Would you like to see your project here?

Forest & Stream skiff

Just about everyone who comes to these pages is some kind of boat nut, and I’m a boat nut too. I’d like to make this weblog as interesting and useful to us all as possible, and I want to fill it with news and photographs about:

•Projects about old boats, historic boats, traditionally-built boats, and traditionally-derived boats.

•Boating history and traditions.

•The skills involved, the craftsmen and the available training.

So, whether you own these kinds of boats, work on them, sell them, build them, paint or photograph them, write about their history, design them, run a club or organise events, or collect old songs and stories connected with them – if you would like to bring your projects to the attention of a wider public, email me now at gmatkin@gmail.com!

The Motorboat Museum

The nice folks of the Classic Motor Boat Association suggested I should link to the Motorboat Museum near Basildon:
http://www.motorboatmuseum.org.uk

There are some stunning exhibits (see El Zonco below), but as a father of kids of ten and twelve, I must say that judging by the website one of the nicest things about the museum is that its staff seem to have given a lot of thought to entertaining children who visit.

El Zonco

The Classic Motor Boat Association

Here’s a society whose owners maintain some fabulous small motor-craft built before the 1970s, including the group shown shown below.

The Classic Motor Boat Association organises rallies at which members show their boats, help each other with restoration projects and generally enjoy their boats, and publishes a members’ magazine each quarter packed with articles and club information.

http://www.cmba-uk.com/

The site includes information about some of the greatest British motor and speed boats, and I strongly recommend the gallery, which is packed with great photos.
cmba boats