National Small Boat Collection

During the early part of the 20th century, post-war Britain was pursuing high speed technology. Between 1922 and 1936, for example, Sir Malcolm Campbell broke no less than twelve land…

Commander John Watkinson, an experienced and accomplished Naval Officer, left the Royal Navy in 1958 and bought a boatyard, Kelly and Hall, to try his hand at a new venture.…

In 1948 a 14ft sailing dinghy was presented to Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, as a wedding present from the Royal New Zealand Navy. Named Kiwi the boat…

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…

Foyboats and boatmen have been traditionally associated with the rivers of Britain’s north east coast for at least three hundred years. Throughout the age of sail their main task, undertaken…

Curraghs are traditional Irish boats, unique to that part of the world. Built around strong wooden frames, their hulls are formed with waterproof canvas or leather. The curragh men, their…

Hunting kayaks have been used in the Arctic for thousands of years, making it possible for the Inuit people to survive in these remote and hostile regions. At sea the…

White Owl, an innocuous looking boat typical of the thousands of small craft built in Falmouth yards over the last few centuries, was built by Thomas Jackett in 1908 and…

In 1954 a group of dinghy sailors from clubs in the Solent area collaborated with Fairey Marine’s Charles Currey, an Olympic silver medallist in Finns, in an attempt to come…