Welcome to the Boat Building Academy

'A centre for excellence'

Chris Humphries, Director General City & Guilds

Practical, professional or purely for pleasure - come and learn boatbuilding or woodworking skills at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis.

Whether you want a professionally recognised boatbuilding qualification, a few days by the sea learning practical skills, or to build your own boat, there is a course for you here in Lyme Regis.

Our experts teach the widest range of hands-on boat building courses in the world, specialising in composite, modern and traditional wooden construction, restoration and repair.  Students on the intensive 38 week course gain practical experience of a wider range of construction types than found in most boatyards or on any other boat building course. 

Students learn by building and working on a wide range of real boats selected for their educational value.  We do not undertake commercial work but do work to marine industry standards.  Our intensive and highly practical courses vary in length from 5 days to 38 weeks.

The Academy also offers woodworking courses, from 5 days to 8 weeks.  Based on our boat building training philosophy courses are hands-on, intensive and the 8 week course offers people the opportunity to design and make a piece of furniture in addition to gaining City & Guilds certification.

Based on Lyme Regis's famous Monmouth beach in Dorset the Academy lies at the heart of the UK's most breathtaking scenery, the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our students come from every profession and from all over the world. Many will go on to work in the marine industries but our courses also appeal to those taking a sabbatical from their 'real' lives or simply escaping the rat race.  See page 18 of our prospectus for examples of what our students have gone on to do.

NEW COURSES

The Academy's superb Instructors are teaching a series of weekend courses at the National Maritime Museum's workshops in Falmouth. 

Whether you want to join one course for a fun weekend learning something practical or take a series of courses to build up your skills, working in the heart of the museum by the sea will be a tremendous experience.

For details of the weekend (and two five day) courses click here.  For an application form click here.  Beginners and the more experienced are welcome.

'My visit to the Academy was truly inspirational. I found the energy and commitment of the staff to be second to none. Their dedication to their craft and the students, and their passion for excellence in design and technical skills, clearly explains the success rates that the Academy has, and the very high level of results achieved by the students.  You truly are a centre for excellence in your field!'

Chris Humphries, Director General of City & Guilds

after visiting the Academy on 13th April 2007

'Your college has set the benchmark for the future of training craftsmen which has long been the biggest worry of traditional boat builders and repairers. Your college deserves to go from strength to strength and I for one will recommend it to anyone looking for a career in our industry'

Tom Richardson, Owner of Elephant Boatyard, Hampshire, 14 June 2011

Employer of two Academy graduates

Instructor Will Reed was an expert maker during the workshop phase of the RCA project 'The Lives and Loves of Hardwood Chairs' outlined here and the subject of a short film.  The 12 chairs produced are exhibited at the V & A from 17 September 2012.  There will be an accompanying talk by industry and academic experts.

Jack Chippendale

After his time as Chief Instructor at the Academy Jack was a tireless adviser, supporter and friend whose knowledge and enthusiasm lit up the workshops and illuminated us all.  His enormous contribution to British boat building, dinghy racing and teaching was detailed in his Daily Telegraph obituary and on Radio 4's 'Last Word'.  We are setting up a 'Remembering Jack' website, please contact us if you have any memories you would like to share.  We will also award an annual Jack Chippendale prize.

The BBC interviewed Ian Baird, class of March 2010, and Roy Gollop on the build of Ian's traditional clinker boat 'Witch of Weymouth' replica of the 1902 Weymouth-built crab and lobster fishing boat 'Witch of Worbarrow'.  Click here to see the BBC report.  'Witch of Weymouth' is on exhibit in Falmouth National Maritime Museum with 'Witch of Worbarrow' from the middle of October 2011.

The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich featured 'Defiant of Lyme Regis', one of the boats built by Marc Chivers and the class of March 2008, as the centrepiece of their 'Boats That Built Britain' exhibition, which ran alongside the BBC4 series of the same name.

