Wooden Boat-Builders ?

[alexandros]

Only recently did i start to have an interest in yacht design and since then i am regularly visiting your forum to get information and inspiration.

Nevertheless, as my interest grows (i mainly admire the form and aesthetics of boats an yachts....) i decided to work my graduation project on naval industry and more specificaly on the research for new business oportunities for shipyards building wooden boats in southern Europe.

At this point, i am trying to identify shipyards that build wooden boats (all over the world) but it is rather difficult (i guess mainly cause these shipyards work in a more old fashion model so they don't use internet for their promotion). For example i know Riva used to make wooden boats (now though are plastic if i am not wrong).

Do you happen to have any idea of such manufacturers?

Thank you for your help!

[Ike]

You might want to try posting this query on Wooden Boat Forum. http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulletin/upload/. Wooden Boat magazine may have that kind of information http://www.woodenboat.com/. If not someone there will know how to get it.

[Guillermo]

Alexandros,
There's still quite some wooden boatbuilding going on in Galicia, NW Spain, where I live. You may visit this web page at my company's site to find out info on the matter: http://www.gestenaval.com/carpinteria_ribera.htm (In Spanish. I'll be glad to help you with needed translations)

I would be very interested in knowing new business oportunities for wooden boatbuilders.

Cheers.

[alexandros]

@ Ike, thank you for the suggestion. I just registered!

@ Guillermo, thank you for your interest and the link you provided. I saw a variety of spanish wooden boats randing from pleasure to commercial ones. I wonder if in Spain there are still built wooden boats and if yes for which market mainly (pleasure/commercial)?
In Greece for example there are these EU regulations/norms and fishermen (the main market for wooden boat-builders) are braking down their boats and therefore the shipyards have to find new markets if they want to keep their business runing.

As far as i understood your company builds boats and i assume you are a naval architect. Do you happen to know how big wooden boats can be? Someone told me that they can be upt to 25meters. Is this true? I think i have seen much bigger wooden boats.

thanks again both for your input.

[szkutnik]

I can build a wooden boat, no problem.
Marek Dziedzic www.yacht-building.pl

[Guillermo]

Originally Posted by alexandros

I wonder if in Spain there are still built wooden boats and if yes for which market mainly (pleasure/commercial)?

Yes they are, both commercial and pleasure.

Originally Posted by alexandros

In Greece for example there are these EU regulations/norms and fishermen (the main market for wooden boat-builders) are braking down their boats and therefore the shipyards have to find new markets if they want to keep their business runing.

That's exactly what's happening in Spain, Portugal and other european countries. Wooden boatbuilders are dissapearing around here but a few are still surviving. The evolution to new markets, mainly going from commercial to pleasure, is the main solution. Anyhow, there are markets regarding commercial fishing boats which wood has lost here almost without fighting; I'm talking about the small planning units up to 10 m length (more or less), which are actually built up in GRP or aluminium, but could also be done in wooden boards-epoxy as well.

Originally Posted by alexandros

As far as i understood your company builds boats and i assume you are a naval architect. Do you happen to know how big wooden boats can be? Someone told me that they can be upt to 25meters. Is this true? I think i have seen much bigger wooden boats.

No, we don't build boats, just design them; and yes, I'm a naval architect.
Wooden boats can be as big as they were the clippers or the men-of-war. A 25 m wooden fishing boat is not such a 'rara avis', although quickly dissapearing from european waters.

Cheers.

[alexandros]

@ szkutnik, thank you but i am not planning to build a wooden boat but only research the market and suggest new business oportunities especially to shipyards that used to make traditional fishing boats but due to new regulations they may need to revise their strategy.
I checked your website. Wonderful boats and really love the pics that show your boats "under construction". It must be a great feeling to build them by your own hands!

@Guillermo, thank you for replying my questions. It's a pity that so many boats are broken down. They are part of every country's heritage. But this is life and everything has to adjust to the new reality.
I looked for clippers as you mentioned and i saw that some of them are even 75 m. long!
As for the wooden fishing-boats its the same in Greece.

[lnstls]

We have wooden boatbuilders in Norway. Here are some of them:

http://www.trebaatbyggeri.no/

http://www.ulf.no/

http://www.dolvik.no/

http://www.woodenboat.net/index.php

http://www.djupevaag.no/

http://www.ryfylketrebaat.no/index.html

[alexandros]

Instls, thank you very much for the links! Really helpful!