Western Morning News (Saturday)
Boat building academy students to launch creations
Students at the internationally renowned Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy are preparing to launch their creations on the sea.
The 18 students who are due to graduate from the 40-week course next month are building seven very different wooden boats between them.
The creations range from a traditional fishing boat design from the Orkney Islands to a modern take on a Breton fishing boat.
All four boatbuilding tutors are former students of the academy.
After he graduated, Matthew Law went to work in a boatyard for six years before returning to Lyme Regis.
The academy has two intakes a year, each on a 40-week course, and with up to 18 students each.
The course about to graduate in December is building seven boats between them.
Each boat is “commissioned” and paid for by a student – often on behalf of a family member.
“We try to build all the different wooden construction types on each course,” Mr Law said.
“And we try to keep them under 20ft because when they get too big they drink up labour and reduce diversity on the course.”
‘We try to build all the different wooden construction types on each course’
The boats featured are:
A 15ft Ian Richardson designed traditional clinker Westray skiff from the Orkney Islands (far right), commissioned by student Alastair Inglis.
Ilur, a 16ft glued clinkerbuilt gunter-rigged dayboat based on a Breton model (right), by living French designer Francois Vivier, and commissioned by Hugo Desmons.
An 18ft Dixon Kemp carvel Mersey racing boat after Zinnia (below), commissioned by Tom Hopper.