intheboatshed.net

A few more photos from this year’s Beale Park Thames Boat Show this year – this time showing some more photos of traditional boatbuilder Nick Smith’s motor launch build from earlier this year, Lisa, and a favourite I’ve seen him show several times, the small launch Bumble.

For more posts relating to the show click here; for more relating to the traditional West Country style boats that Nick builds including many shots of the building process with comments from the master himself, click here.

Nick comes from Devon, learned boatbuilding the traditional way and specialises in new builds in clinker and carvel for sail, motor and rowing power from 8ft to 28ft with a special emphasis on West Country style and design, and also takes on repairs and refits from 25ft to 50ft. These days he’s based in Hampshire, and can be contacted by email at nick_smith_boatbuilder@yahoo.com and by phone on phone on 07786 693370.

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A seriously cute Italian speedboat in the rain at the Beale Park Thames Boat Show. As usual, click on the thumbnails (including the big one) for much larger photos

This Avenger 21 made from carbon fibre belonged to offshore powerboat racer Tommy Sopwith, and was a tender to his yacht Philante V

Thunderbolt III belonged to hydroplane racing legend Len Melly

Two Broom speedboats. The upper example is for sale: see the third image above

1964 Tremlett 14 Zulu originally built for inshore racing

This message from a reader arrived just today and I hope the writer won’t object to my using his words anonymously: ‘I have had more fun on the internet since signing on to your site than I have in the last three years. You do a great service. Thanks A. Reader, USA’

One of the treats of the Beale Park Thames Boat Show was seeing one of John Macaulay’s traditional Hebridean skiffs full of old-fashioned boatbuilding features.

Note the short floors and ribs, for example – they’re very much what one sees in a Viking ship or Viking canoe. What’s more, the oarlocks and oars obviously belong to a time before the fashion for adopting rowing racing practice brought in round oars in round oarlocks capable of being rotated.

For an earlier post on Macaulay, click here.

This interesting article sheds light on the man himself: John Mcaulay Boatbuilder. Of the virtues of wooden boats he says: ‘There is only one boat worth having and that is a wooden boat. They are unique; one off and beautiful. How anyone with any sensitivity could choose a plastic hull over a wooden one made by hand, I will never know.’

Here’s another newspaper piece in the Stornaway Gazette describing the restoration of a Western Isles boat.

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