Boat Building Schools – A UK List
In the United Kingdom, we are quite limited for places to study boat building. However, there are some boat building schools available. If traditional boat building isn’t your thing then there are plenty of more affordable fiberglass and composite courses both online and in classrooms. Because of the nature of boat building, it’s often better to learn in a classroom in a hands-on environment. Whilst you can use Youtube and other tutorial sources nothing beats the hands-on approach of being with a professional who know’s his trade. The only problem with the long courses is they are often more expensive. The long courses provide a solid education in boat construction if you can afford them however It is more advisable if you’re on a budget to pick a specific niche like GRP and study that course individually. The short courses are reasonably priced making them a true consideration for anyone wanting to learn a specific element of boat renovation.
Boat Building Academy
Location: Lyme Regis
The boat building academy runs a 38-week course in boat maintenance and provides people of all ages a place to learn about Marine Construction, Maintenance and Systems Engineering. What makes this academy so great is the short courses they run in traditional boat building , GRP repairs, renovation and finishing.
International Boatbuilding Training College
Location: Suffolk / Portsmouth
IBTC boats a flagship course running for 47 weeks and provides student knowledge of Wood Working and Joinery before getting to move on to a boat shed where they complete new build boats as well as full restoration and renovation boat projects. The college also runs 12-week boat courses specialising in small wooden boat creation. They also offer courses in boat plumbing and electrics, ropework, knots and splicing, Traditional Rigging and Wirework (for you avid sailer) and GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastics).