"I was just scrolling Facebook one day, and we had been in the market for a timber boat for a little while. And occasionally I would send Holly ridiculous things from boats online or on Facebook. I'd come across this Maurice Griffiths boat, and I sent it to Holly. They were asking 800 bucks"

One of the main catalysts for starting the company was to sustain and grow the art of wooden boatbuilding by passing on the skills they have accumulated. It’s a shared passion to keep the skills of wooden boat building alive for generations to come. 

So now I’m a little confused!  There are so many good things going on, so many positive stories and no shortage of activity, so why we are not brimming with optimism?

My name is Holly (22 years old) and my husband Jordy (23 years old) and I are the very proud owners of ‘Clare’. She is a Maurice Griffiths, 40 foot ketch planked in 1 1/2 Jarrah, built and launched in 1951 in WA. She is currently out of the water in Hastings VIC and we are currently completing a full restoration.

Perhaps before embarking on the new build of a wooden boat, first consider if there is an existing craft that, given a full restoration, would fulfil your needs and dreams as well as one built from scratch.

From modest beginnings, never lacking family love, Bill found in himself a deep and abiding fascination for working with wood, primarily in helping to create some of the most famous yachts ever built in Australia.

The child of Cambodian refugees Rita found her way to boats via a ‘curiosity of floating’. This led her to questioning, how do boats work? Having just completed a three month introduction to boatbuilding, this young shipwright is looking for an apprenticeship. Can you help her?

TARKINE, is a 40ft Pilot Cutter inspired design by Paul Gartside, and she’s starting to come together in away that gives the viewer an understanding of how this elegant craft is going to look and function.

The late Bob Gordon was just 16 years old when he launched his first hand built wooden boat. He went on to build around 30 classic craft over the next 67 years.

The pictures in this article are my brief attempt to capture the essence of this wonderfully evocative piece of Tasmania’s wooden boat history.

The Wooden Boat Shop is an Accredited Training Facility for apprentices in Marine Trades and over the years has trained around 50 shipwrights.

Credit where credit is due and a great opportunity to work with a great team!

Here’s a selection three vastly different jobs that peaked my interest. Even if they aren’t actually in your skillset, its hard not to dream of what life might be like if a connection with timber craft meant that money was coming into the bank account, not just going leaving it

From the get go, Leo harnessed the power of social media to broadcast his story building not only a boat, but a remarkable community of volunteers and supporters.

Whatever date you believe Australia Day should be celebrated, it’s a great opportunity to recognise people in our community - and here, particularly - in our sailing community.

The choice between the chainsaw and a full restoration is often a difficult one. WYRUNA is lucky enough to have found two realistic owners and a shipwright who knows exactly what he’s doing. WATCH PART ONE.