British Backyard Boatbuilding is primarily an unbiased, non-commercial and advertising-free, source of valuable information for those interested in backyard boatbuilding. Whether you are simply daydreaming about building your first boat (we all start that way, don't we?), are part way through building one and need some help or guidance, or already have a backyard built boat or two on the water, all are welcome here. And all may take away from the site whatever information they may wish to glean from it.

The site began its life as an interactive community forum like so very many others out there, with a completely open registration system. With experience, we have altered the basic way our site works and now ask people interested in joining us as members to make an application (see further below). That way, we manage to keep out most of the spammers and mischief makers.

This site is not actually selling anything, though it does recommend things we believe are of genuine interest and benefit to the backyard boatbuilding community at large. We do not seek or receive payment for anything on this website. Neither are we charging anything or trying to separate people from the hard won cash in their wallets. We have set it up simply because we thought it was a good idea to promote the concept of a boatbuilding website that is rather different to all the others. That's it. No profits being made here, no supposition being advanced as fact, no advertisements to be clicked on to make us a few pennies 'per click', no fees to pay, or donations to make, or pleas for financial contributions to the site running costs. This site is simply about helping fellow backyard boatbuilders achieve their goals. Warts and all, this site is just what it appears to be. WYSIWYG!

What we have done is to transform the site into what we feel it must be - a completely honest source of valuable information for backyard boatbuilders. We do have our own favourites, of course, like everyone does, and we do put forward our views and suggestions for the use of others. We have given significant space here to designers we believe have outstanding ability and who are always contactable as well as helpful to their customers. In that respect, we are always happy to consider including more designers. So, if you are a designer and would like to present your designs to our members, please get in touch.

We have installed vBulletin's Blog software to enable members to blog their builds, upload photographs, and offer their advice and guidance for the benefit of others in the backyard boatbuilding community.

Let's face it - the Web is most useful as a source of information and very little else. However, it is important to recognize that opinion is quite far removed from fact. One should not take on face value any information gleaned from the Internet, whether here or elsewhere. It is always best to check it against known, preferably authoritative, sources.

The site will remain funded entirely by ourselves, so everything on it will be without charges of any kind. And, as stated above, it will carry no advertising - that's a firm promise.

The interactive side of the website, the forums part, is still here and will continue to be available to registered members. The members' forums are not visible to guests and are exclusively for the use of those who have joined us.

All earlier content remains intact, though some may necessarily be modified. However, automatic registration is now closed forever and it is necessary to apply to join us as a member (using the 'Contact Us' link at the foot of every page - instructions on how to apply are under that link).

We have now pruned our former membership back to include only those who have become valued and trusted contributors to the site or who have joined us very recently and are therefore given the opportunity to prove themselves so.

As stated above, if you wish to become a registered member, you may email us using the 'Contact Us' link at the foot of any page to give us your contact details together with a few words about your interest in backyard boatbuilding. We will then contact you with a view to your being welcomed into the fold, so to speak.

Some of our favourite designs are displayed here. We begin on this page with two little dinghies from the stable of famed Kiwi designer, John Welsford. Our choices are his Tender Behind and the bigger Sherpa (see the thumbnails below and the images at the top of this post for some fine examples of the standard designs), both smashing little boats inspired, according to John, by the American 'Nutshell' (but significantly improved, in our view). We have plans to build both of these, one to be our tender.




We are about to build a boat in which we will explore far away places. There is a new and very exciting design brewing in the fertile mind, and on the prolific drawing board, of our Kiwi friend, John Welsford. More on that later. Suffice to say for now that it is one hell of an interesting live-aboard design.

We already have a workshop out back in which we used to build skin-on-frame kayaks, in particular those designated 'PBKs' by famous British designer, Percy W Blandford. We understand Percy is now 91 years of age - and still at his writing desk. On ya, Percy, and thanks for all those great canoes, kayaks, and boats you've designed over the years. Well done to you.

Obviously, our workshop was not big enough in which to build a boat longer than 20 feet, so we are now using it for timber storage and have just finished erecting a huge (well, by UK standards pretty darned big) shelter under which to build our live-aboard. We hope to start building the big boat very soon. Our back garden is all but gone now. Not to worry, though. We'll fix that up when the boat has had its bottom wet.

Here are some preliminary photos of John's exciting new design, dubbed Rendezvous. This is our build choice and we will blog the whole build and put up photos and video of its construction and eventual launch. Be warned, though, it is likely to take us some time. The photos show no measurements yet but John tells us she is 8.8 metres (28' 10") by 2.9 metres (9' 6") beam and has a draft of just 900mm (under 3 feet).


If you look closely you'll see that this design is a bit like Dr Who's 'Tardis'. More room in that cabin than I've ever seen in a boat of her length and beam. We love this concept and hope to be one of the first to build her. I have posted a lot more detail on Rendezvous, including JW's comments on her, in our John Welsford pages.

This website was opened to the public on 1 October 2008. It is an ongoing project with much more to come as our various builds progress, starting with a nice pair of Tender Behinds. Ha ha. Love that name!

Happy Backyard Boatbuilding

Mike and Jeannette