Working with wooden boats - is there a living in it?

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JaneSherman

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I need advice for my nephew. He is a Greek islander, skilled in boat repairs of all kinds, but particularly wooden boats and ship's joinery (if that's the right word). He learned his craft from one of the most experienced ship's carpenters in Greece. He's also good with engines and can fix anything. He is eking out a living on his island, which basically just doesn't have enough work. He has a little money to branch out with, but we are not sure which way he should go, or where he should start to look, so we thought we would ask the experts (you). The questions are:
- Is there a decent living to be made in repairing wooden boats? If so, where?
- Running a boatyard seems an option, although it would be expensive to set up and perhaps rather boring in the long run.
- Buying, doing up and selling boats would be right up his street, but is there a secure market? We doubt it but we are trying to find out.
Please give us your advice!

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Hi Jane,

I would definitely say there is a living to be made! 2 options spring to mind:
1. Advertise his services - there are a lot of wooden boats sailing up and down the Med and I for one would like to have a known contact for repairs etc. Worst case I would pay for him to come and fix my boat!
2. What about freelance or contract working? Many boatyards hire people on a case by case basis, dependant upon work load/future orders etc. Check out the Sailing magazines etc. Always work for an expert.

Hope this is of some help.

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I live in Spain ,dont know if its similar to Greece but aas a Yachtsman I want reliable service,not to be told yes just to please me and I need to know you exist.He will have to go where the work is and put publicity everywhere.Many northern europeans dont trust local services so a good reputation important.Take picturesf work done and get references from satisfied customers.
 
It's great to get some advice. Where would you suggest advertising? One of us doesn't know too much about life outside Greece, and the other doesn't know too much about boats!

Jane Sherman
 
Thanks for your good advice. We are working on a folder with CV and plenty of photos, a new business card and some newspaper ads. He has a great reputation in his own town, but I guess it takes time to establish one further afield.

As a matter of interest, how would you find and "vet" a craftsman if you were in a foreign port and couldn't use your usual contacts?

Jane Sherman
 
Looks like your vwell on the way already.A good start would to circulate all the agents and charter companies etc.In my limited experience is basically ;you need somthing done ,go talk and see the man and agree if you think hes ok.Thats why building a reputation for reliability etc is impryant.
 
Well, the only occasions when I have needed a boatbuilder in a strange port have been when I have broken something, and beggars can't be choosers in that case.

This might seem an odd suggestion, since he already knows his trade, but if your nephew were to attend one of the professional boatbuilding schools in this country, which do short and longer courses, or perhaps in the USA, then spend say a year or two with one of the good wooden boat yards here or in the States, he would not only gain the confidence of customers but build up a contact base in the industry.
 
Somebody was posting about work in Australia just a few days ago. He was some kind of recruitment consultant hoping to persuade people to emigrate to Aus.
 
Wooden boat work in Australia is very rare, and not enough to sustain a person if he wants to live in a house or flat. [ie, not in a caravan in the corner of a boatyard]. There is one builder here in Melbourne who is doing well building wooden 'Couta boats for barristers and orthodontists, but he started out with a fortune, not as a ragged-arse boatbuilder. Most boatbuilders work on wooden boats when they come around, but use fibreglass boats as their bread-and-butter.
Peter.
 
Peter - This confirms what I have heard about Oz. Do you think Australia represents the main trend and that wooden boats are becoming increasingly rare? It would figure. Jane
 
Mirelles suggestion, is very sound, he will make quite a few contacts in the industry this way and be almost garuanteed a job on completion of the course, many wooden boatbuilders/restorers frequent the schools, recruiting. Good ships chippies are in short supply.
 
There seem to be pockets of enthusiasm for wooden boats. Maine in the USA, Tasmania here in Oz, Douarnenez in Brittany and Essex in the UK come to mind. With the rise of the ultra-swish millionaire's playthings on the Med. coast of France and Italy, I suspect that there are small pockets there; usually just one boatyard in a port. A young and very talented boatbuilder from here in Melbourne went to Antibes to seek his fortune. We haven't heard from him, so we're hoping that he found it.

The recent revival of interest in wooden and 'classic' boats is little more than a fragment of the whole boating scene. The best end of it, to be sure, but comparable to Haute Couture versus the rest of the Rag Trade.

Two quite separate approaches to gaining a foothold in the industry seem possible to me. The first is to establish oneself where there is minimal competition in an out-of-the-way part of the world but which has a small stream of 'pioneering' tourists; the ones who like to take 'the road less travelled'. This would appeal to the versatile all-rounder, because one would have to turn one's hand to whatever came along. The second is to get employed in a large boatyard doing top-shelf work on top-shelf ships. This usually requires some evidence of having the required skills at the required levels. I suspect that the former would not make a person wealthy, but could support a very pleasant lifestyle which wealthier folk from busier parts of the world would envy. One would have to be quite laid-back about what one wants to get out of life, and have a clear idea of what is worth while and what is not.
Peter.
 
2 boatbuilders from Eel Pie are currently working on a boat in Corfu, so the work is definitely there and if someone is prepared to pay travel, etc then i would expect that they would jump at a good 'local' lad. I have also just referred one of these guys to another mate who is buying a Nicholson 49 in a nearby yard.

I would suggest that your nephew trolls round the yards and marinas. Some owners just seem to throw money at a project while others will do jobs as they can afford them (I can identify with that). The point is that the more jobs he does, the more free word of mouth advertising he gets.
 
CCScott and Mirelle - Yes, we're thinking about this. It's a great idea, but there are some practical difficulties. Will go on thinking! Jane Sherman
 
Peterduck - You really seem to know the scene. It's as I suspected, wooden boats are rareish, though not yet collectors' items. You seem to suggest, however, that they're not actually dying out. And indeed they seem to have a pretty substantial life expectancy.
Either of the two possibilities you mention sounds like a dream come true.
Can I ask a supplementary? What about the possibility of doing up boats and re-selling them? My nephew has already demonstrated his capacities in this area, but just on small boats. In Greece there are quite a lot of beautiful old fishing caiques which are being abandoned (or even burnt) as fishing drops off in the Med. We are trying to explore the market, but are getting quite a lot of contradictory opinions about how easy it is to sell a well-restored wooden boat.

Jane Sherman
 
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