Wooden Boat Association
Proudly Sponsored by
BoatCraft Pacific

Boat Builders

• Alkira Boatshed. Toronto, New South Wales. Timber & Steel Boat Specialists - design, building and restoration of steamboats, cruisers, yachts and launches
• Bayside Wooden Boats,  Esk, Queensland. Ross Lillistone, builder of rowing boats, sailing canoes, beach cruisers and sea kayaks.
• Deagon Slipways, 30 Hickson Rd Deagon QLD 4017 Phone: (07) 3269 6513. As well as general boat repairs and painting, Peter Kerr restores vintage yachts such as the Tasmanian One Design "Vanity". Agent for Briggs Marine bronze fittings.
• Denman Marine Kettering Tasmania.  Specialises in timber boatbuilding - either traditionally built or modern composite timber construction 2888 Channel Highway Kettering, Tasmania 7155 Mobile 0413765984 Tel: 0362674660. Fax 0362674991.  email andrew@denmanmarine.com.au . Builds a beautiful clinker dinghy each year for the Peregrine School raffle.
• Frecheville Heaney Boatbuilders Paynesville, at the heart of the Gippsland Lakes, Victoria. Specializes in the repair and restoration of traditional timber leisure craft, both sailing and motorized.
• Mole End Wooden Boats. Singleton Rd, Wisemans Ferry NSW (02) 9555-1114
• Norman R. Wright & Sons Brisbane Queensland.  One of the best known wooden boat builders in Queensland. Est 1909.
• Sydney Harbour Wooden Boats  Timber boat building and restoration yard run by Simon Sadubin  out of the historic Chowder Bay Boatshed at the south-end of Chowder Bay Road in Mosman.
• Timber Boat Services.  91 Louisa Rd, Birchgrove NSW (02) 9818 3275
• Tripcony Slipway Pty Ltd. Ph (07) 3262 7875 Fax (07) 3862 1362. Another ancient wooden boat building yard on Breakfast Creek in Brisbane.
• Wooden Boat Restorations 1 Balls Head Rd, Waverton NSW (02) 9954 5576
• The Wooden Boatshop  Sorrento Victoria Australia.  Home of "Couta boat" restorations (See July/August 1997 Wooden Boat magazine)

Boat Kits

• BoatCraft Pacific,  Suppliers of kits for David Payne Sea Kayak, Michael Storer Eureka Canoes, Kencraft Mahogany Runabouts, Waller Designs Trailer Sailers. Ph Brisbane (07) 3806 1944.
• Capeboatworks, Queanbeyan NSW. Suppliers of CNC router pre-cut kits for Chesapeake Light Craft,  Selway Fisher Design (UK), Iain Oughtred (UK), John Welsford (NZ), Dudley Dix (USA) , Joel White (USA) and Guillemot Kayaks (USA).  and other excellent plywood craft. The kit can include pre-cut moulds.
• Chesapeake Light Craft. Suppliers of some very nice kayak kits and designs, often seen in Wooden Boat Magazine's Launchings pages.  Kits available through Capeboatworks
• Duck Flat Wooden Boats, Adelaide South Australia. Suppliers of kits and plans for Ian Oughtred designs and the Nutshell pram plans & kits from Wooden Boat Magazine.   A group of people who run a wooden boat business, clothing design, materials, supply, world wide plans agency and many other things we haven't yet thought of.
• Headland Boats. See designers.
• Norwalk Islands Sharpies, Mt barker South Australia. Robert Ayliffe's new home specialising in designs, kits and fittings for Bruce Kirby's well known designs.
• Redfin Yachts are a group of amateur and professional people who build boats in Brisbane, supplying kits for the Redfin dinghy and small trailer sailer.
• Scruffie Marine. On top of Mt Tambourine (What? Are you expecting a flood or something Derek?) Ph (07) 5545 1015. Plywood "Scruffie" kits in various shapes & sizes, sail and power. No Arks apparently.

