John M. MacAulay - 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

Conservation measures also restrict, and rightly so, the availability of timber in certain areas. So regardless of where the craftsman is situated, it is almost inevitable that the raw material has to be hauled from further afield. The other artisans involved - the blacksmith, chandler. rope and sailmaker - who were the core of every seafaring community have vanished or else relocated to serve the yachting fraternity in modern marina developments. Amazingly, the complex logistics of the boat-building world do not appear to deter the traditional shipwright, and today we can find craftsmen operating in extremely remote locations on the north and west coasts. and in the islands, producing excellent boats which command acclaim at boat shows and maritime festivals, in spite of serious competition from modern builders. Most of them exist for the sheer joy of exercising their craft, rather than to meet market demands, and to develop that special relationship which grows around each boat from the very first day that building commences. This personal identification cannot be equalled by factory production methods and man-made materials.

The majority of boat builders specialise in a specific type of boat. usually relevant to the area or island group where they live and work. This reflects the traditions of each particular location where boat designs evolved to suit immediate needs: boats for fishing, transport, coastal work and for the open ocean These are boats which can be recognised anywhere because of specific design characteristics, and which immediately prtray the peculiar attributes of a certain craftsman. Conversely, the modern fishing boat-builder is constrained by circumstances to design and build boats to meet stringent safety rules and regulations, rather than to harmonise the natural laws of hydrodynamics. the elements and natural ....

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