Meet a Maker: Edition 8

Meet Ship to Shore Designs

In this special Meet a Maker, you will get to meet the entire team!

1. What is your craft and how did you get into it?

Betzy:

My name is Betzy (adjacent image). I’m from Portsmouth and I am a traditional wooden boat builder. I got into boat building about four years ago when I started college at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC), Portsmouth. I got into the craft because I have always been quite practical, but never really knew how to use my creativity to a high standard. I inherited some tools and I didn’t know how to use them. However, I came across IBTC, which was near me. As soon as I saw it, I signed up and it was the course for me. It taught me how to use planes, chisels, work with wood, and basically apply my creativity and practicality to something with a result. That’s how I got into traditional boatbuilding.

Emma:

My name is Emma (final image) and I am a traditional boat builder. Long story short, I have always known that I wanted to work with my hands, but never knew exactly how I was going to do it. When I was younger, I was definitely influenced into thinking that making was more of a hobby even though I really enjoyed the creative outlets in school. I went to university to become a radiographer, but decided that was not for me. I decided to go travelling for six years, visiting 14 countries, which is when I started to work with my hands again. I took some wood carving courses in Nepal, which affirmed I am meant to be making with my hands. After reflection during COVID I decided to enrol in IBTC, which I had known about for years through a friend.

Peter:

I’m Peter Collins (top image) and I’m a traditional wooden boat builder. I started out my career journey as an aircraft technician for the military. I was actually supposed to go to boat building school in my late 20s, because it fascinated me. Yet I didn’t receive any funding at the time. I went with the funded option, which was recreational management school, because I came from an outdoor adventure sports/athlete background. This led me down a cool path where I owned my own business. I was running a co-working space and a photography studio in Canada. Due to COVID, I sold the business in Canada and decided to move back to England. With a helpful nudge from my twin sister, I decided to pursue my curiosity on boatbuilding. I looked at the three schools that were available and fell in love with the historic setting of IBTC in Portsmouth. The boatbuilding course and historic dockyard inspired me and that’s how I got into my craft.

2. What is one interesting fact about you? 

Betzy:

Last year, I ran the New York Marathon. I’m a keen runner and wanted to challenge myself and do something a bit further than my usual 10K. So I signed up for the ballot for the New York Marathon with no expectation of getting in, but I got an email saying you’re running it! From there I got training gear and when the time came my mum flew over to New York with me as support and I ran it. It was truly an amazing experience.

Emma:

Firstly, to give credit to my mum who said this was a fun fact about me, I was born on 6 June on the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Secondly, I am currently sharpening my passion for sustainability. I have a really big heart for keeping heritage, crafts and skills alive, which is why I love woodwork and traditional boatbuilding. But one area that I’m really intrigued to start incorporating is cob building. There are projects around cob building that I have done, specifically in Spain, where you help build community halls for parents and children to have a free space. There are similarities in design in both cob building and boatbuilding, and I would like to be a part of this project where the design is to build the roof to resemble the inside of a boat.

Peter:

I’ve been around a long time and I’ve done a lot of different things. I am left-handed, however, I’m very ambidextrous. Funnily enough, I do a lot of fine work with my left hand, and I do all my big sawing and everything with my right hand. I am also a crosscountry skier and have competed at a high level. I did the eco-challenge on the Discovery Channel. I also ran a Nordic Ski Centre in Scotland for nine years and some of my students I trained competed in the Olympics. Most importantly, I have a daughter who I am extremely proud of as well as the fact that we’ve got a great team at Ship to Shore Designs that is mostly females. I’m thrilled that we can be involved with Women in Boat Building and inspiring people.

3. How long have you been making?

Betzy:

It’s been about four years. But prior to that, as a young person starting up and owning a home, I’d try my hand at the odd DIY job. I did a bit of wallpapering and basic woodworking like putting shelves up and drilling holes in the walls. Overall, you’ve got to push yourself and just give things a go if you can. That is partly why I did the IBTC course. I knew I had it in me for making, but I needed the time and space to practise. The course was a year long and it was great to have the opportunity to practise. It takes time to build those skills. I’m still learning and getting better.

Emma:

I have been an IBTC graduate for almost two years now. Before that, I’d started an apprenticeship at Oyster Yachts. I decided that wasn’t the route that I wanted to go down. I think it was mainly being an older adult learner. It was challenging going back to class with mostly 17-year-olds and returning to a slower traditional college system. The one year course length of IBTC was definitely a benefit of going to a private program. In total, I think I’m approaching four years now in boatbuilding.

