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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Boat Building Academy

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Lyme Regis
Boat Building Academy

We offer professional, full-time, boat building and woodworking training in Lyme Regis, Dorset. linktr.ee/boatbuildacademy

Whether you want a professionally recognised boat building qualification, a few days by the sea learning practical skills, or to build your own boat, there’s a course for you here in Lyme Regis. Our boat building training courses are ‘hands-on’, taught by experts and vary in length from 1 day to 40 weeks. For more information about the range of courses and training see the information to the right

. Based on Lyme Regis’s famous Monmouth beach in Dorset, the academy lies at the heart of the UK’s most breathtaking scenery, the “Jurassic Coast”.

25/08/2026

Looking for a new career?

Ready for a change? Our February 2027 40-week Boat Building course has bursary places available, with applications open until the end of October.

Our bursaries can help make studying with us possible — giving you the skills, qualifications and experience to take the next step towards a career in boat building.

Earn a Level 3 City & Guilds qualification in Boat Building
Learn traditional and modern boat building skills
Prepare for a career in the marine industry

Join our graduates who are now working in boatyards across the UK and abroad.

A new career in boat building isn’t just a dream. It could be your next chapter.

Find out more about the course and how to apply for a bursary on our website. Link in the comments.

24/08/2026

Boat Building Academy Weekly Update

Last week marked the final week of our Build a Skiff course with expert boatbuilder Dan Lee. After two intensive weeks in the workshop, participants completed the coating and finishing stages, fitted rowlocks, and prepared their skiffs for launch in Lyme Regis Harbour. Seeing the finished boats ready for the water was a rewarding end to the course.

In the courtyard classroom, we also welcomed local 12-18 year olds to our first Tote Toolbox course. During their summer holidays, students learned core woodworking skills while building their own practical toolbox from scratch.

Meanwhile, in the furniture workshop, participants on our Make a Stool short course developed their woodworking techniques by shaping legs and stretchers, cutting joints, and assembling each component to create a finished stool to take home.

With our summer break now over, our 40-week boatbuilding students return to the Academy this week, and the workshops are busy with activity once again.

If you've been thinking about learning a traditional craft, developing practical woodworking skills, or taking on a rewarding hands-on project, now is a great time to start planning. Our full 2027 programme is now open for bookings, with courses ranging from introductory short courses to immersive boatbuilding experiences. Find out more via the link in the comments.

21/08/2026

This week marked the end of our two-week Build a Skiff course with expert boat builder Dan Lee.

It’s been fantastic to see the students’ skiff come to life, and after just two weeks of hard work, today it was ready to launch. The sun even came out for their launch, so we spent the afternoon enjoying the boat they’d built together out in the bay.

I was busy filming the launch and enjoying the afternoon with the group, which means the weekly update will be landing on Monday instead!

A huge well done to all the students for their hard work and dedication!

Build a Skiff with Dan Lee returns 9–20 August 2027. Learn modern boatbuilding techniques, from CNC-cut plywood, jigs and epoxy work through to professional paint and varnish finishes, while building a skiff from start to finish.

If you’d like to join the course, be sure to book early. Link in the comments.

20/08/2026

Meet Adou, one of the latest graduates from our May 2026 12-week Furniture Making Course.

Before joining the course, Adou wanted to build a chair. Her original idea was a seed pod-inspired lounge chair, but as her skills developed, so did the design. The result is a stunning American black walnut "boat builder" chair, featuring steam-bent planks flowing towards a sculptural stem-like backrest.

Two of Adou’s favourite parts of the course were steam bending and woodturning, and both techniques found their way into the final piece. She describes the process of making the chair as a real joy, but considers herself "a maker, not a keeper."

Because of that, we'll be taking the chair to the Southampton International Boat Show as an example of the exceptional work our students create, where it will also be available for purchase on her behalf. If you're interested in purchasing the chair, please contact us by email for further details.

Our next 12-week Furniture Making Course begins in September, and due to a last-minute cancellation, one place has become available. After that, courses are fully booked until May 2027.

If you'd like to learn traditional and contemporary furniture-making skills while creating your own ambitious projects, visit the link in the comments to secure your place.

18/08/2026

⛵️ We’re heading back to Southampton International Boat Show!

