Category: wooden boat

Oh look – back in 1946 ‘girls’ could work on boats too, according to British Pathé

Holiday Abroad on the Broads 1946

Here’s a fine example of the ‘patronising bollocks’ school of film-making from British Pathé, dated 1946.

Dated it certainly is. The unblushing announcer geezer announces resonantly to his microphone placed several feet away, and is full of praise for how the girls now know everything, while the cameraman focuses on one of them attaching a line to a cleat in a way that’s unlikely to hold securely. Click in the image above to go to the site where you can see this not-quite-charming masterpiece from an age when everyone knew their place, long before feminism!

First shots from the Boat Building Academy spring student launch

Photo by Becky Joseph
Photo by Becky Joseph
Photo by Becky Joseph
Photo by Becky Joseph
Photo by Paul Dwyer
Photo by Paul Dwyer
Photo by Becky Joseph

These shots from from a wet, grey and blustery Boat Building Academy student launch at Lyme earlier this week. I gather it was a great day, with several past graduates joining in the fun with their own boats – and everyone tipped their hats to one of our student who despite the weather bravely launched his West Greenland kayak for the first time and managed to paddle a short distance across the harbour. It was built at the BBA during a 10-day short course in March this year.

Reports on the individual boats are to come, but photo-records of the builds can be seen here.

An update on Ben Wales’ restoration of the motor launch Mary

Brest hook timber Knee Log Timber

Ben Wales has written in with details of his latest progress in his outdoor restoration of the former Royal Lymington Yacht Club motor launch Mary. He’s clearly a determined chap, and I’m delighted to hear that launch day is now just weeks away.

Here’s what he says:

‘Work was slow during early March and April due to the cold weather. But by the end of April the gunwales were finally fitted and completed, and early May saw the hull risers fitted.

‘The next step was to locate some pieces of grown oak for the new knees. Through the Forestry Commission I managed to locate some locally from a fallen oak tree in the New Forest, and these were cut down and shaped to size.

‘Last weekend the first deck beam was fitted to the aft deck area and a new skeg was being prepared to be fitted in the next few weeks.

‘If all goes to plan (and the weather is good) we plan to launch in August.’

Ben has also uploaded his second video of the restoration work on YouTube.

For earlier posts about this restoration, click here.