Courses FAQ

Contents

  1. How long are the boatbuilding courses?
  2. Can you offer a longer course?
  3. What are the hours?
  4. How much do you get done in a week?
  5. Who teaches the boatbuilding classes?
  6. How skilled do I need to be to take a course?
  7. Who can take a class?
  8. How physically fit do I need to be?
  9. Can more than one person work on one boat?
  10. How much does a course cost?
  11. How do I sign up for a course?
  12. What should I bring to the course?
  13. Where do I stay while taking a boatbuilding course?
  14. Can I build any boat I want in the course?
  15. I already have one of your kits. Can I bring the kit to the course?
  16. How will I get my boat home?
  17. Can I change my booking to a different date?
  18. What if I need to cancel my place?
  19. What if Fyne Boat Kits need to cancel the course?

If you have any questions about our boat-building courses that are not answered on this page, please contact us directly so we may answer it.


How long are the boatbuilding courses?

Most of our courses last five and a half days, beginning at 8am on Monday and finishing with your boat ready to take home at noon on Saturday.

Can you offer a longer course?

We offer five-day and ten-day courses as standard. This is plenty of time to learn the skills, but if you want more time to work on your boat, you can hire a place in our workshop for the week after the course. Please check availability before booking.

What are the hours?

The class starts each day at 8am and finishes between 5 and 6 in the evening, with an hour off for lunch. Some days might finish later, particularly the Tuesday (hull assembly day).

How much do you get done in a week?

We go as fast as we can during the week. For most boats, all major assembly will be completed, including fibreglass work, leaving just a few smaller jobs to complete at home, such as fitting hatches, rounding rails and assembling rudders and spars for sailing boats. Some options, such as broken inwales, will extend the build time, leaving more work to complete at home. Whatever the boat, you will leave with the skills to be confident of finishing your boat without difficulty at home.

Painting and varnishing will always be left to complete at home, due to paint drying times.

You can also hire space in our workshop for a few days after the course if you lack the space or the right tools to finish your boat at home, or if you just want to keep up momentum to get it finished.

Who teaches the boatbuilding classes?

Our instructors have built many different boats themselves and successfully taught countless first-time boatbuilders the skills they need to build a boat they can be proud of. By providing our phone and email technical support, they have also helped many home boatbuilders accomplish daunting jobs and recover from mishaps. You will find them knowledgeable, supportive and fun to spend a week with!

How skilled do I need to be to take a course?

All our courses are suitable for first-time boatbuilders with little or no woodworking experience. It will be challenging, but we won't let you falter or do poor work. Even experienced builders will be challenged – each class comes from a variety of backgrounds and skillsets.

Please note that you should not expect perfection in every aspect of the build – that would take weeks or months of very careful work. Remember that almost all boats have a few small mistakes and imperfections that only the builder knows about. Most of them are only noticeable upon very close inspection.

Who can take a class?

All are welcome – you just need to be willing to learn. Most students are adults. Children accompanied by a parent or guardian should be 12 or older and possess a good attention span. Unaccompanied students should be 16 or older with good focus and work ethics. All students should be prepared for a very busy week of between 45 and 60 hours of physical labour.

How physically fit do I need to be?

Building a boat in a week requires persistent physical labour, averaging 8-9 hours per day Monday-Friday and 4 hours on Saturday. We host students of every age and background, but everyone should expect to be standing and working with their hands for a full week. Because of the light weight of our designs there is little, if any, heavy lifting.

Can more than one person work on one boat?

An extra pair of hands to share the work can make the experience even more fun and it makes a great family or parent-child project. We charge a reduced tuition fee for assistants.

How much does a course cost?

In addition to the course tuition fee, you will need to purchase the kit for the boat you want to build. Not all boats can be built in a five day course, so please check the details for each course for a list of boats that can be built on that course.

How do I sign up for a course?

Choose the course you are interested in from our courses page, follow the link to the course page and add the tuition fee to your shopping basket. You must also add the kit for your chosen boat to the basket, by following the links in the course description. Then check your basket, proceed to the checkout and select the option to collect your order from our premises, so that your kit will be ready for the start of the course. When you have paid for your order, it will be confirmed automatically by email and we will send you the construction manual by post to study before the course.

What should I bring to the course?

It is essential that you bring the following items:

We will supply disposable dust masks, but we recommend bringing a respirator (and filters) if you have one. You might also prefer to bring your own ear defenders, though our classroom has enough to go around. We will also provide safety glasses, protective gloves and disposable coveralls.

If you want to buy any of this safety equipment, it can be ordered from our website and collected on arrival.

Where do I stay while taking a boatbuilding course?

There are numerous campsites and B&Bs in the area.

Can I build any boat I want in the course?

We try to accommodate a range of boats in our courses, but there are some boats that simply can't be built in five days, even with expert guidance. Check the details for each course for a list of compatible boats.

I already have one of your kits. Can I bring the kit to the course?

Probably not, because the kits we supply for the courses are slightly different from the ones we supply for building at home, to make it possible to build them in the five day schedule. Many parts are provided full-length for the courses but have to be joined from smaller pieces when building at home. It's very important for all students to start and finish each step in sync with the course syllabus – there will be no time to join the panels to full length during the class. However, if you can deliver the kit back to us at least a fortnight in advance, we should be able to prepare it for the start of the course. You would need to arrange this with us before booking your place on the course.

How will I get my boat home?

You'll need to arrange to leave with your boat on the last day of the course. We do not have the space to store your boat. Most of the boats can be carried on a sturdy roof rack. If your boat will require a trailer, you should make sure you have a suitable trailer before the course begins. Alternatively, we can arrange delivery of your assembled boat, however this can be costly so it is definitely preferable to transport your own boat home.

Can I change my booking to a different date?

Yes, as long as there are places available for the dates you want to change to and as long as you tell us at least 30 days before the course begins.

What if I need to cancel my place?

Students who cancel 30 days or less before the course begins will not receive a refund of the tuition fee.

What if Fyne Boat Kits need to cancel the course?

In the event of an emergency or a lack of registrations, Fyne Boat Kits reserves the right to cancel courses and refund all tuition and boat kit money. Fyne Boat Kits will not be responsible for any loss on nonrefundable tickets for travelling to/from the course, so we strongly urge you to buy refundable tickets.

When we were forced to cancel courses due to Covid-19 restrictions, most of our students agreed to move their booking to a later course. No other emergency has caused us to cancel courses in all the years we have been running them.

If a course doesn't receive our minimum number of registrations, we will cancel the course 30 days before the class begins.