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The boatbuilders who refuse to go fibreglass

In an old harbour town, a handful of shipwrights keep the wooden schooner alive, one plank at a time.

Molly Gallant · Design & Ideas
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A wooden sailing ship at anchor beside a harbour
Desk
Design
Format
Feature
Reading time
8 min
Published
Oct 6, 2026

The shed smells of cedar shavings, linseed oil and coffee that has been on the burner too long. Half a hull sits on the slip, its ribs bare, and three people are arguing in a friendly way about the angle of a single plank.

Why wood

Fibreglass is cheaper, lighter and needs less care. The builders here know that, and they build in wood anyway. A wooden boat can be repaired forever, they say; a plank at a time, it can outlive everyone who built it.

Wood remembers every mistake. That keeps you honest.

A shipwright at the yard

Learning the trade

There is no shortcut. Apprentices start with sweeping and sharpening, then spend years learning to read grain, steam timber and fit a plank so tightly that the sea swells it shut. Most of the tools on the wall are older than the people using them.

The yard takes on a few apprentices a year, and there is a waiting list. That surprises visitors more than anything else.

The launch

When a boat is finished, the whole town comes down to the water. It slides off the slip, rocks once, settles, and floats. Someone always cries. Then the builders go back to the shed and start arguing about the next one.

Written by

Molly Gallant

Writes about things made by hand and the people trying new ideas in old places.

More from Molly
“Wood remembers every mistake. That keeps you honest.”

— A shipwright at the yard

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