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’s a course for you here in Lyme Regis.

Our boat building training courses are ‘hands-on’, taught by experts and vary in length from 1 day to 38 weeks. 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”. This stretch of coastline is designated 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.

'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

Jack Chippendale's colossal contribution to British boat building, dinghy racing and sailing has been recognised by the award of an MBE.  Jack was central to the formation and success of the Boat Building Academy in his years as adviser and senior instructor, and continues to have close ties with the school from his home in Norfolk.  Jack, we salute you.

The Daily Telegraph magazine published a story about the Academy on Saturday 16th August 2008.  The journalist, Sophie Campbell, spent a day at the Academy with a photographer.  To read the story click here.

Iain Oughtred was a very welcome guest at the Academy on 5th October 2009.  Iain gave a short, informal lecture on boat design to the students and took a look around the workshops, where two of his boats, a 16'10" Tirrik and a 7'10" Auk were being built.

Gail McGarva, having launched Cornish Pilot Gig 'Black Ven', is now back here at the Boat Building Academy building a Lerret (traditional Dorset fishing boat) 'by eye'.  Gail talked about the build on Radio 4 Woman's Hour recently, to listen click here.  BBC News filmed a short interview, to see that click here (There does seem to be some confusion at the BBC around gigs and Lerrets...)  Gail launches the boat on Saturday 31st July 2010 from the slipway in Lyme Regis at 1130.  All are welcome.

The Woodworking Skills course running for 8 weeks from 2 August to 24 September 2010 is now full. The next course starts on 10 January and finishes on 4 March 2011.  Click here for further details on our intensive joinery training, and to see some of the course work and projects completed by students on the course.

Boat Launches 

The class of September 2009 launched their boats on 9th June into Lyme Regis harbour.  The sun blazed down on family, friends, staff and students who cheered as the boats took to the water one by one.  It was a great day, and a fitting end to the course for a class who have been focussed, dedicated and a joy to work with.  We are sure that in the future the marine industry will be richer for their contribution.

At 0830am on Saturday 5th December 2009 we celebrated the end of the March 2009 course and launched seven of the boats they had built into Lyme Regis Harbour.  The boats are a testament to the students' hard work, focus and new-found boat building skills.  Click here for photographs of the launch.  

The September 2008 course launched nine boats in total.  For photographs of the launch click here.  The March 2008 course launched seven student boats on Wednesday 10th December 2008 into Lyme Regis Harbour.  Click here to see the boats and who built them. 

Photographic diaries of boats being built on the courses are linked to the student profile pages for the most recent and Boats for those from earlier courses.