Student-built wooden boats launched in Lyme Regis
The Boat Building Academy (BBA) in Lyme Regis has launched its latest hand-built wooden boats, crafted by students of its 40-week boatbuilding course. This recent cohort of twelve students spent the first 20 weeks learning joinery, lofting, modern and traditional boatbuilding techniques, sail making, and working with fibre-reinforced plastics.
Over the subsequent 20 weeks, they applied these skills to construct three boats: a 19’6″ (5.94m) strip-planked, cold-moulded motor launch, an 18’6″ (5.64m) glued clinker sailing boat, and a 7’10” (2.39m) traditional clinker dinghy.
The boats were launched into Lyme Regis’s historic harbour in early December 2024, drawing a large crowd of friends, family, trustees, volunteers, and locals. The event marked the culmination of intensive hands-on training, with students working long hours to complete their projects under the guidance of BBA’s tutors.
Harry Walker, who built the 19’6″ motor launch, plans to take it to Worcestershire to establish his own workshop. “I learned a lot on the course and my tutors Mike and Joe have been absolutely great, passing down a lot of their wisdom,” he says. “I’m now looking forward to building more boats and sailing my own boat on the River Severn.”
Eirlys Apps, who assisted on Walker’s project, aims to pursue a career as a shipwright after completing the course. Reflecting on the experience, she shares: “It has not only been hugely helpful for my future career, it has also built up my confidence and strengthened my mental health. I’ll never forget the experience I have had and the amazing people I have met here at the BBA.”
BBA director Will Reed describes launch day as a highlight of the academy’s programmes. “I never tire of launch days. They represent the culmination of 40 weeks of hard work and determination to learn and achieve,” he says. “Most of the students start with very little skill or knowledge of woodwork or boat building, but they rise to the challenge, and it’s incredible where they get to.”
The recently completed builds showcase a range of designs, including a traditional 7’10” clinker sailing dinghy and a double-ended lugger, alongside Walker’s 19’6″ motor launch. Reed adds: “The boats are now launched, and we know they work! More importantly, the students have developed enviable skills to take the next step, whether in a boatyard, their own business, or even in other trades such as furniture making or construction.”
The BBA, established in 1997, has trained over 2,500 students in boatbuilding and furniture making. The academy, which recently enrolled more women than men for the first time, is now accepting enrolments for its next 40-week course, which begins in February 2025.
The post Student-built wooden boats launched in Lyme Regis appeared first on Marine Industry News.