The Boat Building Academy will be back at the show this year, with our stand right next to the Wooden Boat Stage — and we’re delighted to be co-hosting the stage again with Women in Boatbuilding (WiB) and the Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association (WBTA), following its fantastic debut last year.

The Wooden Boat Stage is back for 2026, bigger and better, with a packed programme celebrating all things wooden boatbuilding. Expect live demonstrations, fascinating talks, expert insights, traditional skills, modern techniques, boat restoration and plenty of stories from the people who build, sail and care for wooden boats.

There’s also the new Wooden Boat Stage Afloat, bringing even more beautiful wooden boats to the show and giving visitors the chance to get a closer look at them on the water.

Whether you’re already passionate about wooden boats or simply curious about how they’re built, restored and sailed, make sure you come and see us.

📍 Southampton International Boat Show
📅 18–27 September 2026
📍 Boat Building Academy stand — next to the Wooden Boat Stage

Come and say hello — we’ll see you there!

17/08/2026

The Boat Diaries for our February 2026 40-week boatbuilding course are now live! ⛵

After the summer holidays, the teams are back in the workshop and continuing their builds as we work towards launch day on 3 December.

This year’s boats include the final stage of the restoration of Decibel, a remarkable 93-year-old boat, alongside three brand-new builds.

Check in every week to follow the progress, see how the boats take shape and join us on the journey from workshop to water.

Link in the comments.

16/08/2026

🪑 Make Your Own Irish Chair – 5-Day Course

Fancy learning how to make a wooden chair?

From 24–28 August, join us at the Boat Building Academy for five hands-on days of chair making. You’ll learn the techniques and skills needed to build your own chair — and, importantly, how to take those skills away and make more chairs in the future.

The course focuses on traditional chair-making methods using a small number of tools, making it a great introduction to furniture making without the need for a fully equipped workshop.

📅 24–28 August
📍 Boat Building Academy, Lyme Regis

Spaces are limited — book your place via the link in the comments!

14/08/2026

Boat Building Academy Weekly Update.

It’s been a busy week at the Boat Building Academy!

This week marks the first of our two-week Build a Skiff course with expert boatbuilder Dan Lee. The group has been hard at work constructing the clinker hulls of two skiffs, with plenty of hands-on boatbuilding skills being put into practice.

Over in the furniture workshop, we’ve also been running our Routing: Make a Step Stool short course. Over three days, participants learned how to use a router safely and confidently, before heading home with a practical step stool they’d made themselves.

Downstairs, things are a little quieter than usual, as our 40-week boatbuilding students have headed off for their summer holiday. Their boats are safely waiting in the workshop, ready for the students to pick up where they left off when they return.

There are still plenty of short courses to look forward to, and our full 2027 programme is now open for bookings via our website — link in the comments. Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill, build something from scratch, or simply try something different, now is the perfect time to book your next hands-on experience and discover the satisfaction of making something with your own two hands.

12/08/2026

🪚 Make Your Own Stool at the Boat Building Academy!

Just one week to go, and there are only a couple of spaces left!

Fancy getting hands-on and making something you can take home?

Join us at the Boat Building Academy from 19–21 August for our Make a Stool course. Over three days, you’ll learn practical woodworking and boatbuilding skills while creating your very own stool from scratch.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or already handy with tools, it’s a great opportunity to learn new skills, meet like-minded people, and make something you’ll be proud of.

📅 19–21 August
📍 Boat Building Academy

Spaces are limited — book your place via the link in the comments!

11/08/2026

It was lovely to hear BBA graduate and former BBA teacher Gail McGarva featured on BBC Radio 4’s Bare Necessities.

Gail is a wonderful example of the skill, knowledge and passion that keeps traditional boatbuilding alive. Having learned at the BBA from those who came before her, and shared her own knowledge through teaching, she continues to help carry these skills forward.

We’re delighted to see Gail’s work and craftsmanship recognised on national radio, and to continue championing the heritage skills that keep traditional boatbuilding alive.

Listen to the programme via the link in the comments.

Address

Lyme Regis Marine Centre, Monmouth Beach
Lyme Regis
DT73JN

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441297445545

Website

http://www.boatbuildingacademy.com/

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