Interested in boats? Got some time on your hands? Why not build a boat?
by Phil Bevan 25 Nov 2023 01:00 PST
Phil Bevan signed up for the 40-week Boat Building Course at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy © Bijan Nabavi
Interested in boats? Got some time on your hands? Why not build a boat?
I was very fortunate that when I got to 60, I could afford to retire. I thoroughly enjoyed my job but was eager to try a very different life whilst I could. Retiring and doing nothing would not have suited me, so what should I do? Well, I've been a passionate dinghy sailor for most of my life and enjoy tinkering in the garage, so the idea of building a boat came to mind. I love wooden boats, but had no prior woodworking experience, so after looking around signed up for the 40-week Boat Building Course at the Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy starting in August 2022.
My wife and I moved to Lyme Regis for the duration of the course. Lyme Regis is a historical, beautiful, small seaside port on the southwest coast of England. It's a relatively small town and is popular with families in the summer holidays. The Boat Building Academy is right on the sea front and is in an old RAF rescue launch building. Tea breaks are taken on a terrace overlooking the sea.
The course was much more intensive than I expected. It was 40 weeks solid, with Christmas being the only holiday. There was a month of practical exams, a week of written exams and a boat to be built by launch day. There were periods when I was working harder than I ever have! However, the course was very well run with excellent tutors. There were 18 of us on the course. It was a great crowd, and it felt a bit like being back at school at times, with some great friendships made and much laughter.
I am a Mechanical Engineer by background and that helped with some of the areas covered, such as technical drawing and engine installation. The course though is very focused on traditional wooden boat construction, and I had no previous wood working skills. We initially covered basic carpentry and had to make our own toolboxes with lots of dove-tail joints. Later on, we covered more boat building specific skills. The final part of the course was then building the boats.
There were six boats built on the course. I chose to "commission" a boat, which basically meant I chose a boat to be built, paid for the materials, and got to keep the boat at the end. It also resulted in me being the project manager for the build.
The boat I built is a very traditional wooden boat of the type found in the southwest of England. It is an open boat of clinker construction (known as lapstrake in certain parts of the world). This involves overlapping planks of wood held together with copper nails, which are rivetted through the planks. I got the basic shape from a builder of this type of boat but did the detailed design myself. It is powered by a 20hp Beta diesel engine.
The construction is very traditional; we used very few modern adhesives and built with "real" wood rather than plywood. The planks are Siberian Larch. The timbers they are fastened to are English Oak. We also used Sapele and Iroko for some of the parts.
It was really had work getting the boat finished in time for the big launch day. However, we got it done and there was a brilliant event when all six boats were launched and crowds of people came to watch.
Since then, I spent some time varnishing the boat to a higher standard than had been possible prior to launch day. She now has that really deep varnish that shows the true beauty of the wood. The boat - now called "Sea Girl" - was relaunched in Lyme Regis for a few days before being moved to Salcombe, just down the coast, where she will be permanently kept.
She doesn't leak and the engine works well - if somewhat bigger than the boat actually needs! I have just had a week in Salcombe with my wife and some friends exploring the various corners of the Salcombe estuary in what feels like the conclusion of a fantastic year.
Some highlights:
- A sense you've learnt a craft - and I mean seriously learnt it; not just a taster, but real in depth knowledge and expertise.
- I built a boat - along with my fellow students - that I'm immensely proud of - she's beautiful! Launch Day was a very moving affair.
- Being part of a class that really gelled. You go through highs and lows with your classmates; you spend a lot of time with them. A really lovely group of people.
- Brilliant, brilliant tutors! They really care and are absolutely passionate about what they teach. They were excellent at teaching us and did so in a really engaging way.
- The BBA has a real family feel - it's relatively small and you soon get to know everyone. All the staff are great. I felt I really belonged and am sure I'll keep in contact over the coming years.
- Tea-breaks on the terrace overlooking Lyme Bay in the glorious sunshine.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely! I found the whole experience brilliant.
Things to consider:
- You don't have to have previous woodworking experience, although a practical aptitude helps.
- Lyme Regis is a beautiful place and is neither dead in winter, nor too busy in the summer. My wife came with me to Lyme Regis and quickly found a good social life and made many friends.
- There are many different reasons people do the course. We had an age range from late teens to late 60's; people wanting to start a new career in boatbuilding, youngsters having a gap year before university, people having a mid-career sabbatical; people disillusioned with corporate life looking to do something more worthwhile; retirees wanting a new passion.
There are places available on the next 40-Week Boatbuilding Course starting in February as well as a host of shorter courses. Generous bursaries are available so don't let the cost stop you making contact: boatbuildingacademy.com