Peter:

I was in the same year with Emma at IBTC, and we graduated in 2022. So I have been doing boatbuilding around two years. I’ve always had a really creative background from a very young age. I was making, building, painting and modelling anything and everything.

4. Who is/are your favourite maker(s) in your craft? Anyone you admire in the craft field?

Betzy:

The person who inspires me the most is my late father. He’s the reason I started woodworking and I use all his tools I inherited. When I was growing up, his work was all around the house, so woodworking was quite normal to me. Once I was a bit older, I really appreciated and understood the skill that went into it. I still to this day pick up one of his boxes that he’s made and think, “How did he do that?” I’d love to be able to ask him, but maybe one day I’ll learn and figure it out. He was my biggest inspiration. Everything he did I’m still in awe. He was a master in my eyes. If I can get myself to that level one day, then I’d be over the moon! In the boat building world, each boatbuilder is different and they all bring something different to the equation. In boatbuilding, there’s always three ways to do a job. If we’ve got a problem on one of the boats that Emma, Peter, and I can’t figure out, I’ll give one of my mates who works down the road a call as I value their opinion. Everyone seems really helpful to give their opinion or think of a solution to make the situation easier.

Emma:

Genuinely, every time I meet a female boatbuilder, especially in the traditional side who has a voice, I am in awe. They have a buzz and drive about them. In general, male or female, I love watching makers actually love what they’re doing. It’s that aura all around them that I admire. I see it also in cob building. You see communities come together to create and build, which is really humbling. It helps me see the bigger picture.

Peter:

There’s so many people I admire. There’s a guy down in Devon, John McShea, who runs a small boat building business. His craftsmanship is incredible. He does a lot of furniture and work inspired by traditional skills, which I really love. There is also a guy in Bridport, Dorset who’s a furniture maker. He came from a nautical background, which you can see through his tables and chairs that use the same boatbuilding skills of steaming, bending, and joint work. This work really inspired me as Ship to Shore Designs was originally born with the intention to take old wooden boats that were discarded, broken up, or no longer usable and upcycle the wood into furniture inspired by the crafts that we’d learned. That’s why we actually called the company Ship to Shore Designs, because we wanted to take it from boat to land.

5. What is the most challenging skill/technique you learned in your craft?

Betzy: 

I think the main thing with woodwork and boatbuilding that I struggled with, and I think a lot of people struggle with, is patience. There is this mentality that you have to play the slow long game to get the results you want. Sometimes when you’re playing with a bit of wood it’s not going your way, which happens because it’s an organic material. You might be steam bending a bit of wood and it snaps, but you’ve got to be patient and play the long game. Mentally, I think if you can do that, then you can get through it. You make mistakes, especially when you’re new to the craft. I think sometimes you’ve got to trust your skill level and just keep at it.

Emma:

I think the hardest thing would be that there’s no one way of doing anything in building, and there are some really strong opinions on how to approach things. Sometimes, you have to try the four ways you’ve heard on how to deal with this challenge until you’ve got your own conclusion for the next time you encounter this problem. Yet this can take a long time, so the biggest challenge is being patient and trusting the process, which is actually a really good life lesson. Even though the project looks horrible from the beginning, just bear with it. You could probably talk to an artist and they’ll have the same conversation with you. It’s the same challenge with cob building and my embroidering. You have to stick with the project even when you want to give up on it. It is also important at times to pause, walk away from it, acknowledge that today is not your day, and then come back to it.

Peter:

I think every day during the boatbuilding course when we started in joinery was hard. You are on your feet all day and the mental focus on it was really difficult. I was exhausted at the end of every day, and many of my classmates felt the same regardless of age. I always wanted to work with tools where I could do dovetail joints. I did a little bit when I was in high school, but nothing really. So there was a huge sense of satisfaction when completing my toolbox in the course and looking at those joints. You think to yourself, “Yeah, that’s nice. I’m proud of that.” But now the challenge is developing and knowing how much there is still to learn. One thing we learned in college is that there are so many different ways of doing things. You could ask five instructors an opinion and you get five different answers and ways of doing something. Sorting through all of that is a constant challenge, but it is something I really enjoy. I also obviously love working and problem solving with Emma and Betzy. I am very motivated by them.

