John M. MacAulay - Fernhaven, - Flodabay, - Isle of Harris. - HS3 3HA. Tel:01859 530340

Builder of the Hebridean`Birlinn` model

`COASTAL AND ISLAND BOATS`
The following is an article written by John MacAulay

The transition from sail and oar power to the use of steam and the internal combustion engine is a significant waypoint in the course of traditional boat-building in Scotland. Wooden boats had evolved to achieve the very best from the union of man's ingenuity with the natural elements of wood, wind and water. Scottish fishing boats through the centuries embodied the principles of Viking ships, but suitably adapted to match local conditions and resources. So when sail eventually gave way to steam and oil, it was quite simply a matter of applying this new technology to existing boats; and for many years to follow, even into the late 1 950s, it was common to see a combination of both sail and engine power. In some cases the engine was only needed to help in the event of insufficient wind.

It was in 1960 that the White Fish Authority issued a 'Standard Specification for the Construction of Scottish Wooden Fishing Vessels' for motor boats between thirty feet and ninety feet in length, as a minimum standard towards grant and loan eligibility Several excellent motor fishing-boat designs emerged as a result, and a great many were built in various boatyards around the Scottish coast and islands during the next twenty years or so: drifters, trawlers, ringers and seine-netters.

Electronic fishing aids and more sophisticated catching methods dramatically increased earning power and consequently even bigger boats with greater potential were built in steel and glass-reinforced plastic, materials which were very soon to dominate the boat� building scene. This trend, coupled with stringent legislation on catching capacity, has all but eliminated the once vibrant wooden boat-building industry.......

Books by John MacAulay:
Birlinn, Longships of the Hebrides
(White Horse Press)

Seal-folk and Ocean Paddlers
( White Horse Press)

click on icon to view line
drawing of 19ft sailing boat

Glossary of Terms used
in this article