Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Professional and amateur boat builders and restorers
This is the charming 16ft Nick Smith-built clinker-planked half-decker Isla afloat, I think in Scotland.
She has basic camping accommodation for overnight or the weekend, with a double bunk, storage and a small cooker, and I have a feeling a boat might appeal to quite a lot of folks…
Nick trained in Salcombe as a traditional boat builder in the 1970s. To learn more or to contact him, check his website. For more on Nick’s boats, click here.
Sometimes, it really does seem like magic. I bet it does even more especially to the little boy – now 84 – for whom this lovely little dinghy was first built.
Back in December a bunch of proud Boat Building Academy class members launched a clinker built Norwegian faering built to Iain Oughtred’s Elfyn plans.
The boat was was built by student Neil Hammond and the rest of the class, including Ross Wheeler-Clayton.
Planked in Scottish larch on steamed green oak timbers, she has laminated oak stems, a solid oak keel, Douglas fir thwarts and centreboard case, and spruce spars.
She has two rowing positions and a balanced lug rig – her sails were made by the students as part of a sail making short course at the Academy.
Neil came to the Academy from Somerset: his previous career has ranged from rigging and drilling in both the Persian Gulf and North Sea for the oil industry, to managing and directing IT and engineering services for the MET Office.
With a love for water sports and the sea, Neil has RYA Yachtmaster qualifications and is a keen kayaker – and came to the BBA because he wanted to learn skills to build his own boat.
Ross, who worked closely alongside Neil, was at 18 one of the youngest members of the class. He joined the Academy straight after completing A-Levels in film, media, sociology, philosophy and ethics.
He is a young ambassador for the Meningitis Now charity and is a member of the Young Fire-fighters and MOD Combined Cadet Force.
With particular interests in traditional boat building skills, Ross thoroughly enjoyed constructing the Elfyn’s copper fastened traditional clinker hull.
See the Elfyn’s build diary here and for further details about the Level 3, 38-week boat building, maintenance and support course, click here.