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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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Boat Building Academy

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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”.

12/10/2026

Join us for the last BBA Talk of 2026!

Wednesday 14th October | 18:00
Power Boat Club, Lyme Regis (opposite the academy)

We’re delighted to welcome Fred Baier, the celebrated conceptual furniture artist renowned for his playful, postmodern designs, with works held in prestigious public collections, including the V&A.

Drawing on his remarkable sixty-year career, Fred will share insights into his distinctive approach to design, his creative process, and how to develop your own unique perspective and skillset to generate original ideas.

All are warmly welcome for what promises to be a fascinating and inspiring evening!

Donations in support of the BBA Bursary Scheme are greatly appreciated.

Photo: Sarah Weal

10/10/2026

Build a bee hotel and help local wildlife!

The Boat Building Academy is teaming up with Turn Lyme Green this November for two special workshops as part of the Bee Friendly Lyme Regis Project.

Join us on Wednesday 4 November or Thursday 12 November to learn practical woodworking skills and build your own cedar wood bee hotel to take home — helping provide valuable nesting spaces for solitary bees.

Hands-on woodworking with our expert tutors.
Help support local pollinators and biodiversity.
Enjoy a tour of the Boat Building Academy.

4 or 12 November
9am–1pm
Boat Building Academy, Lyme Regis
£85 per person
Optional lunch and project talk: £10 extra, 1–2pm

Places are limited, so book early!

Contact us to book your place, link in bio.

08/10/2026

It was fantastic to welcome Adrian Gooderham, Yard Manager and Timber Specialist at Spirit Yachts, to the Academy today.

Adrian gave our boatbuilding students a fascinating insight into Spirit Yachts’ build process and the timbers used in their sailing and power boats, sharing his knowledge and experience from the industry.

The visit was also a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between Spirit Yachts and the Academy and explore opportunities for greater collaboration in the future.

A big thank you to Adrian for taking the time to visit us and share his knowledge with our students. We look forward to welcoming him back in the future.

07/10/2026

On Monday, we had the fantastic opportunity to take our students to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to see the incredible work underway on HMS Victory as part of HMS Victory: The Big Repair.

We’re hugely grateful to the team for inviting us behind the scenes and giving our students such a unique insight into the work being carried out on such an historic vessel.

Our boatbuilding students had the chance to tour the scaffolding, see inside the bilge and get a glimpse into the team’s workshop. It was brilliant for them to see many of the techniques and structures they’ve been learning about brought to life on such a much larger scale. It was also a great experience for our new September cohort as they begin their own boatbuilding journey.

A particular highlight was seeing a couple of our former students who are now part of the HMS Victory project team. It was fantastic to see where their skills have taken them and very inspiring for our current students.

We also got the chance to go aboard HMS Warrior, making it a brilliant day all round.

A huge thank you to everyone at Royal Navy Museums and the HMS Victory project team for making the visit so memorable and for sharing your time and expertise with our students. We really appreciate it!

02/10/2026

Now the dust has settled and things are getting back to normal, we'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the second year of the Wooden Boat Stage at the Southampton Boat Show such a success.

Over the course of the show, the Wooden Boat Stage was brought to life with an inspiring programme of speakers, live demonstrations, practical skills sessions and conversations celebrating traditional craftsmanship and the future of wooden boatbuilding.

It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, meet new people, share knowledge and, most importantly, celebrate our passion for wooden boats and the skills that keep this craft alive.

This year also saw the introduction of Wooden Boat Stage Afloat, bringing the celebration of traditional boats and boatbuilding out onto the water. A huge thank you to Thames Vintage Boat Club for helping make this happen and for bringing such fantastic boats to the show. It was a brilliant addition and a great way to showcase these boats, their stories and the skills behind them.

And of course, a huge thank you to everyone who took part, everyone who stopped by, and to Women in Boat Building and the Wooden Boatbuilders' Trade Association for their support in making this year's Wooden Boat Stage such a memorable part of the show.

We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. We’re already looking forward to doing it all again! 🛠️⛵️

29/09/2026

It was a pleasure to attend the British Marine Trade Association Dinner last week, where the Boat Building Academy was honoured to be nominated for British Marine Business of the Year, following our win earlier in 2026 as British Marine Boatbuilding Business of the Year.

We were incredibly proud to see Bluetree Boat Building receive the British Marine Sustainability National Award — a fantastic achievement, particularly as the business is run by two Boat Building Academy graduates, Obi and Otto.

It was wonderful to celebrate the achievements of our industry and, most importantly, to see the talent and hard work of our graduates continuing to make such a positive impact across the marine sector.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

24/09/2026

We're now over halfway through the Southampton International Boat Show, and it's been fantastic to see the return of the Wooden Boat Stage

Since opening on Friday, the stage has hosted a brilliant programme of speakers, live demonstrations, practical skills sessions, and inspiring conversations celebrating traditional craftsmanship and the future of wooden boatbuilding. A huge thank you to everyone who has taken part and to all those who have stopped by to join us.

There's still plenty more to come before the show closes on Sunday, so if you're visiting, make sure you drop in and see what's happening. Whether you're a seasoned boatbuilder, a wooden boat enthusiast, or simply curious to learn more, there's something for everyone.

A big thank you to Women in Boat Building and Wooden Boatbuilders' Trade Association for helping make this such a successful return. We look forward to seeing many more visitors over the final days of the show.

11/09/2026

Boat Building Academy Weekly Update

This week marked the start of our September 40-Week Boat Building course, with students settling into their workbenches and developing their skills in planing and joinery.

We also welcomed students to our three-day Marquetry Short Course in the furniture-making workshop, where some beautifully detailed and creative designs took shape over the three day course.

Meanwhile, our current September 40-Week Boat Building students have been sitting their exams. We wish them every success with their results. Despite the demands of exam week, excellent progress has continued across all of the boats in the workshop.

If you've ever wanted to learn a traditional craft, develop practical woodworking skills, or take on a rewarding hands-on challenge, there's never been a better time to get involved. Our full 2027 course programme is now open for bookings, offering opportunities for complete beginners and experienced makers alike. Explore the range of courses available and take the first step towards your next project, passion, or career through the link in the comments.

08/09/2026

LAST CHANCE TO WIN A BEAUTIFUL CARVED MEMENTO!

To be in with a chance of winning submit your idea before Friday 11 September.

The Wooden Boat Stage at Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) will be even bigger and better this year and we are offering the chance to win a pair of free tickets to the show and a beautiful, personalised, hand-carved memento for your home or boat.

Boat Building Academy (BBA) Director Will Reed will be letter carving at the Wooden Boat Stage, just opposite the main entrance, every morning during the show (September 18-27.)

We would like to hear your suggestions for the lettering Will carves into a glorious piece of timber provided by Sykes Timber.

Perhaps choose the name of your boat, a loved one, or a favourite short phrase?

If your entry is chosen you will receive two free standard day tickets to SIBS and your unique hand carved piece at the end of the show on Sunday 27th.

To enter please email your chosen lettering and your name and contact details to: [email protected]

06/09/2026

Tomorrow we welcome 18 new students as they begin their journey on our 40-week Boat Building Course at the Academy.

Over the next year, they'll learn traditional and modern boat-building techniques, develop practical workshop skills, and gain invaluable hands-on experience under the guidance of expert tutors Justin Adkin and Joe Blathwayt.

From shaping timber and mastering craftsmanship to launching their own boats next summer, this course offers a unique opportunity to learn by doing and build a strong foundation for a career in the marine industry.

We can't wait to see what this new cohort achieves. Good luck to all our students as they embark on this exciting adventure!

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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