Timber & Fittings

• BoatCraft Pacific  Suppliers of glues, plywood, plans and kits. Ph Brisbane (07) 3806 1944.
• Bias Boating. Shops in Sydney, NSW Central Coast, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville & Perth. No in-line catalogue last time I looked, but they will send a hard copy and you can order on line for delivery.
• Briggs Marine, Huntingdale Victoria. Since 1890, Briggs Marine craftsmen have been producing quality marine fittings for commercial and pleasure craft. Traditional bronze fittings including cleats, bells rudder gudgeons and more.
• Classic Marine (UK)  supply and make equipment for traditional and classic yachts, in bronze or galvanised mild steel. Also a great collection of practical articles on the rigging of gaffers and assorted plans including Ian Oughtred's. Drool over beautiful bronze fittings and curse the exchange rate.
• Conrad Blocks.  Makers of beautiful jarrah-shelled blocks.  Just the thing to finish off the classic yacht or dinghy
• Glascraft Marine Adelaide and Glascraft Marine Brisbane.  Marine fittings with online catalogue.
• Marine Timbers Pty Ltd, Seaford. Suppliers of marine plywood and timber.
• Muir Marine, at Manly, Brisbane.  As well as the usual chandlery, they have a good on-line catalogue showing their range of bronze/brass fittings, screws, cleats portholes half-oval etc. Also have caulking irons and materials.
• Port Townsend Foundry (USA). Good range of traditional bronze marine fittings.
• Thoosa Electric Boat Engines. Electric motor systems from 3 to 8.5 kW to replace diesel motors up to 25 hp.
• Trend Timbers, McGraths Hill NSW. Specialist boatbuilding timbers, woodworking tools and local Bote-Cote agent.
• Watt's Wood & Mouldings Pty Ltd 81 Pentex Street, Salisbury, 4107. Suppliers of a wide range of traditional Australian boatbuilding timbers including Queensland Red Cedar, Silver ash, Silver Quandong, White Beech, and Huon Pine, plus the exotics mahogany, teak, iroko and others.
• Whitworths Marine and Leasure. Mostly modern fittings with online catalogue.
• Wooden  Boat  Fittings  -   Traditional   hand-made   timber   fittings   for   classic  boats  of  all  sizes.
• Wooden Boat Shop, Sorrento, Victoria, supply traditional  fittings including bronze castings, caulking tools and materials, blocks, spars, plans and more.
• Woodworld (Teak and Fancy Timbers Pty Ltd), Labrador QLD. Suppliers of specialty boat building and cabinetmaking timbers, including dressed, laminated or moulded timber.

Designs & Design Software

• John G Alden Naval Architects Boston USA.  They have the full back catalogue of Alden's designs, including the famous Malabar series of schooners.  Not much in the way of on-line plan viewing at the moment.
• Blue Peter Marine Systems. Perth-based. HULLFORM  hull design programs. Lines fairing and hydrostatics. Free DOS and Student versions.
• Common Sense Designs. Home of Phil Bolger, and friends. Designers of simple, seaworthy designs for just about anything that floats. Not the place for wine glass hull sections.  Lots of examples at the Light Schooner Website
• databoat.com  A vast collection of designs for the amateur and professional builders.  Most plans have a photograph of the completed vessel and lines or construction plans.
• David Payne. Well-known Sydney designer of boats based on traditional Australian working-boat designs, as well as modern small-craft designs from very small dinghies to full on ocean-going yachts. As well as looking great great and sailing or motoring well, most are designed with hobbyist builders in mind.
• Glen-L Boat Plans - Kits. Source hundreds of designs for boats, as well as various little marine gadgets to attach to them.
• Headland Boats. Mike Roberts, designer and supplier of kits for the Green Island series of sailing dinghies. Located in Wynnum/Manly, Brisbane.
• Ian Oughtred. Still no web address for the well-known, glued-clinker guru (designed the Acorn at the top of the page. You can reach him by snail mail at The Piers, Findhorn, Moray IV36 3YF, SCOTLAND or phone 01309 690807. Plans available through Duck Flat Wooden Boats
• MacNaughton Yacht Designs.  Some excellent plans and publications on wooden boat building and repair, many formerly published in wooden boat magazine.  The strip plank and other scantling rules are a must have.
• Maxsurf hull design software by Formation Design Systems Inc
• Murray Isles Design. Commercial and pleasure boats up to 40 metres for oar, sail and power. Mostly in wood but some in other inferior materials
• Michael Storer Design.  The web site just has the basic contact details but hopefully He'll expand it. More details are at the Flying Tadpole site.
• Selway Fisher Design. Has designed some very attractive and buildable boats with a dedicated following among many WBA members.
• Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. Ideal source for restoration for your S&S.
• James Wharram Designs. Designer of simple-to-build, Polynesian\-style catamarans since 1960.

