Boats

The lugger was the workhorse of Cornish fishing fleet for over 200 years. Two distinct variants emerged; their design based upon whether they were to be used for fishing in the harsh waters of the Atlantic or the calmer waters of the Channel. In the west, the Mount’s Bay lugger was built double-ended to deal…

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…

Apart from London Bridge, built in 1209, the only means of crossing the Thames below Staines until the mid 18th century was by boat. The Thames wherry was an open rowing boat which was used to ferry passengers in much the same way as taxis are used today. Built for speed and ease of rowing,…

In 1961, at a time when dinghy sailing was hugely popular, the Sunday Times decided to sponsor a dinghy class of its own. The prime object was, as usual, that the boat should be cheap and easy to build from a kit. It was intended to be a boat for the first time owner/sailor. Secondary…

This is the original Merlin Class Dinghy as built by Jack Holt in 1945 for the Ranelagh Sailing Club in West London; it is from this model that many of the wide-beamed and hi-tech Merlin-Rockets, familiar to so many competitive dinghy sailors, have developed over the last 40 years. The idea for Britain’s first post-war…

Small boats tend to be shaped by the lives of those who make and use them. so around the world vessels built for the same purpose differ greatly, due to the availability of materials and tools, traditional techniques and the unique local environments in which the boats are used. This Kuwaiti Tishaala Dow, Tala, is…

This canoe was probably made by Sarazin of the Algonquin Reserve in the Ottawa Valley of Ontario. It is a modern interpretation of the most developed form of birch bark canoe. It was presented to Prince Edward on the occasion of his visit to Canada in 1901 and has been lent to the Museum by…

Hydroplanes were developed in the 1920’s and 30’s as outboard engines became available and increased in size and power. Originally outboards were used on utility boats but as racing evolved and speed records were set hydroplanes were designed as a way of going much faster. This particular boat was designed by a naval architect named…

This clinker built dinghy JONIK III was built in 1936 by Percy Clemens of Fowey and used as a tender to JONIK.