The Wooden Boat Stage

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Official Opening of the Wooden Boat Stage by record breaker Jazz Turner – come and hear from the creators of this new Stage about what it’s all about. Event for both press and public.

Watch Epoxy legend Dave Johnson show you how tomix and apply West System epoxy enabling the construction and restoration of a wealth of beautiful wooden boat designs.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Building and sailing a replica open launch to rediscover the story of Bligh’s Mutiny on the Bounty for C4.

Do you dream of building or restoring a beautiful wooden boat but don’t know where to begin? Take this opportunity to ask those nagging questions and bring your dream closer to reality. A panel with Woodbridge Boatyard, Paradise Boat Co. and their customers who have been in your position and have made their dreams into realities.

Through the journey of starting and running Otter Surfboards, now in it’s 15th year, where I design and make wooden surfboards, I have been able to share what I do with hundreds of amazing individuals. Each one has brought their own story into our workshop and for some, the making of a surfboard and the immersion into our lives in Cornwall has been an incredibly powerful part of their journey. Sometimes it even inspires life changing decisions and often leads people into a future that involves a lot more making. I will be sharing some of these stories with you and hoping to inspire a deeper connection to the natural world and a more considered understanding of what it means to make things.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show

Promoting the sustainable use of quality timber in boatbuilding. Sykes timber support wooden boatbuilders, and are the main sponsor for the Wooden Boat Stage.

3D scanning can be used for a whole host of applications within the boat building industry. Historic documentation, record keeping, reverse engineering, restoration, repair, analysis, modernisation and accuracy verification to name just a few. Dan Lee will aim to demonstrate how boatbuilderrs utilise some these practices and demonstrate the 3D scanning process in realtime.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Hear from tutors and students at the UK’s wooden boat building college

This talk explores the evolving role of traditional boats in a modern context. By combining respect for heritage with thoughtful design choices, we can make classic vessels more relevant and appealing to contemporary owners. From reimagined interiors that offer greater comfort, to subtle design adaptations that preserve authenticity while improving usability, we will highlight how restorations can breathe new life into traditional boats. Keeping these craft alive and in use is not only about preservation—it’s about ensuring they continue to inspire, educate, and connect us to our maritime past while remaining a part of our present.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

A talk about building a wooden ocean rowing boat, and rowing her across the Atlantic.

Talk

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Choosing a paint system for a traditional boat can be a mine field. This talk will cover what is available, what is new and what is suitable for different types of wooden boat construction. Plus a few application tips along the way.

Join Classic Boat Editor Carl Richardson as he interviews Spirit Yachts Yard Manager Adrian Gooderham and Lead Designer Tom Smith.  Adrian and Tom will be sharing the story behind Spirit Yachts, the company’s design and build ethos, and details on the stunning new Spirit P50 modern classic motor yacht.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Come and learn how to seal a traditional woodent boat hull using cotton and a caulking mallet.

Come and learn how traditional clinker boats are sealed using copper rivets.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Watch James as he shapes one of his award winning wooden surfboards.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Find out how a Norwegian national boatbuilding scheme is ensuring that the rich tradition of clinker building is not just being used to preserve the past but to propel us into a vibrant and sustainable future.

Sam will describe and demonstrate the techniques involved in making a beautiful spoon-bladed oar. From shaping the blade to creating a round loom from square stock.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Tim and Will will be talking about how and why the BBA was set up and career opportunities that graduates can expect on completion.

Three timber merchants discuss the future for boatbuilding with wood.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Women in Boatbuilding and the Boat Building Academy will be sharing their experience working together to improve gender diversity in the college and offer insights for the wider industry. Come and find out what Women in BoatBuilding is all about….and how they helped the Boat Building Academy go from 0% women to 50% women on the boatbuilding courses.

Mike will explain the techniques and demonstrate the process of creating a traditional half model of a wooden yacht.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Hear the results from the Women in Boatbuilding survey about PPE for women in yards. Working in PPE that doesn’t fit properly is a reality for many people – todays talk and discussion hope to raise the dialogue around PPE, and help women to find products that enable them to get on with the job.

A must-see panel for anyone considering entering the marine industry. Katy Stickland from Practical Boat Owner will be joined by four people who have found their roles through a variety of routes; A shipwright who was top of the class at college and is now at a successful yard. A marine electrician who recently completed her apprenticeship at Sunseeker. A rigger who is learning on the job. And a boatbuilder/teacher and you-tuber who is self-taught.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Hear from tutors and students at the UK’s wooden boat building college

Come and learn how traditional clinker boats are sealed using copper rivets.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

The Harry King boatyard is set in the beautiful village of Pin Mill in Suffolk, where little has changed since the yard was set up in 1850. The boatyard has adapted over time to meet changing customer needs but essentially it has the same working ethos, passing down traditional boatbuilding skills, and even using the same hand tools! The talk is a brief look back at the yard’s history and the boats built there.

Big Boats panel session bringing together shipwrights from a selection of the UK’s larger static museum ships to talk about the challenges of conservation in the current climate.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Listen to Obi and Otto chat to Jane Warren from Innovate UK about BlueTree Boatbuilders and their vision of sustainable wooden boatbuilding.

Jack will be reflecting on his recent build of four wooden Bugatti motor launches, and discussing whether the future of wooden boatbuilding should be in batch construction.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

An amazing opportunity to hear about the life of a Hanneke Boon – designing, drawing, building and adventuring on offshore wooden multi-hulls. Wharram Catamarans are a unique double-canoe style sailing catamaran inspired by the canoe craft of the pacific. Hanneke is a fascinating woman with some great stories to share.

Author and publisher Julia Jones will talk about several amazing women and their lives with wooden boats, including her own experiences as the owner of Peter Duck. She’ll be highlighting new and republished books featuring, amongst other, Lady Rozelle Raynes and Clare Allcard. The talk will be followed by a celebration focussing on the special magic of wooden boats, the emotional role they play in wider life, and a book launch.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show

Why quality, natural and sustainable timber is both Sykes Timber’s history and its future: Managing Director Bob Sykes reflects on the company’s 163-year journey, sharing the ethics and philosophies that have shaped its past success and continue to guide it today.

3D scanning can be used for a whole host of applications within the boat building industry. Historic documentation, record keeping, reverse engineering, restoration, repair, analysis, modernisation and accuracy verification to name just a few. I will aim to demonstrate how we can utilise some of these practices in our industry as well as how the 3D scanning process works in realtime.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.

Come for an insight into the restoration work on HMS Victory. Clem and Betsy will also talk about their experience as female boatbuilders in the maritime industry, along with tales from their recent trip to Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

Join the Boat Building Academy tutors as they carve the sign for the Wooden Boat Stage….follow the carving through the show.

Michael, now in his 80s, has been boatbuilding all his life, and is still in the yard every day. Belinda and Abbey will be speaking to Michael about tales of Thames boatbuilding from his youth to the present day, and the changes he’s seen in his lifetime.

Come and learn how traditional clinker boats are sealed using copper rivets.

See the magic of steam and the Woodbridge Boatyard team bending SUP hooks.