6. What is your favourite part of your craft?

Betzy:

I absolutely love doing dovetails. We had to make a small tool chest in the first three months of our course. There’s quite a lot of dovetails in those boxes. The skill just gelled for me and they look so beautiful. However, if you make mistakes or you don’t have that high level of skill, they’re not going to look good. In a more general sense, what I love about boatbuilding is the day to day work. We work on a massive variety of projects. No day is the same. One day you’re varnishing, one day you’re replacing a plank on the boat, and the next day we’re putting the brass keel band on. Every day is different and I’m constantly learning.

Emma:

There is that magic when everyday is different, especially in a small company where you’re not part of a conveyor belt for production. Although there are days where I just want to come in, not think, and just do. Yet, it’s really nice to actually have that challenge or that spark to keep my brain going.

Peter:

I think the level of finish that we can apply on to boats, the attention to detail, and the standard that we aspire to constantly work toward is my favourite part. Obviously, it takes a long time to build and finish a boat. Primrose (current boat in the workshop during interview) was a boat that was partially finished and we have been able to bring that up to a standard that we are proud of, which is quite amazing. I think that’s what really thrills me more than anything else in boatbuilding.

7. What project are you most proud of and why?

Betzy:

We worked on a project a few weeks ago, which was a Navy rowing gig. The Navy actually used it. All the planks had dried up. We brought it out onto the shop floor and repaired it. Then we put it out on the pontoon, and the Navy rowing team came to pick it up. There’s no better feeling than seeing the boat you’ve been working on, that would have sunk out on the water, with a team full of rowers on it. On this occasion, the Navy rowing team had a spare seat, so they let me go out on it, which was really cool. Overall it was a nice way start to finish the story for this project. I went home with a big smile on my face and felt like I’d succeeded in something. These boats take a long time to do so when you actually get something on the water, it floats, and people are using it for what it should be used for, that’s really satisfying. That’s a highlight of boatbuilding for me.

Emma:

I am most proud of my toolbox from the IBTC course. It was the first time that I genuinely was proud of myself and thought I could do this. It was all hard work and all done by hand. The other project I’m proud of is my oar. The oar was the first time that I really got an eye for round surfaces. We had to make a practice oar in the course and then another one that was submitted for examination by City & Guild. They marked the oars on accuracy, measurements, and dimensions. My favourite part of the examination was that they measured in millimetres, because I love that level of precision that this project required.

Peter:

I had a huge sense of satisfaction completing my toolbox and looking at the high level those joints and finishing on the box, similarly to the Primrose. Currently, I am most excited about working on the Waterwitch (20ft Morgan-Giles design clinker dinghy built for the Sea Rangers in 1946). It’s going to be a huge challenge and I love that. I love the building, but I also like the restoration work. The repair and restoration side is something that I’ve always enjoyed. It is rewarding taking something that’s possibly gone beyond its life and bringing it back.

8. If someone who knows nothing about your craft could know one thing, what would it be and why?

Betzy:

Give it a go! I’m not saying boatbuilding, but if you get access to some sharp tools, learn how to sharpen a tool, and just have a go at some woodworking. Use YouTube, the internet, or books as source material. Or if you know someone who knows how to do a bit of woodwork, there’s plenty of small projects you can do. You don’t have to build a whole boat. That’s pretty daunting. But if you enjoy planing down a little bit of wood or using a bit of creativity, then find more resources and go for it. I wouldn’t say there is one thing you should know about boatbuilding, because it’s all so varied. But if you enjoy problem solving and working with wood, then it’s a brilliant way to go.

Emma:

If you’ve walked into a wood workshop and you felt like, “Oh, this is cool.” Definitely give it a go, because you’ll never know until you give it a try. Overall, this applies to making in general. Even if you don’t have the tools, find a local workshop or open evenings and start small to see if you enjoy it.

Peter:

If you go on the Mary Rose and you look at the boatbuilding techniques in there, the tools that they’re using in the 1600s haven’t really changed. The techniques haven’t really changed from what we’re doing now. I think that’s amazing! I went to Stockholm recently and went on the Vasa. The tools there have been preserved like the Mary Rose. I think there is something to be said about this tradition that hasn’t altered much in 400-500 years and maybe even longer. I think that that is really cool.

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