Museums & Associations and WebGroups

• The Sydney Heritage Fleet. Home of the steam launch Lady Hopetoun, the barque James Craig, the schooner Boomerang (formerly Bona), the steam tug Waratah and many historic skiffs and medium to small sail and power boats. 
• The Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
• The Classic Yacht Association of Australia.  Membership of the Classic Yacht Association of Australia is open to all who have an interest in the preservation, restoration and sailing of classic yachts.
• Clean Up Australia
• Couta Boat Club - CoutaNet - Your online opportunity to keep up to date with everything Couta
• The Maritime Museum of Tasmania. Carnegie Building, corner of  Davey & Argyle Streets Hobart, Tasmania. Dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Tasmania’s rich maritime heritage for all time
• The Museum Small Craft Association (USA). A group involved in the study and preservation of traditional small craft, representing a diversity of professions, including museum professionals, historians, archaeologists, and academics. All members share a common interest in boat conservation and restoration, skills preservation, boat documentation, small craft history and interpretation, and academic research
• Mystic Seaport --Mystic CT, sight of the 1997 WoodenBoat Show
• The National Maritime Museum Association. A not-for-profit organization dedicated to maritime preservation and education in order to enhance public understanding,  appreciation, & enjoyment of  the USA's national maritime heritage.  Site has some good technical papers on wooden boat documentation and presentation presented at the 1997 International Preservation Conference
• Pearling Luggers of Torres Straits or PLOTS. A group of pearling lugger enthusiasts formed for the purpose of researching, preserving and promoting the maritime heritage of these North Queensland icons
• Queensland Maritime Museum Home of S.S. Forceful and HMAS Diamantina and a growing collection of historical wooden boats. Stanley and Sidon Sts South Brisbane next to Southbank.
• Queensland Yachting Association.
• Scuzbums. aka SCBMS  Southern California Small Boat Messabout Society (USA).   A like-minded group of small boat enthusiasts across the Pacific.
• The South Australian Maritime Museum. In Port Adelaide has a lighthouse from Port River, built in 1869, Bond Stores, built in 1850, and the Weman Building (originally a sail makers and ships chandlery)  built in 1888.  Its floating collection  comprises three vessels: the tug Yelta the State's last working steam tug, the launch Archie Badenoch built for military use in the 1940s, and the MV Nelcebee, assembled in Port Adelaide in 1883, the third oldest vessel in the Lloyd's Register.
• Swedish West Coast Square Metre Class Assoc. In Sweden not surprisingly.
• Townsville Maritime Museum. A fascinating insight into the naval and maritime history of Townsville. Includes artefacts from the wreck of the Yongala

• Western Australian Maritime Museum. The Western Australian Maritime Museum provides exhibitions on Shipwrecks discovered off the Western Australian coast and Western Australia's Maritime endeavours. We have 3 main sites in Fremantle that bring together Western Australia's Maritime heritage.

• WoodenBoatsAustralia. A web group for general discussions relating to wooden boat building, restoration and maintenance in Australia

• Wooden Boat Association of Texas. That's Texas USA, not Texas QLD.  Mostly mahogany runabouts.
• The Wooden Boat Foundation    (www.woodenboat.org  not to be confused with our site) A Maritime Educational Centre in  Port Townsend, Washington Sate USA