Click here to to hear Marc Chivers' interview on the building of 'Defiant', a replica of a 13 foot Pilot Punt.

Graduate and former Instructor, Gail McGarva, having launched Cornish Pilot Gig 'Black Ven', then built a Lerret (traditional Dorset fishing boat) 'by eye' at the Academy as a Queen Elizabeth Scholar.  Gail talked about the build on Radio 4 Woman's Hour (to hear the interview click here).  BBC News filmed a short interview, see that here (There seems to be some confusion at the BBC around gigs and Lerrets...) 

Gail's talk at the V & A about her boat building career can be seen here.  Thanks to everyone who bought a ticket in the raffle to raise funds for Gail's workshop.  She is now in residence and building the next Cornish Pilot gig for Lyme Regis Gig Club...when she's not at Buckingham Palace, that is.  Click here for details of her recent 'Highly Commended' for the Prince Philip Medal.

Work has already started on Gail's next project - a traditional Cornish skiff for Lyme Regis Gig Club's youth section.  The boat is based on 'Mandarin', the oldest surviving skiff built by prolific skiff builder John Badger.  'Mandarin' was brought to the Academy and Instructor Mike Broome taught a group of six, joined for the first day by John Badger's son Phil and including Jan Wilkins, Chair of the Cornwall Rowing Association, how to take measurements off the boat, loft and adapt the lines so that Gail can build a new generation of skiff suitable for Lyme Bay.  The course was funded by the Transport Trust, National Historic Ships and Lyme Regis Gig Club.  Gail will start the build at the end of March.

The Daily Telegraph magazine published a story about the Academy written by journalist, Sophie Campbell, who spent a day at the Academy with a photographer.  To read the story click here.

The 8 week Woodworking Skills course next runs from 8 April to 31 May 2013.  The box photographed was the personal project piece produced by one of the September 2012 group.

Click here for further details on our intensive joinery training, and to see some of the course work and projects completed by students while on the course. 

Boat Launches

The next launch is on Wednesday 12 June 2013.

December 2012 launch
	About two hundred people watched the launch of the eight boats built by the Class of March 2012. Water Craft, Classic Boat and Sailing Today will be publishing articles, with mentions and photographs in other magazines, including the social pages of 'Dorset' magazine (wellies and waders rather than black tie).  The BBC and ITV were there.  But the launch remained very much a 'family' affair and for the students a celebration of the skills they have gained over the last nine months.  For more photographs of what was a spectacular launch day click here.

June 2012 launch

The Class of September 2011 hoped for a last minute reprieve from the rain but it persisted.  Not that it mattered once the boats were on the water.  The group have now dispersed: AnnA is working at Stampfli Racing Boats in Switzerland, Matt Cowdery is renovating classic cars, Casey Milburn is starting a small business in the south of France, Matt McGlade is making final preparations to go to New Zealand, Al Bartlett starts work at Freebodys next month, Rob Murphy is building shepherd's huts and Will Heward is starting at Spirit in August... but back to launch day.  More photographs on the 'Events' page.

December 2011 Launch

	Gail McGarva said come howling wind or storms she would be in the harbour in her waders at 1400 on 9 December 2011.  The sun struggled to shine at times but the Class of March 2011 launched their boats and careers watched by hundreds of people without umbrellas, including the growing group of BBA babies... Please click here for photographs of the launch and here for boat build diaries and student profiles.
June 2011 launch
	Tuesday 7 June 2011 was dark and overcast but the 18 students who launched their boats hardly noticed.  Hundreds of wellwishers celebrated with the class of September 2010.  We also got news that Ross Doherty (class of March 2010) and Elizabet's baby girl had launched into the world at 4am that morning.
December 2010 launch
	The class of March 2010 launched their boats on Thursday 9th December 2010. It was another fantastic day, with the added surprise of a marriage proposal on the water. Click here for more information and photographs of the day.