.

These boats, 37 of which have been built in the last two years, form a significant part of Keith's business, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary.

In such a significant year, the local boat builder hopes to carve out a reputation within the lucrative cruiser market and with interest already flooding in, the business looks set to thrive all on its own.

"It is a dream I have had for many years, but I've not had the work space or the facilities to create something like this. Now I've got the space I have been able to achieve my dream and expand the business," said Keith.