Boats

In September 1993, lone sailor Hugo Vihlen stepped ashore at Falmouth after a solo Atlantic crossing which lasted 105 days. Others have also made that perilous crossing – the difference with Hugo’s achievement was that he made it in the smallest boat, measuring 5ft 4inches. A Korean War fighter pilot and former Delta Airlines Captain,…

An important piece of dinghy sailing history – the Fireball Dinghy prototype – has been added to the Museum’s collection. In 1962 Norris Brothers, a pioneering engineering company based in Hayward’s Heath, Sussex, was working closely with Donald Campbell on the Bluebird project. The company also employed Peter Milne, who developed the design for the…

On Sunday May 5th, 1946, the final race for the Henley Challenge Cup was sailed in cold conditions with a strong north easterly wind which capsized several boats. It was a good opportunity to test the prototype of the Firefly Class, which was making its first public appearance, and racing against a fleet of National…

Light displacement hulls, bulb keels, low wetted areas, aspects of design perhaps more commonly associated with the modern era, actually have a longer history than is often realised. In the late nineteenth century Charles Sibbick, based in the Isle of Wight, designed and built a series of racing keelboats that became known as Sibbick Raters.…

William Fife (1857-1944) was one of the world’s foremost yacht designers. His father and grandfather had also been boatbuilders and had a construction yard at Fairlie, on the River Clyde. Fife’s yachts achieved a reputation for superb craftsmanship and a good turn of speed. His clients included Sir Thomas Lipton, the grocery millionaire, who commissioned…

Built for family pleasure boating, Jonik is a motor launch built in Fowey in 1934. Its first owner instructed the builder, Percy Clemens,  to use the best quality timber available. Jonik  is built using silver spruce planking with a teak deck and demonstrates excellent craftsmanship. There were no power tools used in its construction, and…

This canoe comes from Kiribati, formerly known as the Gilbert Islands, a group of coral atolls scattered over the Micronesian area of the Pacific Ocean. It features an addition to the hull, an outrigger, attached for stability. Crew sit on a frame attached to the outrigger, balancing the vessel as it heels under the pressure…

Until the collapse of its cod stocks through over-fishing, the Grand Banks area off Newfoundland was one of the most productive fishing grounds in the world. The region is also renowned for its severe weather conditions. The fishing dory was designed to be used in these treacherous seas, and was used for many years. The…

The rights of individuals to collect oysters from the waters around Falmouth have been exercised since at least the late 16th century, and boats equipped with similar dredging gear to Irene’s have appeared in paintings dating back to that period. During the mid 19th century over-fishing led to a scarcity of oysters in the South…