Boat Building Training

[dmst]

I am considering doing the long boat building course at either Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis or International Boatbuilding Training College in Lowestoft. I wonder if any on the forum have used either for this course or one of the many short courses both establishments run?

 

[jon711]

I was at the IBTC in Lowestoft, straight from school. Very good training, and very knowledgable instructors. Very good training for all types of boats, traditional wood, modern wood and glass & carbon. They also have good links with the industry, I went straight from the IBTC into a job at a yard....

Admitidly, this was 20 years ago (Before it became a collage!), but I am led to believe that the standards are still the same...

Would definitly reccomend it...

Jon

 

[oldharry]

A Nephew has just completed a course at the Lyme Regis centre, impressed and very happy with the training he received.

 

[KenMcCulloch]

I did a short course in Lyme Regis 2 years ago. I work in Education and was very impressed with the overall experience.

My friend Charlie http://marinecarpentry.com/ attended Lyme Regis as a full-time long courses student in 07-08 and is now very highly regarded locally as a boatbuilder and marine carpenter. He's too busy to maintain his website properly. One local Ronautica 34 owner complains that having had a small shelf made by Charlie all the original joinery on the boat now looks a bit cheap and nasty....

 

[chinita]

I did the IBTC course a couple of years ago at the tender age of 55. My motives were just to get a better handle on how to maintain my own wooden boat.

For me, it was brilliant. I learned everything I needed and more.

The course is very 'hands on' and you get out of it what you are prepared to put in. Don't expect to be 'taught' in the way you may expect of an educational institute; you need to feel an empathy with what you are doing to get the best out of it.

It depends on what you want. Young lads, career changers and old farts like me make for a wonderful mix of students but, personally, I would think hard about trying to make a mortgage paying living from wooden boatbuilding is likely to be a struggle.

I advise you to visit both Lyme Regis and IBTC for a taste of what they provide, they are very different.

Whatever your choice, good luck.

Send me a pm if you have any specific questions.

 

[oldfrank]

Agreed. No hesitation in reccommending IBTC.

 

[dmst]

Thanks

Many thanks for the feedback, it is as I thought, both places have merit. I'm going to visit both places before signing up. I just want to be able to complete work on my own boat and maybe friends boats who see my work, to the standard I want. I think it is great that both places survive in the current economic climate and offer such a good learning opportunity.
Many thanks again to all of you who responded.....food for thought!

 

[analogue]

IBTC is pretty good. It's got better since the "instant shipwright's" course about 20 years ago when a number of people who went through the course left with a big box and an attitude that they had completed an apprenticeship as a traditional boatbuilder.

Lyme Regis has kicked out some good people as has Falmouth - I don't know if Dick Phillips is at Lyme now but he trained up a lot of good people from Falmouth. Might be worth checking out Falmouth Marine School.

There's always the big buck option of IYRS as well.

 

[chinita]

Interesting you mention IYRS.

I reckon by the time I had added up fees, food, accommodation, travel back to Brighton every weekend it would not have been that much more expensive to do the course in in the US. In fact, there would prpbably be more opportunities for casual work, an income, over there.