Commissioning a project

It may be that you know exactly what you want, or that you are casting around for ideas & possibilities, trying to work out what is affordable and practical, and so on. Even if your ideas are rather tentative, do feel free to dip your toe in the water, make contact and start a dialogue.

The decision to build a new wooden boat may be made for all sorts of different reasons - that it is a hand-built article is a main consideration. My boats are also individually custom-built and unique. (I don't really have any "stock" designs where repeat production might produce significant economies.) Even the same design can produce different boats though they have a similar hull-shape.

The use of wood may evoke thoughts of finely finished craftsmanship harking back to traditional yachts or, in contrast, an appreciation of the "workmanlike" use of natural materials as in traditional fishing craft. Occasionally beauty may not come into the equation at all! - wood may just happen to be the most suitable way of making a one-off craft within a certain budget for a certain purpose.

There is a big difference between traditional wooden boatbuilding and modern (glued timber) methods - the choice between the two may not always seem clear cut, and elements from each technology may be combined to advantage.

With one-off projects, details rarely fall neatly into place from the start. Usually, the integrated design is arrived at only after much to-ing and fro-ing, especially if we’re starting from the drawing board.

Sometimes I am presented with the bare bones of a lines and sail plan, from which I make up the rest of the detail. Or someone may come with a fairly advanced idea drawn up which needs final revisions and calculations before being built.

I can, at first, be just a "consultant", because the desired combination of attributes for a boat is not attainable.

Finally, it is also possible (unfortunately) that we find that a custom-built wooden boat is not the best answer for the situation presented!