Category: wooden boat

Alasdair Grant builds a 21ft carvel built motor launch

Lewenie is a 21ft carvel-built launch with larch on oak frames  currently being built by Alasdair Grant of Isle Ewe Boats, based at Isle Ewe on the North Western coast of Scotland.

Alasdair completed the long course at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis in 2009, after building a Beer Beach Boat, and went on to work at Cockwells , repairing yachts and completing new builds. He then moved back to Scotland to work in the Mallaig Boatyard repairing fishing boats, and has now moved home to Isle Ewe where he’s started out in boat building on his own.

Here’s what Alasdair has to say about the project:

‘Lewenie’s hull is finished and I’m beginning the fit out ahead of her launch in July. ‘She’s to have a forward cuddy/wheelhouse with traditioinal laid decks fore and aft, and is to be powered by a 30hp Beta diesel. She will be based in Chichester.

‘I designed the boat when I was working in Cornwall. At the end of the summer last year I left my job in Mallaig Boat Yard to come to Ewe Isle and build the boat .

‘I had planned to fit it out with a couple of berths as a kind of gentleman’s launch when it was finished. But while I was building the hull friend suggested I advertise it so could have the finished boat tailor-made for them.

‘So that’s what I did. A few peope got in touch , one of which was Stephen Comley, a project manager working in Canada.

‘Steve sent his brother and a surveyor to look at the hull and bought it. He plans to retire this year to the English South Coast, where he plans to enjoy fishing in Lewenie.’

See the Isle Ewe Facebook page, and contact Alasdair at
alasdairgrant@hotmail.co.uk .

The George Woods photographic collection: fishermen and boats at Hastings in the 1880s and 90s

George Woods Collection

The George Woods Collection of photographs held by East Sussex Libraries is a fantastic thing – and you can see it for yourself on Flickr.

Many of the photos are very posed – with men dressed in oilies on what are clearly dry, fair-weather days and girls in summer frocks – but they do present an interesting perspective on the gear that was in use. And some of the photos are clearly not posed at all…

George Woods was born the son of a draper in St. Albans, Hertfordshire in 1852, but after his father died became a successful stock market investor – which provided him with time to work on his photography.

During the late 1880s and early 1890s photographed Hastings beach and in the local countryside. He left the photos to his daughter Ethel, who donated most of his prints to Hastings Museum in the early 1960s shortly before she passed away. Woods’ glass plate negatives were acquired by local solicitor and historian, John E Ray, and were acquired by Hastings Library following  Mr Ray’s death.

Matthew Atkin photographs the boats of Mumbai

My photographing brother Matthew Atkin has been exercising his camera around the harbours of Mumbai again. I hope you enjoy the shots.

Naturally, the dried fish are Bombay duck, a local fish that is usually dried and salted to preserve it, and is then fried for eating as an appetizer before a meal. Strangely, it apparently has a powerful smell but little taste…

Thanks for the photos Matt! For more of my brother’s excellent and exotic photos, click here.