Publications

• Australian Amateur Boatbuilder, the information source for Australasia's amateur boat builders
• Boating Oz.   A good source of general Australian boating news.  All the sailing race results and facts-at-the-fingertips stuff.
• Boat Books Suppliers of shiploads of nautical books including: fiction, humour, how to build, design, survey, sail, repair or dream about all sorts of boats/yachts/ships. If you've seen it in Wooden/Classic Boat magazines, it's probably on the shelf. They also have digital and paper charts (with updating service), instruments and software.
• Boating Books & Charts Australia - Online. Boat Books' (Melbourne) web page.
• BoatPoint.  Trade-A-Boats on-line search index.
• Classic Boat Magazine. A magazine for classic sail, rowing and power boats of any construction.
• Duckworks Magazine. An ezine for amateur boat builders.  Links to lots of interesting projects (although some fall into the "but it has lots of headroom" category).
• Maritime Books - Jean Louis Boglio (Master Mariner).  A great source for new, second-hand and out-of-print books, with very good turn-around time.
• Offshore Yachting Magazine - On-Line magazine of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.
• Ships in Scale Magazine's Information Seaway.  A good modelling FAQ.
• Water Craft a bi-monthly magazine produced by Pete Greenfield, previously creator of Classic Boat and The Boatman. A good mix of deign, technical and dreaming articles, similar to Wooden Boat Magazine
• Wooden Boat Magazine. You probably already know where it is. Lots of US and international links as well.  The standard by which all other classic/wooden boat publications are judged.  A great website with an online/downloadable index of issues, discussion groups, bookshop, boatshop etc.  The place to cruise, rather than surf, the web, checking out all the little inlets and backwaters. Back issues, to No.1,  are now available on CDROM.
• Professional BoatBuilder Magazine --The Trade Magazine for Those Working in Design, Construction, and Repair

Schools

Includes TAFE courses in general boat building (timber and other inferior materials) as well as those specifically for wooden boats (It is good to see this is an expanding section).

• Brisbane TAFE Course in Engineering (Pre Apprenticeship) Boatbuilding - Full Time - Gateway Campus. Apprenticeship training to develop a broad range of practical skills applicable to the boatbuilding industry.
• Trade and Technician Skills Institute (formerly Yeronga TAFE) Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction
• Gold Coast institute of TAFE Course in Boatbuilding (Pre-Apprenticeship) and Certificate IV in Engineering (Ship and Boat Design). The program material will address basic industry skills and provide students with an introduction to the basics of the three industry areas i.e: timber, metal and fibreglass construction. Course delivery is project based.
• New South Wales TAFE Marine Craft Construction. This course is for boat building and shipwright apprentices, or people who have entered into a relevant contract of training. Offered at Newcastle and Meadowbank TAFE
• Queensland Boat Building School run through Heritage boats, Gold Coast QLD. Pre-employment, "work for the dole" and other specialist boat building courses.
• Victoria University [MEM30705] Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction. The course is appropriate for a person working as a tradesperson in boat and small marine craft (usually up to 16 metres) construction, repair and maintenance. Students must be employed as boatbuilder or shipwright apprentices.
• The Wooden Boat Centre (formerly Shipwrights Point Wooden Boat School)   On the Huon River at Franklin, 48km south of Hobart, is a school with a difference. We teach the old traditional skills of wooden boatbuilding to a new generation of craftspeople from all over the world.

 Wooden Boat Insurance

The following companies have previously insured members boats. Some may require a formal survey and some may not insure all types of craft or only provide builders insurance for relatively short periods. Check for yourself and shop around. Let us know if you have had success with others or if your company insures wooden boats.

• Club Marine. Specialising in pleasure craft insurance. On-line quotes available.
• Mariner Insurance. Sydney-based brokers of marine and general insurance
• NRMA Insurance.
• RACQ Comprehensive and third-party insurance for boats.
• Tudor Insurance. Melbourne-based insurance brokers.

Miscellaneous

• This weeks tide times from Flinders University.
• Mark Rosenstein's Sailing Page (US)--An assortment of everything sailing  with LOTS of links
• Sailing Index -- lengthy link list LOTS AND LOTS.
• The Yachthub is dedicated to Australian yachting and boating and lists related businesses and organizations.  Contains a free classified add section and forum.

Vessels

• Aorere -- A beautiful 1898 Length/Sail Area rule cutter under restoration in WA
• Duyfken, the West Australian built replica of the first reported European ship to chart Australia's coastline.
• HM Bark Endeavour Another West Australian replica, built by many of the crew who went on to build the Duyfken.
• Greg's Classic Australian Power Boat Site - private page seeking wooden powerboat enthusiasts. For those of us interested in the restoration and preservation of older ski boats, skiffs, etc
• Wharram Tiki 26 in progress

Web Resources

• The Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats. This electronic register, run by Mori Flapan, commenced in 2000. There are currently more than 36,000 vessels recorded.

Subscribe to WoodenBoatsAustralia